Question about the rip fence

[djkert]

Yabut, that's going to move the assembly farther to the left, making the problem worse.

It's really not outrageous to expect to tweak the splitter with a little elbow grease.

JR

Yeah, I think I will just figure out how to bend it. I have already tried pushing on it but it always bends back. I feel a little leary of putting new washers around the blade to move the blade to the left.

thanks for the replies,
Dennis

[gwyneth]

I believe those responses were all about taking the thin metal tabs at the base of the guard, which apparently on your saw are all on the left of the guard, and seeing what happens when you move one or more to the right of the guard.
'
Not washers around the blade, not motor shims. The tab things at the base of the guard held in place by the two bolts.

[big tim]

Have you checked to see if the riving knife is perfectly vertical and not leaning to the left. Since you have no shims to the right of the riving knife,( in other words it's already as far to the right as is possible) is it possible that the surface the riving knife sits against is not smooth and or vertical, possible burrs or whatever.
Check to see if the riving knife is behind the blade with the blade raised to it's maximum height.

Tim

[leehljp]

I feel a little leary of putting new washers around the blade to move the blade to the left.

thanks for the replies,
Dennis

I have a BT3000 in Japan and 3100 in USA. I had the same problem with the 3000. In fact there were several people that had the same problem back in 2000, 2001 on the Ryobi forum and here. My solution was a Harbor Freight blade arbor adapter/bushings. I couldn't find them online but I saw the pack in a HF store in Memphis last month.

Amazon has one here: http://www.amazon.com/Freud-BL71MCE9.../dp/B00004RK8A
It costs more than the whole pack of HF adapters.

You can also find blade bushings in many good hardware stores. The one that I use is the same size as the adapters already on the BT that adjust for dado blades.

I have been using it since 2000 that way as have others with no problems. I would be careful of just using an ordinary washer as they are not machined to tolerances on the surface and could possibly through alignment off a tad. But blade bushings are fine.

[djkert]

thanks for the responses, I'll check to see if it is vertical (of the top of my head I think it is leaning a little) and if that is not it I'll get the bushings.

It's not possible that somehow blade heel is causing this, is it? It seems to only happen when I am ripping a small section of the board. i.e., the fence is set at 2 3/8 and I am ripping a 8" board. I have no idea what is happening, but today the board just got stuck in the middle of a cut. Couldn't pull it backward either. Ended up turning off the saw and prying the board out. Thought it was a dull blade but I tried it again and it went right through it. The only thing I can think of it that I was trying too hard to keep the wood against the fence and I ended up pushing the board with my left hand past the infeed point, causing the wood to close up on the blade.

Either way, I got to figure this out.

[LarryG]

today the board just got stuck in the middle of a cut. Couldn't pull it backward either. Ended up turning off the saw and prying the board out. Thought it was a dull blade but I tried it again and it went right through it.

When ripping, it's VERY common for the internal stresses in a board to be released such that they cause binding around the blade. That's why featherboards and hold-downs are so important ... a seemingly routine rip cut can go south on you in a fat hurry, with no warning.

This kind of binding can also occur when the workpiece drifts away from the fence and the operator see this happening too late and then tries to force it back into full contact. You may already know this, but I'll mention it anyway ... making a rip cut is a lot like driving a car in the sense that you anticipate what "steering" corrections are forthcoming and apply them almost before they are actually needed. As you make the cut, keep your eyes mainly where the wood meets the fence. Be aware of the blade -- so you can keep yourself safely clear of it -- but don't watch it. The blade will cut whether you're looking at it or not. If you keep your eyes mainly on the fence (glance at the blade occasionally), and make tiny corrections as soon as they are needed, most boards should slide through quite smoothly and easily.

[cgallery]

The only thing I can think of it that I was trying too hard to keep the wood against the fence and I ended up pushing the board with my left hand past the infeed point, causing the wood to close up on the blade.

Either way, I got to figure this out.

Perhaps it would help to use some MDF for testing. That way you'll eliminate reactive wood as a possible culprit.

And be extremely careful. Work slowly. I'm concerned that you'll be so focused on what is happening between the wood and the fence that you won't be mindful of the blade.

[Ken Massingale]

thanks for the responses, I'll check to see if it is vertical (of the top of my head I think it is leaning a little) and if that is not it I'll get the bushings.

It's not possible that somehow blade heel is causing this, is it? It seems to only happen when I am ripping a small section of the board. i.e., the fence is set at 2 3/8 and I am ripping a 8" board. I have no idea what is happening, but today the board just got stuck in the middle of a cut. Couldn't pull it backward either. Ended up turning off the saw and prying the board out. Thought it was a dull blade but I tried it again and it went right through it. The only thing I can think of it that I was trying too hard to keep the wood against the fence and I ended up pushing the board with my left hand past the infeed point, causing the wood to close up on the blade.

Either way, I got to figure this out.

not an 8" long board, I hope. just checking.