Hoping/planning to buy a used BT3000... some quick questions.

[RichW]

Hello all, another newbie here.

I apologize if this has been covered extensively in another post. I did try to look, but have a limited amount of time.

I am answering a local ad about a BT3000 for sale and I wanted to know if some experts could give me a quick rundown and what to look at to ensure it is in decent ~$200 shape.

I will ask to see it turned on to see and hear the motor running, but what else should I look at?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Some background...
I have not used a table saw since high school shop class. I started hand making wooden train cars for my son's wooden train sets, recently and found I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I can't cut a straight line with a hand saw. (Even with a mitre box, I'm iffy.) The circular saw is too big for the little toy pieces I have been cutting, but I could probably use it fairly well for larger pieces. Also, my wife has seized on my woodworking interest as a chance for me to make her things.

I thought I had some cash to spend and I came really close to getting a Bosch 4100 on sale. But after some soul (and bank account) searching, I realized I just can't afford it now. So used is my best option and the BT3x00 seemed like a good start for a newbie with real capability for the future. Particularly with such dedicated following of folks here.

Thanks very much for any replies.

[RayintheUK]

Make sure that the rise and fall mechanism works smoothly and that - when in the tilt mode - it's as good. Any problems there will be likely due to wear. If you can get the insert plate (red, surrounding the blade) off, check to see that there's a small bright-metal tab on each side at the top of the blade carrier mechanism - the large assembly that goes up and down. If there isn't, that could be signs of poor maintenance.

Do the ends of the miter fence have black tips? Is the sliding table complete and smooth? Does the fence lock firmly at both the back and the front?

HTH

Ray.

[LCHIEN]

Excerpt from the FAQ, be sure and check the link at the end- good except for the statement that the saw is metric, its not, its all SAE.

What about buying a used BT3000 or BT3100 or Sears 22811? What to look out for, what its
worth?

Although the BT3000 debuted about in 1992 at around $600, prices have dropped steadily as the
numbers sold have reached the hundreds of thousands. Regular prices on the nearly functionally
identical BT3100 are now at $299 $249 (as of January, 2006) and frequent sales, promotions and
discounts make the average price paid even less. Given a generous return policy at Home Depot,
a used saw in nearly new condition could hardly be considered a good buy even at $225 to $250
unless it had a lot of extras thrown in. A well-used saw in good working condition then would
hardly seem to command more than $150-200.
A saw with a burned-out motor or other key missing parts as a fixer-upper would be worth only
$0-$100, except for the fact that there is a steady market for the modular parts of the saw as
explained elsewhere. Therefore a savvy owner would sell his saw for parts in that case. It’s
generally not a great deal to buy a BT3x fixer-upper as the labor to do so plus the parts plus the
prospect of other, hidden problems would make it safer and easier just to buy a working saw.
That said, very many BT3x saws have been sold so there are a lot on the market at any given
time. An un-named table saw in the classifieds may well turn out to be a BT3x. So there are a lot
of bargains to be had considering this is a fine saw.
The date of manufacture of a Ryobi BT3x saw can be determined from the manufacturer’s plate.
There is a four-digit date code like 9950 or 0512. The first two digits indicate the year and the last
two digits indicate the week. Thus 9950 would be a saw built in December of 1999. And 0512
would be a saw built the 12

th week of 2005. Because of the smaller motor and switch problems, it
would be wise to avoid BT3000s from 1992-1993. BT3000s were made through 2002 and
BT3100s were made from 2002-2006. Sears 22811 were sold approx from 1999 to 2002/3 and
Sears 21829 were sold beginning 2006.
See this article for 14 things to check when buying a used BT3x:

https://www.sawdustzone.org/articles...-a-used-bt3000