Refurbishing tips, anyone?

[Roloff]

I blasted it with air to get the sawdust and cobwebs out of the little crannies that escaped pre-storage cleaning. Wiping it down with a scrubby sponge went well. But the saw doesn't look GREAT, which I'd prefer.

I've been trying to go through the archives to find ways to clean and refurb a Ryobi BT3000 and so far, I think I'm okay with cleaning surfaces off with almost any mild cleaner. But when I try to polish the table tops with metal polish, I get a lot of black streaks on the rags. It seems as if I could polish endlessly and still not get back to looking new. Functionally, this is fine. A coat of floor wax makes it all slide well. But what about the stain marks left behind from oxidation? The sunken parts between the ribs don't look really super clean.

Is steel wool at all useful or is it overkill? Are there products that work better than metal polish from the auto parts store?

What about the black parts of the saw, such as the fence handle? It shows some wear. Is there a refinishing product to renew that?

Any hints, tips or suggestions are welcome.

[LCHIEN]

in my opinion you have it looking pretty nice. I don't think we have ever had any posts on detailing a BT3000, LOL.

The orig BT3000s had the cast and machined aluminum tops, the best option was to treat with floor wax, that helped keep the black aluminum oxides down.

[Tom Miller]

You could try a little steel wool (3-0 or 4-0) with the wax (I use Johnson's Paste Wax -- just avoid anything with silicone). Just use it on the raised bare aluminum ribs. That's what I do every few years on my BT3000. Then, keeping it waxed (every few months) will keep the oxides at bay, like Loring said.

Regards,
Tom

[williambonellie]

Refurbishing BT3000

Greetings,
New to the forum. Viewed it some months ago but got busy. Retired, moved up north of Toronto, Ontario with my lady and set up a woodworking shop (hobby only). I have no wish to get back into business.

A friend of my lady gave me a BT3000 that had been given to him by a friend. He never used it but did store it in a nice dry basement. It was a bit of a basket case (most of the parts were there but like the UN they weren't together).
I found a good parts list at Gardner Inc(they have a website at Gradnerinc.com) and scammed a manual from the internet.
Here's what I did...
I took everything apart into pocket size pieces, (except the motor, don't mess with it if it works) washed everything with detergent and water then rubbing alcohol (absorbs the water) then lubricated all moving parts with lithium grease. I spent about two weeks, eight hours a day putting it all together. I'm retired so the time was not an issue.
As for the aluminum tables, I found that after washing a fine touch with 600 grit sand paper on the raised ribs of the tables followed by a good vacuuming polished everything up rather well.
I ordered some parts from Gardner, the rip fence had the internals gutted, the mitre fence was absent. I ordered a complete new rip fence and used the old one for a mitre fence. I figured extra belts for the motor drive wouldn't go amiss although the ones I have seem to work fine after about six months and a lot of use.
I think you will be happy with the saw. It takes a bit to get it set up but once that's been done it seems to hold the settings very well.
I've made a couple of display cabinets, a wall unit and a blanket box thingy that holds TV components as well as a piller to support a big screen TV and the saw makes cuts that are certainly accurate enough for my needs.
I'm not into thousands of inches as wood expands and contracts. If the joints are tight and true to the eye then it's adequate in my eyes.
I can send pictures if you are interested.

Good luck, Mr Bill

[Roloff]

Lchien HI!

I really want to make it nice. If I'd known the crowd here better, I'd have named this thread "Pimp my BT3000."

The metal feels nice enough when you touch it, especially after waxing. It's a whole different thing with the rubber/plastic parts. I'm not sure what to do for them. Maybe tire dressing would help? Not on the handles, though, you need some grip on those surfaces.

[Roloff]

Thanks very much, William. I didn't think about the alcohol part. It's a good idea. I would enjoy photos, if that's convenient.

I have a BT3100 now and I am thinking of exchanging the stands. I like the rectangular BT3000 stand better but the 3100 already has its wheels. One of my tasks will be to open all the accessory packages and see which parts should stay with which saw.

What did you do about the blade guard? Did you keep it? Refurb it?

[Roloff]

I appreciate the tip on 000/0000 steel wool with the wax. That should help clean at the same time. Looks like I need a trip to the auto parts house for super fine sandpaper too.

[williambonellie]

Ah.....the blade guard

My saw appeared with no guard so I ordered a new support from Gardner, not the whole assembly just the riving knife part.
I created an assembly with parts from my old Delta contracter's saw because I have read that the original Ryobi design left something to be desired.
For some reason they sent me two riving knives but charged me for only one (bonus).
My assembly works just fine but when you cant the blade over to 45 degrees it gets in the way so I cut the second riving knife with a hacksaw so it justs extends to the level of the blade.
I fabricated a plexiglass guard over the blade which means I have to be very creative to get my hand in the way.
I will send pictures but I don't have them on this computer, they are on my laptop up at the shop. I shall send them soon but expect to wait about a week.
Thanks for your interest.
Mr. Bill

[gjat]

The metal feels nice enough when you touch it, especially after waxing. It's a whole different thing with the rubber/plastic parts. I'm not sure what to do for them. Maybe tire dressing would help? Not on the handles, though, you need some grip on those surfaces.

DON"T PUT TIRE DRESSING ON THE PLASTIC!! I like a great used machine that is kept in tip top shape, but the dressing will have silicones in it that will get on the wood and cause you tremendous problems in finishing. If you HAVE to do something with the plastic, limit it to buffing it with a scotch-brite or something.

Congrats on the BT. You certainly will get 'pimp tips' from here.

[shoottx]

Greetings Roloff and williambonellie.

First, welcome aboard. This is a great site with wonderful folks.

Second, if you are a user of a BT3k or some variant, this place is chock full of information and knowledgeable people.

There are several sources of information;

Send Loring Chien (LChien) a PM (with your e-mail address) for a copy of the BT3 FAQ

Look here for a bunch of helpful hints http://www.bt3central.com/forumdisplay.php?f=34

Look at these archives for a wealth of information http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=28720

Add use the search feature to research any topic, there is a wealth of information already recorded.

And last but not least ask a question. You will get answers, ranging from expert advice to silly comments but all in good form and spirit.
__________________

[Black wallnut]

Roloff, If you are concerned the SMT fence ends the best thing you can do with those IMHO is toss them. If you feel you must have ends PM Rod Kirby and ask if he can email you pics of the ones he made when he had a BT3K. I say thin because as they come with the factory they are not even withthe working side of the SMT fence so they do not add any support. However, since you are trying to sell one of your saws you might want to keep the best set to sell with the saw as some buyers may want a complete saw.

I'd caution againt using steel wool as there is a chance that all those little fibers that break off in use may become imbedded into the saw. Fine grit sand paper would be a better choice. For lubrication YMMV but greases don't last long and when they fail they create more problems as they attract sawdust. Paste wax (floor wax), candle wax, or a graphite dry lube are all much better choices. I'm test driving a Dow Corning product that they were shipping as free samples last summer. I'm not sure if they are still doing so but the product is 321 Dry film Lubricant.

[Bob Bassett]

My saw appeared with no guard so I ordered a new support from Gardner, not the whole assembly just the riving knife part.
I created an assembly with parts from my old Delta contracter's saw because I have read that the original Ryobi design left something to be desired.
For some reason they sent me two riving knives but charged me for only one (bonus).
My assembly works just fine but when you cant the blade over to 45 degrees it gets in the way so I cut the second riving knife with a hacksaw so it justs extends to the level of the blade.
I fabricated a plexiglass guard over the blade which means I have to be very creative to get my hand in the way.
I will send pictures but I don't have them on this computer, they are on my laptop up at the shop. I shall send them soon but expect to wait about a week.
Thanks for your interest.
Mr. Bill

Checked out the Gardnerinc site and didn't fing BT3K parts. Can yo help me find them?

[shoottx]

Checked out the Gardnerinc site and didn't fing BT3K parts. Can yo help me find them?

Check either M&D Mower - http://www.m-and-d.com/ryobi_tools.html
Sears Parts - http://www.searspartsdirect.com/part...3100&pop=flush
Gardner - http://gardnerinc53.arinet.com/scrip...rtISAPI.dll?MF

[tjr]

For the plastic, rubber, or vinyl parts you could try some MirrorGlaze #39 Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner. It's supposedly paint-shop-safe and really does a good job getting the greyishness and gunk out of old black plastic. Then you could wax with paste wax to make 'em shiny.

[Roloff]

Thanks, tjr, appreciate it. I've never heard of that product. Sounds promising.