smt "&" rip fences?

[rcp612]

I've been trying more difficult projects as I learn (mostly from this site) but have found a problem with my BT3100. The miter fence on the smt tilts back when tightened down. Almost 3/16". I've taken it to the bench and the only solution I've come up with is making a jig to hold it perpendicular to a plate of glass-sanding table and working it down to level. It definitely rocks on the table.
While re-checking everything else I found the rip fence to do the same thing! It leans to the right (not as bad as the smt mf) no matter what I do to it. Has anyone else found these problems and how can they be corrected?
By the way, this never would have been found except that I was cutting dados in 3/4 stock for the grid in a torque box and they were too shallow on one side only. The material was clamped to the miter fence but not with the clamp that came in the accessory kit. (I can't make myself like that clamp.)

[John Hunter]

Is it possible that the washer (#9) is under the clamp not on top of it as the diagram shows?

[gmack5]

Welcome rcp612, welcome to the "family".

This might not help, but then again it might. Be sure you haven't put any WAX on your Miter Fence or the Front or Back Rails.

One of the first things you need to do, after you get your BT3100 Table Saw assembled is, following your Owner's Manual, go thru the entire set-up proceedure, step by step, in the sequence laid out in the Manual. Each set up proceedure builds on the one before it, so you MUST keep them in sequence.

Usually the Saw is set up properly, right out of the box, but you should still check it as this gets you familiar with all the adjustments on the saw and assures you that everything is as it should be.

Here's some free plans that'll keep you busy for a while. http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/r...ex.php?cat=102

You might also want to check out the "FAQ" in a "sticky" at the beginning of the Getting Started Forum:
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=1699
It'll answer a lot of your questions.

And here's some additional information about your Saw that you may find useful.
Regardless of what you've read or others have told you, NEVER NEVER use any wax or lubricant on your saw that contains Silicone, this includes all automobile waxes and polishes and most spray-on furniture polishes.

The reason is simple enough, most of them contain Silicones that will make your projects difficult to finish.
Silicones repell liquid, making "fish eyes" in your finishes, this will cause you to remove the Silicones from your project and start over. That stuff (Silicone) migrates all over every where, don't ask me how, it just does.

If you put it in one place, eventually it will be all over the entire saw.

Your best bet is to use a "dry" lubricant, such as Teflon (PTFE), Powdered Graphite, or Candle Wax (parafin) for the Raising/Lowering and Tilt mechanisms below the table top.

Do NOT use "oils" as they will get sticky and attract Saw Dust and "gum up" the mechanisms under the table top.

Use either Johnson's Paste Wax, Minwax's "Finishing Wax" or Butcher's Wax on the working surfaces, table tops (All three of them) and the Rip Fence.
Do NOT Wax the Front and Rear rails or the Miter Fence. As a mater of fact, you may want to glue 220 grit sand-paper to the front face of the Miter Fence, cause you don't WANT things to slide on there.

You might also want to check out the "Articles" section on the www.BT3central.com site. Lots of good maintenance information on your saw and some of the Jigs and Fixtures that BT3Central members and others have designed for it. Located here: http://www.bt3central.com/index.php?page=articles

The only thing you'll need to access the information is a recent copy of the Adobe Reader (It can be downloaded from the BTcentral site).

One of the Articles mentioned is a "Check List", written by Jim Frye. You can find it here: https://www.sawdustzone.org/articles...nce-check-list

This list contains all the different areas on your saw that need to be periodically inspected or given some sort of special attention. In other words, a "Preventative Maintanence Check List" or PM. Performing this PM on a monthly basis would be a good idea.

One of the other things you'll find there is an on-line copy of the User's Manual in downloadable pdf format (a handy thing to have).

Something you might think about is the use of a set of Draftsman's Triangles instead of the Carpenter's Square that they show in the Owner's Manual for setting up your saw.

An accurate Carpenter's Framing Square is almost a myth!

A good one will cost you quite a bit of money, $40 - $75, or more. I would recommend that you consider using a pair of Draftsman's 30 -60 and 45 degree triangles instead. You'll find they're not near as expensive and are far more accurate than a run-of-the-mill Carpenter's Square. The 30-60 triangle should have one 12" leg and the other leg would be 9" long. The 45 degree triangle should have at least 8" legs on either side of the 90 degree corner.
That way either one can be put up against the side of the Saw Blade without touching the saw teeth.

Just remember, regardless of which measuring instrument you choose to use, check it(them) to be sure they're accurate. When checking the Miter Fence for Square to the Blade with a triangle, use the 12" 30-60, if possible.

One of the other "tricks" that I've discovered is to take a piece of "Wax" paper, fold it several times and rub it in the grooves that the "T" nuts that lock your Rails in place ride in. Makes the Rails move smooth as Butter.

Last, but not least, don't forget to paint the RED line!
It's a line that extends the line-of-sight from the saw blade to the front edge of the table to remind you NOT to let your Miter Fence or your FINGERS get in the way of the saw blade. Just put red paint, nail polish, or what ever, in the grove that extends towards the operator from the front edge of the saw blade.

[LCHIEN]

make sure the washer is in the correct order as John Hunter illustrated (SMT).

make sure the rip fence black bracket is sitting down fully on the rail and doesn't ride up when you lock the rip fence handle.

[Derrick]

I seem to have the same issue. Trying to cut some miters today and noticed that the SMT fence is tilting about the same "3/16ths" when I lock it down. The washer is in the correct location. I think I will try to shim up the back of the SMT fence with some kind of stick on shim to make it parallel. Maybe something on the bottom of the plastic clamp will help. Let me know if you find a solution..

[Raymonator]

I'd be interested in reading the results of this thread. I'll check mine when I set it up.

[Black wallnut]

I seem to have the same issue. Trying to cut some miters today and noticed that the SMT fence is tilting about the same "3/16ths" when I lock it down. The washer is in the correct location. I think I will try to shim up the back of the SMT fence with some kind of stick on shim to make it parallel. Maybe something on the bottom of the plastic clamp will help. Let me know if you find a solution..

Is your piviot in the correct hole?

[LarryG]

I'm not entirely sure I understand the problem. Are y'all saying that the vertical face of the SMT fence is tilted 3/16" from top to bottom? IIRC the extrusion is about 2-1/2" high, so that would equate to almost 5deg of tilt ... which is HUGE. Something sounds fundamentally wrong, somewhere.

[Derrick]

The pivot pin is in the correct hole..I looked a little closer last night and found that the plastic clamp #6 is actually just a hair shorter than the fence extrusion. This causes the the fence to tilt a few degrees when you tighten it down. I easily fixed it with a stick on shim just behind the bolt on the clamp. Nothing major. Of course if you just use the fence as a guide and clamp the workpiece to the SMT table top this problem really is a no-issue.

[rcp612]

I see what you're saying and that shim will work but,,,,,,,,,,, how do you clamp your workpiece to the smt instead of the miter fence????

[rcp612]

make sure the washer is in the correct order as John Hunter illustrated (SMT).

make sure the rip fence black bracket is sitting down fully on the rail and doesn't ride up when you lock the rip fence handle.

The bracket is down tight but the fence body itself looks like it's twisted or out of alignment somehow.

[Salty]

Well, mine does the same thing and here's what I discovered. On mine, the plastic bracket, #6 in John's picture, is not exactly at a 90 degree angle on the inside corner. It is a bit more than 90 degrees. this causes the top to seek a match with the top of the fence and it kicks the fence back in doing so.
I may have found a temporary fix. If you notice this is happening to your SMT fence, do this. Pull back slightly as you tighten the knob and see if that doesn't prevent the fence from tilting back. When I do this it tightens the fence at the correct 90 degrees to the table and I can see about a 1/16" gap between the top/front of the fence and the bottom of the black bracket.
Seems to be a design flaw possibly due to the fact that plastic parts will change shape after they are molded or may change shape when put in a stress position for long periods of time.

[DJB]

Salty,

Do you mean push forward instead of pull back when tightening the knob? If the fence tilts back, then pulling back would exacerbate the problem.

Anyway, I have the same problem with a tilting SMT fence. The black plastic clamp is slightly short, so when it is clamped down, it pulls the SMT fence off of the table. I tried holding the fence down while tightening, but the fence is not locked down until the black clamp is tight (thus pulling fence out of vertical).

Dave

[rcp612]

Well, mine does the same thing and here's what I discovered. On mine, the plastic bracket, #6 in John's picture, is not exactly at a 90 degree angle on the inside corner. It is a bit more than 90 degrees. this causes the top to seek a match with the top of the fence and it kicks the fence back in doing so.
I may have found a temporary fix. If you notice this is happening to your SMT fence, do this. Pull back slightly as you tighten the knob and see if that doesn't prevent the fence from tilting back. When I do this it tightens the fence at the correct 90 degrees to the table and I can see about a 1/16" gap between the top/front of the fence and the bottom of the black bracket.
Seems to be a design flaw possibly due to the fact that plastic parts will change shape after they are molded or may change shape when put in a stress position for long periods of time.

I've shimmed the bottom of the plastic bracket,,,,, no help. Ive shimmed the top inside corner of the plastic bracket,,,,,still no good. I stripped the entire SMT fence down to just the extrusion and found that the bottom rear "leg" is not on plane with the front. So IMO nothing will help until I get the bottom of the fence flat and true. What do you think?

[LJR]

A while back I found the same problem with my SMT fence. I found that when you took the aluminum extrusion completely off and checked for square, it wasn't. In cross section that fence should be a rectangle with 90 degree corners and mine wasn't. I bought a replacement fence, it's square, and tightens down square. Don't have any ideas on why the rip fence wouldn't tighten down square although I have had to take my rip fence off and clean out sawdust that found it's way up into the fence.