Who is still using thier BT3 ?????

[Bruce Cohen]

Count me in too, 3100 and its accurate ever. Just put on a Freud Fusion blade, wouldn't trade except for maybe the new Rikon 10"

Bruce

[AAJIII]

3100

I have a frankensaw set up in my shop, one for dados only.

I've toyed with the idea of upgrading but cannot bring myself to do it. This saw does everything that I ask of it, so for now it is the 3100 only.

AL

[coach]

I went to the dark side. But not just the BT3. I went all out insane.

Okay, I really never liked my BT3 that much to begin with. I only kept it around until I could part it out and get a big saw. I finally ended up with the 22124 sears saw, but it's gone now too. I'm not bashing the BT3, it just wasn't the saw for me. For me, a table saw does not need to be mobile; quite the opposite is my preference. I knocked the BT3 over once trying to feed some sheets of ply. It was probably my fault, but I hated the saw since that day for being so light and flimsy.

So just last year, I found a cool little 1938 Delta 10" band saw. It came with a free 1947 14" band saw. That really screwed my world. I had just bought the new Orion/Sears Drill press and the Sears 22401 14" band saw, as well as the 22124. It was then that I decided I can't deal with all those imports in my shop. So I sold almost everything (except the 14" 22401.... gotta find a 20" Delta or Powermatic to replace it with for resawing).

In their place:

a Powermatic 66, McMinnville, TN style, not 100% sure on the date. I had wanted one since Jr. High shop class. I found a great used one and it's here to stay.

a 1966 Powermatic 1150 drill press. Was their ever a better 15" drill press made. Perhaps some could argue Clausen, but it would be a tough shootout.

a 196? 10" Delta RAS, the turret style. I love using that saw.

of course the '38 and '47 Delta band saws.

[hermit]

Wow, a lot less crossovers than I thought. I just went this spring. Sold my BT shortly after. One thing I miss is all the jigs and stuff set up for the saw. They all went with it. Now I have to start over. But I have to admit, the heavy, large cast iron top is nice to work on, and believe it or not, I think I like the miter guage better than the SMT.

Coach, your previous shop sounds like mine now. I bought all 3 of the large power tools from Sears that you did. Starting around Chrismas last year. I was starting to taste my foot, cause I used to bash the Craftsman stuff, then ended up having it all in my shop. But considering reviews and deals I got, I couldn't pass them up.

Todd

Oh yeah, I forgot... I had my BT since 2000. Bought new, but on clearance from Sears (not their version, an original Ryobi) for $250. Good deal at the time. I guess they were clearing them out for their own label.

[Pappy]

Not only is my BT3000 still in service, but I have a set of rails to add to it when the new shop is operational. There is also a second BT3000 in storage that wil be a dedicated dado saw/router table.

[DonHo]

I still use my BT3100 and just bought a 1/2 set of rails to add to it. I won't change from the BT3100 until it dies OR I win the lottery

DonHo

[padboy]

I bought my 3100 two years ago. Paid $299 including accessory kit at the local BORG. Immediately after bringing it home, I sold my Jet JTS10 contractors saw for $200, so my net cost of my new 3100 was $99. Great saw. Accurate right out of the box. I did add a Herculift and I have a Skil 1825 router mounted in the left hand extension.

[John Hunter]

I have a BT3000 and a BT3100 both still in use.

[jabe]

After retiring as a HS woodshop teacher (27yrs.), I run a one man cabinet shop in my car port, I use my BT3000 as my main TS. I have a Saw Trax panel saw to cut my plywds to managable size b4 using it on my BT. The BT is too light to cut full sheets unless U have it securely mounted and have an good size outfeed table. I got a broken BT3000 in 2004 free, so I rebuilt it, I use it 4 days a week. I upgraded the shims, shark guard/riving knife, built an attached outfeed table. Only problem I have with the saw is the fence locking hook on the back rail. Other than that it's a great saw. I have 2 other TS, a sears 12" and a old Delta 10" that I don't use cause the dust collection is poor and it's too heavy to move around in my limited space. If my BT ever dies on me, I'll probably buy the sears clone.

[coach]

Coach, your previous shop sounds like mine now. I bought all 3 of the large power tools from Sears that you did. Starting around Christmas last year. I was starting to taste my foot, cause I used to bash the Craftsman stuff, then ended up having it all in my shop. But considering reviews and deals I got, I couldn't pass them up.

Todd

Oh yeah, I forgot... I had my BT since 2000. Bought new, but on clearance from Sears (not their version, an original Ryobi) for $250. Good deal at the time. I guess they were clearing them out for their own label.

Don't worry about your decisions on the Craftsman tools. I did my research well, and bought the same ones. the 22124 table saw and the 20451 are both Orion origin. AFAIK, they are part of the same company as Steel City.

SC has been getting great press lately. They have an affordable (~$500) drill press with a 6" quill travel and a split head design. The 20451 is about as good as you'll find on a 15" DP in that price range. I never complained about mine. However, when I found a 1966 model Powermatic 1150 for less than I sold my Craftsman 20451 for, it had to go.

The 22124 is a great saw. I never had a bad cut, and it was true out of the box; and I wasted several hours verifying that it was. I didn't like the blade guard though. I added the Shark Guard, but didn't sell it with my saw. Lee said he would swap me out splitters to fit my PM 66. For me, the 66 is the perfect saw. It is all I always wanted, and likely the last saw I'll ever have. It's not for everyone, but it is for me. The 66 I bought was pretty rusty and had been in storage for a few years; but it really didn't cost me much to make the upgrade, just a little time in the cleaning and a road trip to salvage it.

I think the 22401 14" band saw is from the same plant that makes the Rikon saws. I still have this one in my shop. It is my resaw machine. I can't replace it until I find a PM or Rockwell 20" saw, or beef up my 1947 model 14" Delta/Milwaukee. I upgraded the guide bearings with ABEC 9s, and nothing else. I can use the stock fence to resaw 1/16" true for about a 4' or so. I need better outfeed to do much better.

So bang for the "NEW" buck, I think SOME of the Craftsman tools are being outsourced to good plants. The new Orion tools are very nice. They've been selling a clone of the Bosch 1617evs router for years. The "Euro design" band saws are really a great bargain as well.

It's just that I like Ol' Arn. The heavier, the better.

Don't ban me from the the site, I love you guys. I've learned so much from so many of the posts, that I couldn't add them up. I just didn't like that little saw for very long ( the BT3100).

Anyway, I'll add a few photos of my current "shop" (actually a small, 2 car garage..... and I'm glad I have it).







Then again, I don't build small things. If I were doing picture frame, small boxes, or anything else that didn't require a 6' rip through 8/4" white oak, I'd be happier with a smaller saw.

[Stytooner]

I still use my BT3100 every week. My FIL still uses my older 3000. Mine doesn't get to cut much wood, but earns it's keep with lexan and aluminum slicing and dicing. I couldn't ask for anything more versatile and accurate that has a riving knife too.

[nickg]

I bought the BT3000 in 1991 when we bought current house - HD was offering an additional 10% off price of anything, to owners of recently purchased homes in area. I think this model was pretty new back then, and I thought it would be exactly what I needed.

It was my first table saw, and I still use it regularly. I've thought about getting a Unisaw, Jet, or Powermatic cabinet saw, but currently I really wouldn't have enough space for a larger saw. There are of course 'tradeoffs' with the BT3000, but in my opinion the pros outweigh the cons. I have casters on it, and when weather is nice, I'll wheel saw outside (through a 36" door), and make sawdust on the patio, instead of the basement. Probably couldn't do that with a bigger saw.

Nick

[Ken Massingale]

I let my BT3K go when I got the TS3650 but it was hard to do. I simply didn't have the room to keep it. It served me well and I did hate to see it go.

[pecker]

I recently bought a Ridgid TS3650 to "replace" my 6 year old BT3000.
However I have found there are some things the Ryobi does better. Since the resale value of them is rather low these days, I decide to find some room in my tiny shop for it, and plan on keeping it.

[Uncle Cracker]

You know, based on what I'm reading here in this thread, even those that moved up to bigger saws have fond memories of their BT, because it does (did) an amazing job for a relatively small price. It's a performance/value champion. It truly is the little saw that could.