is this a 3100?

[siliconbauhaus]

I just found this one for sale locally and I was wondering if this is a 3100 clone?

[JR]

Yep, it appears to be a BT. The base looks like the on on my BT3000. Can't make out the writing on the front, though.

JR

[siliconbauhaus]

closer view of it...waiting to hear if its still avaialble

[cgallery]

That, my friend, is a BT3K. I would make certain it has the larger motor (weren't some of them made w/ 13-amp instead of 15-amp motors?). Also, due to the BT3K nature, it may also have the 3K instead of 3100 shims. While my 3100 shims still serve me well, it may be a maintenance item in the near future.

[siliconbauhaus]

thanks for the replies so far.

I'm new to the 3100 fan club so what differences are there apart from shims between the 3k and 3100?

[JR]

I'm new to the 3100 fan club so what differences are there apart from shims between the 3k and 3100?

You might want to take a tour of the FAQ, located here:

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=19968

JR

[siliconbauhaus]

reading up on all the facts at the moment, you have to wonder why a saw that is this good got discontinued??

[LCHIEN]

reading up on all the facts at the moment, you have to wonder why a saw that is this good got discontinued??

That's a strange animal you got there.
Its a BT3000 by the looks of it - stand, top, rails, elevation crank,
but it has a Sears front.
Now sears sold the BT3000 as the 22811 but it had some obvious differences I clearly don't see - splayed leg stand, metal crank handle. So I don't really know. It would be interesting to see what the sears model no. is on the back. They may have sold this in Canada or it could have been a short lived-precursor to the 22811.

As to why it got discontinued, well they produced them for >15 years in two basic models, that's a pretty good run for most any product. No one really seems to know why the marketing dep't at Ryobi decided to give up on it though, speculation seems to be that it did not fit the normal niche of Ryobi products that are now exclusively sold at HD. They tend to be short run, high volume, low cost (mostly bench or handheld) power tools and they are careful not to impinge on any of their other lines (Ridgid) for example.

Most Ryobi tools now seem to come out with a splash, a low price and apparent high value for the buck, last 6 months and then go on clearance and then disappear soon after. So 15 years is quite a run.

[gjat]

reading up on all the facts at the moment, you have to wonder why a saw that is this good got discontinued??

You won't see it posted much here, but it was discontinued as a political pawn of the Libertarian Political Party in retaliation for Ross Perot causing Clinton to get elected. We try not to speak of it here.

[JR]

They tend to be short run, high volume, low cost (mostly bench or handheld) power tools and they are careful not to impinge on any of their other lines (Ridgid) for example.

We flog this question quite a bit around here, but nobody really knows the answer.

Loring's sensible theory has a hole in it, IMO. Craftsman has just launched a new version of this saw in the last year. So the mfg line is running, or continues to run periodically. So why not make BT3100s while you're at it?

It may have to do with the Ryobi/HD list price of $299. Profit margins just might not be viable at that price, as opposed to the $459 or whatever Sears gets.

gjat's theory is as good as any, I guess.

JR

[TheRic]

You won't see it posted much here, but it was discontinued as a political pawn of the Libertarian Political Party in retaliation for Ross Perot causing Clinton to get elected. We try not to speak of it here.

Oh great gjat, you had and go say it out loud!!! Now everyone will know about it again!!!


siliconbauhaus: Welcome to the family, come on in make yourself at home.

[siliconbauhaus]

thanks for all the help so far.

no word yet from the bloke selling the c'man....so I'll be keeping an eye out for a 3100 in the western maryland area

[Black wallnut]

Plug it in and if it runs and you can get it for $250 or less get it! IMNSHO the BT3K is a superior saw to the 3100 except for the shim difference and there is a permanent fix for the shims costing little, takes a small amount of time to fix.

Methinks that there were less QC issues with the BT3K than there has with the 3100, yet that may just be due to the higher numbers of 3100 sold.

Also read Jim Frye's article on what to look for when buying a used one: https://www.sawdustzone.org/articles...-a-used-bt3000

[siliconbauhaus]

Just had a reply from the guy selling it with a rather abiguous answer??? I just emailed him saying I was seriously interested. Hopefully he'll pull his finger out and I can do a deal....I'm gagging for a decent small TS so I can toss my crappo delta in with the rubbish

[Pappy]

No doubt that is an early Craftsman badged BT3000. Note the early type push button on/off switch. The stand on those is solid. Like someone said, it could have the early 13 amp motor.