New BT3100 Owner!

[Cabotcat]

Disclaimer: I live in Gilbertsville KY and travel to Nashville TN for airport use.

Crazy purchase experience. Following this great site for years. Finally had the need for the BT3100. Flew to San Antonio from Nashville this morning. While in SA it dawned on me that I might be able to find a new BT in Nashville (numersous stores). Returned to Nashville this evening after my meeting. Ripped a page out of the phone book at the Nashville airport. Called HD and determined that the Brentwood store has one new in the box. Drove 20 minutes in a 1997 Buick Riviera. Bought the saw. Went to load and realized it would not fit anywhere well. Put one corner in the trunk and tied the **** out of it. Drove 55 mph for 2.5 hours from Brentwood TN to Gilbertsville KY. Got the new saw home same and sound.

As 10cc once stated " the things we for love"

[Ken Massingale]

Welcome to the forum, Cabotcat. Yeah, we do some crazy stuff, don't we. Enjoy the BT, it's a fine saw.
ken

[gary]

Hello and welcome from a fellow Kentuckian in Versailles.

[Ken Weaver]

Congratulations - be safe!

[mater]

Disclaimer: I live in Gilbertsville KY and travel to Nashville TN for airport use.

Crazy purchase experience. Following this great site for years. Finally had the need for the BT3100. Flew to San Antonio from Nashville this morning. While in SA it dawned on me that I might be able to find a new BT in Nashville (numersous stores). Returned to Nashville this evening after my meeting. Ripped a page out of the phone book at the Nashville airport. Called HD and determined that the Brentwood store has one new in the box. Drove 20 minutes in a 1997 Buick Riviera. Bought the saw. Went to load and realized it would not fit anywhere well. Put one corner in the trunk and tied the **** out of it. Drove 55 mph for 2.5 hours from Brentwood TN to Gilbertsville KY. Got the new saw home same and sound.

As 10cc once stated " the things we for love"

Where there is a will there is a way. Welcome to the forum.

[gmack5]

Welcome Cabotcat,

Congratulations on the acquisition of your BT3100 and welcome to the "family".

One of the first things you need to do, after you get your BT3100 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 preceeding proceedure, 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

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, most of them contain Silicones and they will make your projects difficult to finish.

Silicones repell liquid, making "fish eyes" in your finishes, this will force 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 for the Raising/Lowering and Tilt mechanisms below the table top.

Then 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/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 Square is almost a myth!

A good Carpenters Square 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.

[Pappy]

Welcome to the Asylum!

[Wood_workur]

WELCOME!!!

and, how could he possibly be safe, after that crazy trip getting it home???

J/K, we would have done the same...

[John Hunter]

Welcome aboard.

[Cabotcat]

Thanks so much to eveyone, certainly to gmack5 for the excellent newbie tips.

The saw must wait until Sunday to assemble. With the 4th of July fastly approaching, the wife has me tied up until then. Give a little get a little I say.

I have unpacked the box and read the instruction manual. I actually cut the english version off with a razor knife and seperated each page. I then used a 3 hole punch and inserted it into a 3 ring binder. This will make it much easier to access come assembly time.

Again - thanks to all.