Right side mitre slot resolved for seven dollars

[GRDavid]

I've done the searches, scratched my head trying to understanding the modifications. Too hard to understand. I saw classifieds for people parting them out for stupid prices and saw adapter kits for more than I was willing to pay.
Keep it simple GR I said to myself and I did.
A five dollar piece of 1/2 x 3/4 piece of aluminum combined with a two dollar tube of Devcon 30 minute epoxy did the trick.
Sand the right edge of the main table and the backside of the 1/2 aluminum. Mix the epoxy, apply to the aluminum and put it to the side of the table. Slide the router table accessory piece up against it and lock it in. Bar clamp from the left side to really tighten and retighten the router sliding piece up against it again.
Sit back and realize when it dries you now have a right side mitre slot.


Tankyouberrymouch.

[LCHIEN]

I've done the searches, scratched my head trying to understanding the modifications. Too hard to understand. I saw classifieds for people parting them out for stupid prices and saw adapter kits for more than I was willing to pay.
Keep it simple GR I said to myself and I did.
A five dollar piece of 1/2 x 3/4 piece of aluminum combined with a two dollar tube of Devcon 30 minute epoxy did the trick.
Sand the right edge of the main table and the backside of the 1/2 aluminum. Mix the epoxy, apply to the aluminum and put it to the side of the table. Slide the router table accessory piece up against it and lock it in. Bar clamp from the left side to really tighten and retighten the router sliding piece up against it again.
Sit back and realize when it dries you now have a right side mitre slot.


Tankyouberrymouch.

yeah, but you've done nothing to square it up so it runs parallel to the blade... just to the table top which is not guaranteed to be parallel to the blade.

[Ken Massingale]

yeah, but you've done nothing to square it up so it runs parallel to the blade... just to the table top which is not guaranteed to be parallel to the blade.

Yup.
Sorry GR, but IMHO the miter slots are not a feature to scrimp on. Personally, I wouldn't add just a slot. There's more usability with T-slots. The wealth of features and add-ons that T-slots offer is more than worth the effort and few $$$ to use them. Good idea anyway, ingenious.

[GRDavid]

yeah, but you've done nothing to square it up so it runs parallel to the blade...

Want to bet I didn't?

[Ken Massingale]

Well then, good job, GR.

[LCHIEN]

Want to bet I didn't?

Oh, so maybe I didn't get it right.
Did you attach a bracket to the saw table and now you're attaching a miter slot track or the DMST to the bracket with adjustments?

No. I adhered a 1/2 x 3/4 piece of alumimum to the right side of the table and slid the router accessory table up against it (Which I evidently didn't make clear the first time). Instant mitre slot. It was square to the blade before, during, and after the process and it doesn't affect anything.

So I'm glad it works for you. You may be one of the lucky ones whose table lines up with the blade but mostly it doesn't and its not guaranteed. I would not recommend building a slot like this. But If it works for you, Go with it and more power to you.

[GRDavid]

No. I adhered a 1/2 x 3/4 piece of alumimum to the right side of the table and slid the router accessory table up against it (Which I evidently didn't make clear the first time). Instant mitre slot. It was square to the blade before, during, and after the process and it doesn't affect anything.
Using it I also was able to make a crosscut sled that is spot on with MDF (shudder) and scraps.

If it goes against the grain of over engineering I apologize. You're going to hate my router fence.

[jAngiel]

Any chance of a couple of pictures? I'm having a hard time visualizing it in my mind.

[GRDavid]

Any chance of a couple of pictures? I'm having a hard time visualizing it in my mind.

Picture your router table piece to the right on the rails. Picure sliding it all the way to the left to the main part of the saw. But in doing that you've hit a piece of aluminium, 1/2 x 3/4 that has been epoxied to the right side of the table.
Bingo! Mitre slot.

Sorry. Doesn't get any simpler than that.

[Raymonator]

Even though you say it's simple, I still can't visualize it, DOH ! A picture sure would be nice to see.

[scorrpio]

Hmm, if the whole thing is just a bar of aluminum, why even bother with it? If table is parallel to blade, a miter 'slot' can be formed by sliding accessory table up and leaving a 3/4" gap. Drop in the sled, slide the acc table up , so the sled's runner don't wiggle but still can slide (UHWM tape on table and ACC table edges helps) and lock it.

[drumpriest]

Scrorrpio, I agree with you, and with Loring. The only issue with doing this is that the BT table edge is seldomly parallel to the blade. It would probably be better in the case of the "general BT3" to do something with either converting the left side miter table, or making one of your own, which is probably just as easy, that attaches to the rails and has some adjustability to it for parallelism.

[padboy]

Padboy

Ok,here's how I visualize it: imagine the router table section moved to the right(away from the main saw table)leaving a gap;now imagine that gap filled with an aluminum(aluminium for UK) t-shaped extrusion with its' open slot facing up. The aluminum section is held permanently in place with epoxy between its' left side and the right side edge of the main saw table.

[Ken Massingale]

Honestly, this thread is starting to sound unlike BT3Central. GR is a relatively new member with very few posts. He came up with an idea that won't work on every BT3X but works on his. Now it 'looks' like we are flaming his suggestion. (yeah, I'm talking about myself too) Were I in his place, I may be looking for a friendlier forum to play in.
Sorry for the rant, not pointing fingers, just making an observation.

[drumpriest]

Not meaning to flame, certainly, just a word of caution for those who consider doing this, it might not work on the average saw. He's been Lucky that it worked on his, more power to him! I do think it's a weakness of the BT that it doesn't have left and right miter slots, even though the slide table is a great feature.