Attaching a featherboard to the BT3 no miter slot

[LCHIEN]

This question gets asked a lot.
Mine:
(see attached image)

Cut a featherboard from a 1x4 about 15-18" long
Angle the tip 30 degrees.
Set the miter fence 30 degrees, use the miter clamp to hold the FB against the miter fence. Move the FB right-left to adjust, move the SMT on the rails to adjust more.
Move te SMT forwards backwards to set the FB contact point in front of the blade.
Use a quick-grip clamp (foreground, blue) to lock the SMT to the SMT base so it won't slide.
That's it.

[Wood_workur]

great Idea. I have always just used the bolt hole and/or some clamps. Never thought about using the whole fence.

[drumpriest]

Before I had a miter slot on my BT, mine looked a lot like Loring's.

[mschrank]

Is that the factory blade guard I see being used to store your push stick? If so, another great idea!

Thanks for posting this...like Alex I used to take the miter fence off and replace with the feather board. Not anymore.

[LCHIEN]

Is that the factory blade guard I see being used to store your push stick? If so, another great idea!
....

Haha. Eagle eye!

How do you like my magnetic tool holder on the side of the BT?

and, BTW that piece of wood "about to be sawn" is hanging out there in space held only by the grip of the featherboard and rip fence.

[LarryG]

How do you like my magnetic tool holder on the side of the BT?

How'd you get those wrenches to stick to the wood?

Seriously: the BT arbor wrenches I recognize, but what are the other two and the hex wrenches for? (For the latter, one is probably for the screws atop the rip fence, right?)

And while you're at it, tell me about that bicycle I see in the background.

[LCHIEN]

How'd you get those wrenches to stick to the wood?

Seriously: the BT arbor wrenches I recognize, but what are the other two and the hex wrenches for? (For the latter, one is probably for the screws atop the rip fence, right?)

And while you're at it, tell me about that bicycle I see in the background.

Ah the wrenches are on hooks. The wood backing is stuck to the BT side with magnets.
The box end combination wrenches are pawn shop rejects ($1 apiece, loose stock craftsman I think) that fit the arbor nut and the riving knife holder nuts. I like 'em better than the flat stamped wrenches. 1/2" and 3/4" IIRC.
The allen wrenches/hex keys are the ones that came with the saw. Offhand the only one I can think of is the top of the rip fence... But I AM prepared.

The bicycle... 1975 Motobecane "Gran Touring" changed at some point from 10 to 12-speed and an Avocet seat. All suntour components and weinmann brakes. Still ride it some but the frame is actually a little bit too long for me (Seat to handlebar distance). You really can't see much of it! I'd better be more careful about what I show!

[gwyneth]

The bicycle... 1975 Motobecane "Gran Touring" changed at some point from 10 to 12-speed and an Avocet seat. All suntour components and weinmann brakes. Still ride it some but the frame is actually a little bit too long for me (Seat to handlebar distance).

I resurrected this thread because it was startling to read about Loren's bike: I had a 1974 Motobecane "Le Kiddy Sport" or some cute name, similar with the suntour and the weinmann stuff--but with a 16.5" frame on 24" wheels. It was an instant sale to this short and short-legged college junior. It looked like a scale model of the bigger bikes in the Yellow Jersey Bike Co-op (as I guess it was).

The featherboard info was valuable, though.

[LCHIEN]

I resurrected this thread because it was startling to read about Loren's bike: I had a 1974 Motobecane "Le Kiddy Sport" or some cute name, similar with the suntour and the weinmann stuff--but with a 16.5" frame on 24" wheels. It was an instant sale to this short and short-legged college junior. It looked like a scale model of the bigger bikes in the Yellow Jersey Bike Co-op (as I guess it was).

The featherboard info was valuable, though.

It (the "bike") was the first thing I bought with "earned" money after going to work out of college. In college I had a late 60's Raleigh Record I rode to classes in Ithaca New York - lots of hills, a fun place to ride.

[gwyneth]

Besides the size, (actually, because of the size) the advantage of the "Le Spoiled Kid" bike was its price--I think it was $105--for the exact same setup as the big bikes, the price ratio being similar to the size ratio. (Three months later, my first car, a '63 Corvair, cost $125. But in-state tuition then was only $253 a semester.)

Can't tell from the photo for sure, but is yours that same Moto yellow (about the color of a yield sign) as mine was?

[LCHIEN]

Besides the size, (actually, because of the size) the advantage of the "Le Spoiled Kid" bike was its price--I think it was $105--for the exact same setup as the big bikes, the price ratio being similar to the size ratio. (Three months later, my first car, a '63 Corvair, cost $125. But in-state tuition then was only $253 a semester.)

Can't tell from the photo for sure, but is yours that same Moto yellow (about the color of a yield sign) as mine was?

No, it was nice deep red.

[ejs1097]

Loring,
When you say, "Use a quick-grip clamp (foreground, blue) to lock the SMT to the SMT base so it won't slide."

Are you just clamping to the track so the SMT can't slide forward or are you clamping the table and track and pinching the 2 together?

[LCHIEN]

Loring,
When you say, "Use a quick-grip clamp (foreground, blue) to lock the SMT to the SMT base so it won't slide."

Are you just clamping to the track so the SMT can't slide forward or are you clamping the table and track and pinching the 2 together?

The latter - I'm clamping them together, not just putting a stop on it.
The featherboard, because of the feather keeps the workpiece from backing up. Just stopping forward motion and Allowing the SMT to slide backward would defeat that.

[gwyneth]

Will the little tab that at least the 21829 has for locking down the sliding table (instruction book suggests you do it during rips) to its base work for this?

[LCHIEN]

Will the little tab that at least the 21829 has for locking down the sliding table (instruction book suggests you do it during rips) to its base work for this?

yes, it would except that it's in the wrong place.
You want the featherboard to be completely in front of the blade so its squeezing the yet uncut portion of the workpiece against the fence. Anywhere alongside of the blade is a disaster bceause the wood is cut and squeezing it here will merely squeeze the blade leading to a horrific case of kickback.

So you can see in my picture that the position of the SMT with a featherboard in front of the miter fence, has the SMT pulled pretty far back to get the featherboard in front of the blade. The end of the sliding part is considerably in front of the back of the main saw table.

The slots for the locking tabs are probably 4-6 inches farther back. See how much distance there is between the end of the SMT and the end of the saw table.