Micropositioner thank you and "mending plates"

[Workman]

After looking around I finally did a search on the forum and learned that the Sears micropositioner fits the BT3100 exactly! Thanks guys. And BTW Stanley 6" "mending plates" pretty exactly fit the top slots on the mitre fence and the rip fence on the BT3 and Stanley 5" "mending plates" fit the bars (for extension, etc.) Now, the combination of the micropositioner and the mending plates used as sliders or attachment plates give you many options on this little saw! Also BTW the mending plates have four predrilled and countersunk holes that fit flat head bolts or screws. You may want to braze the screws to fix them in the plate. Hope this helps somebody else as much as the micropositioner helps me!

[Workman]

Woops - sorry about the double post!

[tropicaffair]

Workman,

What are the Stanley mending plates you mention and where did you find them?

TIA,

Russ

[Workman]

Somebody else e-mailed me for pictures. They are so simple (and my picture/computer ability is poor). But I've tried to attach the pics. If the pictures don't post, e-mail me. Stanley is the manufacturer and these steel mending plates are readily available at Lowe's or Home Depot for about a buck a piece. You can attach extension rails using the Stanley mending plates. The pictures show the fits of the various mending plates in the BT3 extension rails slots, as well as the miter gauge and rip fence. To attach extension rails you can use several methods. One of these is to rabbet a 1" X 3" X 6" block with a 1/4" or so rabbet so that it fits inside the rail, drill the holes for screws through the extension rails and screw into the blocks. Or you can braze the screws or bolts onto the mending plates and then attach them the other direction (screws out). Because the screw holes line up so well with the lip on the slots, just the pressure of tightening will hold them in place, they can be loosened and the rails slid, just as your original rails can be slid. Finally, none of the plates interfere with the operation of rip
fence, etc. except you can't get them past the positioning screws on the top
of your rip fence. Notice the different sized plates for different slots.
The loosest is the 4" plate on top of the front fence rail. I haven't used
this one yet, but intend to do so for stop block positioning when cutting
tenons, allowing the fence to move repetitively between inside and outside
tenon cuts with the fence movement being stopped by the stop blocks mounted on the top of the front rail. Of course, you use the plate on top of the fence for attaching the jig to hold the piece being tenoned, with its
ability to slide back and forth along the top slot while cutting the tenon.

[tropicaffair]

Thanks,

Now I know what they are! I'm not sure why I didn't recognize them from your earlier description but I think I actually have some in the shop. I never thought to use them to join the rails, right now I'm using a combination of aluminum angle and T-Nuts.

Thanks,