Dual Miter Slots and Jigs

[Jack1064]

Ok, so Im not sure about a few things, one how useful are the dual miter slots, is it worth it? I was looking to make a cross cut sled, but not sure how to go about it and most of the sleds you see made are made using a slot. Also I havent looked to much into it on the site since it has been down, and now since my shakes from my with drawl have gone away, I figured I would look around on here on the possibilities of jigs. So my two questions are, are the dual miter slots worth it and any jigs you guys think are worth making first, since I just got my saw pretty recently!
Thanks!

[JR]

This is yer basic philosophical question.

The SMT provides much of the functionality of a miter guage (or more), just in a different way. It works best when there are no dual slot miter tables installed. The miter tables enable traditional accessories to be used.

If you had a tenoning jig or fancy miter guage, the DSMT would be a lot more interesting. If you're not invested in those things, I'd give the SMT a try for a while to see if you like it.

JR

[bradley_osu]

How is the operation of the SMT affected by installing the miter slot table? I never thought of that aspect of it and had pretty much assumed that at worst I would install it and wouldn't use it, didn't think it would affect anything else.

[LCHIEN]

mostly it pushes the SMT away from the blade by what, about 5-6", one of the good things about the SMT is that it can be set at any point on the rails to help balance the piece of wood being cut. With a normal set of non-extended rails and the Miter slots installed, the SMT has almost no range of position.

[Pappy]

I have the dual miter slots installed. The SMT is kept farther from the blade which makes it a bit more difficult to use cutting short pieces. It also keeps the plastic tips out of the path of the blade.

I have 3 jigs that use the slots. A small cross cut sled and miter jig for small trim pieces. The third is the 'Bomber' miter jig. I do a fair amount of picture frames and that alone makes the slots valuable to me.

[steve-norrell]

I have a home-made dual miter slot installed and, as reported earlier, moves the SMT farther away from the blade.

Actually, I found that the SMT, without the Ryobi miter fence, to be quite helpful in handling longer pieces of stock. It extends a helpful distance toward both the front and rear of the table. Even with the home-made miter table, I would be lost without the SMT.

IMO, the suggestion to use a sled for small pieces is good advice and should be carefully considered.

Regards, Steve

[poolhound]

Steve,

How did you attach to the BT3 and how do you adjust for square to blade?

Did you also do something for the right side?

[pelligrini]

They are also nice for feather boards and such. I made my own dual slot, but one slot was a t-track. I like using T bolts much better than some of the miter slot clamping devices I've used.

[steve-norrell]

Steve,

How did you attach to the BT3 and how do you adjust for square to blade?

Did you also do something for the right side?

Poolhound:

See the attached photos for attachment to the BT3100 and alignment with the blade. Essentially, its mounted to the rails and rests on the frame of the saw. I check alignment periodically, but I have not noticed any movement over a several month span.

I have a router table (also home-made) on the right side of the saw table.

Sorry to be so short, but I am off to a medical appointment. If you have specific questions, email me and I'll back to you as soon as I can.

Regards, Steve