Dual miter slot quick release/attachment ideas?

[Reiten]

Any ideas how to quickly remove and reattach a dual miter slot extrusion on the left side of the table?
I'd like to occasionally remove the slots, but also want the slots dead parallel to the blade when they're reinstalled... without the time it takes to align them, as one would do for a permanent installation of the dual slot extrusion.
I do have some ideas of my own, but maybe someone has a better idea on how to tackle this.

[steve-norrell]

Here is a method to align attachments vertically (up-and-down). http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=35401

Its based on indexing surfaces between the rails and table supports and works well for me. Horizontal alignment (left-to-right) would be a little more difficult.

Have you considered some kind of set screws in the sides of the main saw table? I don't know how difficult it would be to drill and tap into the sides of the main table.

Regards, Steve

[LarryG]

I bought an extra SMT for my BT3100 for the express purpose of removing the sliding portion and installing, somehow, one or more miter slots (using purchased track, not the Ryobi DMS extrusion). The remaining area would've been filled in with a flat working surface of the required thickness.

My reasoning was that if the SMT can come off the saw and go back on without losing alignment, a miter slot attachment based on a cannibalized SMT ought to do likewise. One of the things I liked about this idea is that it could have been mounted on either side of the blade, at any position along the rails, in order to best suit whatever jig I needed to use. And, of course, it could have been swapped with the sliding SMT in a matter of seconds. But before I ever got around to exploring the idea, I decided to buy a cabinet saw.

(Which reminds me: I still have that extra SMT; I guess I ought to post it in Member Classifieds.)

[dkerfoot]

I do like these ideas. I have two of the dual miter tracks but ended up taking off the left one. I don't like having so much distance between the SMT and the blade. If I could swap them in and out I would be very happy.

[greencat]

I do like these ideas. I have two of the dual miter tracks but ended up taking off the left one. I don't like having so much distance between the SMT and the blade. If I could swap them in and out I would be very happy.

Doug

If it would help I could buy one of the dual miter tracks from you? A few beers would be included in the price.

[Reiten]

One of the solutions I had in mind is just what Larry described. I've been putting off selling my extra SMT for this very reason, but never took the time to figure out how to do it. If it works for the SMT, the locking arrangement should work for a dual miter slot extrusion... in theory at least.
My plate's kinda full, but I should have something put together by next week.

[Reiten]

Well, I've had time to take apart my spare SMT & take a look-see at putting together a dual slot miter that can be attach/removed quickly to the saw. Not happy with what I was coming up with, I ended up with a different take on the situation-
I simply made a 6" square indexing jig with two runners. The 6" long edge (parallel with the runners) butts up against the face of the saw blade to ensure that the miter tracks are dead parallel with the blade. With the jig in place, I just bolt the miter track extrusion in place with the factory supplied bolts.
For the few times that I want to remove the miter slot extrusion, I think that a simple jig like this is the solution for me.

[LCHIEN]

is there such a thing as a standard separation of the miter slot from the blade?
what's the measure of the closest edge of the slot to the blade for the two
slots in the BT3 dual miter slot accessory, and for other saws?


Reiten, I like that idea. (Alignment block preattached to runners to set the miter slots square in one simple operation.)

[dkerfoot]

Well, I've had time to take apart my spare SMT & take a look-see at putting together a dual slot miter that can be attach/removed quickly to the saw. Not happy with what I was coming up with, I ended up with a different take on the situation-
I simply made a 6" square indexing jig with two runners. The 6" long edge (parallel with the runners) butts up against the face of the saw blade to ensure that the miter tracks are dead parallel with the blade. With the jig in place, I just bolt the miter track extrusion in place with the factory supplied bolts.
For the few times that I want to remove the miter slot extrusion, I think that a simple jig like this is the solution for me.

Would it be possible to get a picture?

[cgallery]

is there such a thing as a standard separation of the miter slot from the blade?
what's the measure of the closest edge of the slot to the blade for the two
slots in the BT3 dual miter slot accessory, and for other saws?


Reiten, I like that idea. (Alignment block preattached to runners to set the miter slots square in one simple operation.)

I had once asked the same question over at owwm.org (Old Woodworking Machines). I was interested in setting the miter slot of my saw so it would be compatible w/ things like tenoning jigs and such. I did get some Unisaw #'s, but there is no standard for the dimensions, and even within a single line (link the Unisaw), the measurements can be +/- .125" because of how the table attaches to the base via elongated holes, and off even more because of changes in the molds over the years.

[LCHIEN]

re: standard distance miter slot to blade?

I had once asked the same question over at owwm.org (Old Woodworking Machines). I was interested in setting the miter slot of my saw so it would be compatible w/ things like tenoning jigs and such. I did get some Unisaw #'s, but there is no standard for the dimensions, and even within a single line (link the Unisaw), the measurements can be +/- .125" because of how the table attaches to the base via elongated holes, and off even more because of changes in the molds over the years.

How about on a gross level, 3, 4, 5 inches, what? Looks like right and left distances are sometimes even different.

I was thinking about an adjustable one-slot home-made miter slot table that would only be 1.5" wide and carry a aluminum Miter/T-track, adjusting and installing with a jig way Reiten suggested. That would put the slot edge within an inch of the BT3 main table top, is that far enough away from the blade for most uses? e.g tenon jig, crosscut/box joint sleds?

[LarryG]

Loring, the slots on my PM2000 are right at 6" from the blade (to the center, as I recall, but don't deposit that in the bank just yet). I was prepared to say that this is "standard" for most contractor and cabinet saws; but on further review, I'm not sure why I thought that.

I do think it's in the ballpark, though, since things like commercially-available accessories like tenoning jigs, miter gauges (the basic models), etc. will all work on pretty much any saw.

[LCHIEN]

well, with the BT3 Dual slot miter accessory table, you get two slots, one of which is pretty close to the blade. Which slot is the more used of the two?

[LarryG]

well, with the BT3 Dual slot miter accessory table, you get two slots, one of which is pretty close to the blade. Which slot is the more used of the two?

For me, it depending on what I was doing. I'd use the slot nearest the blade for very small workpieces, the other one for longer pieces that I wanted to support farther away from their ends. Overall, I'd say I used the far one the most.

I just took some rough guesstimeasurements of a photo I have of my BT with the DMST mounted immediately left of the main table. It looks like the near slot is about 3-1/4" or 3-1/2" away, the far one about 5" (to their centers).

[steve-norrell]

well, with the BT3 Dual slot miter accessory table, you get two slots, one of which is pretty close to the blade. Which slot is the more used of the two?

I use the outside slot (farthest from the blade) much more frequently than the inside one. That said, however, I use both slots frequently enough so that I consider the Dual Slot accessory to be well worth the money and time to buy and install.

The only issue I had with the 'store-bought' miter table is that the slots are not true 't-slots' and my miter gauge (INCRA 1000) would have a tendency to tip out. For this reason, I built the one shown in the picture with two miter tracks.

Regards, Steve