Used my new (used) BT3100 first time

[glenwmr]

Today, I grew up. I used my own table saw for the first time. I've wanted a table saw for a while now - and have been pretty open at work about my new hobby... even entertaining co-workers with some really interesting (dated) designs I found in the 2x4 Furniture series! A coworker had a BT3100 in the garage - and after taking my $100 bucks thanked me for making space in her garage. Much obliged!

So, I used it today to make The Wood Whisperer cutting board... did the first set of rips. Let me first state I had on safety goggles, ear plugs, and a mask. I'm in Texas and it is hotter than hades right now - and I have a window unit air conditioner in my garage, but no dust collection system. I'm very green at woodworking. Here's what I noticed:

The unit put out smoke. I didn't really notice this until I took off my safety goggles. I just thought my goggles were foggy. But, the whole garage was full of smoke (no window open). Is this normal? Could it be that the wood was too hard for the machine (purpleheart and maple)? I went slow. But, I did have burn marks (just more work to do later). But, I'm worried I might have put too much effort on the motor. Could I have damaged the motor?

A pile of sawdust. I sucked up the sawdust with my shop vac - what is a cheap way to collect dust on this machine? I don't have anything that fits the diameter of the dust pipe on the back.

The fence. After aligning it, it gave me decent cuts as far as width goes... mostly my error when one of my pieces came out a little funky due to my not keeping the piece flesh against the fence the entire cut.

Overall, I fell in love today. Can't wait to put more wood through this machine - I'm very excited. So, I'm Mark - and I look forward to using the forum and meeting the BT3 community!

[dbhost]

Hard to say, but a couple of thoughts...

#1. If the saw has been in storage for a long time, it is possible there is caked on sawdust, that is in / around moving parts that perhaps smoked due to friction. Get into the inanrds of the saw (unplugged of course) and give it a thorough cleaning....

#2. Did the smoke smell like wood, or ozone? If it is wood smoke, no big deal, but ozone, big deal. Electronic components release ozone when they burn... If the saw is otherwise working well, I highly doubt ozone, but you never know...

#3. This may seem like a silly question, but are you sure it was smoke, and not the plume of ultra fine wood flour type sawdust that will spew from a saw if no dust collection is being used?

Congrats on the deal on the BT. And best of luck to you on it!

[LCHIEN]

welcome, mark.

feeding wood into power tools is an art. Usually too fast results in bogging down the machine and overheating it and possibly burning out the
motor if done too long. this results when the motor does not have enough power to cut thick and hard woods.
Feeding too slowly results in burning the wood leaving brown burn marks and possibly burn smells. Sometimes its possible that you have both too slow and two fast at the same time and that is the result of a underpowered saw and too thick a piece of wood. For the BT3000 series usually that only occurs when you are trying to cut something thicker than 1.75". Too fast feeding you can usually tell whenthe motor starts laboring and slowing. If you can't hear the motor slowing at all, feed faster. if you're cutting cutting board thickness pieces less than an inch thick, its doubtful you can feed too fast. There are conditions that kill power to your saw, involving dull blades, extension cords, dirty mechanisms and a host of other problems. Probably a saw tuneup would be in order for a used saw of unknown history.

Is the stuff in the air not really smoke but very fine dust? It can stay suspended for a long time. For starters a shop vac connected to the dust port in the back is usually a start to control dust. You'll need a 2.5" hose for your vac, the 1.25" that comes with some wimpy vacs usually can be replaced with the bigger hose - probably our shop vac will take such an accessory hose. Visit the hardware store for shop vac accessories. Much of the very, very fine dust is easily picked up by the vac, you may want to get a fine particle HEPA filter for your vac so it doesn't just recirculate the dust into the (closed) room with the rater prous filter it came with.

Use a featherboard. Learn what it is - get a book on table saws. Try something like Tolpin's "table saw magic". You'll have to get used to the alternatives to the miter slot, though...

You may want my FAQ (see below)

[eezlock]

used my new (used) BT3100 first time

I will add my .02 cents worth to what I think the solution is to the problem.
Most likely one or both of these things (1) a misaligned rip fence or (2) a
dull crappy piece of junk blade. A good quality,sharp blade makes a big, big
difference in a hurry! If that is the original blade that came with the saw, might be the time for a replacement....a good 40 tooth combination blade will do almost anything you'll need for a long time and they aren't too expensive either.

[wardprobst]

You can buy vacuum adapters at Lee Valley . Using the shop vac with your saw is recommended to reduce dust inside and out. Welcome to woodworking, keep up the safety and as said, check out table saw books and videos.
DP

[toolguy1000]

there are several things that should have been verified before cutting the first workpiece. take your time and adjust your saw so the blade is parallel to the miter slot (in your case, probably the sliding table) and that the fence is parallel to the blade. also, get a new blade that is conducive with the type of material being cut and the type of cut being executed. ripping hardwood, probably a 24-28 tooth ripping blade. crosscutting the same material, probably a 50 tooth combination blade. since i don;t know a lot about the bt3xxx saws, i'd check with lchien on this forum for his FAQ. as i understand it, it's an impressive write up on all things bt3 related.

[jwd12]

I would characterize myself as an advanced newcomer with some expensive sawdust. I bought my BT3100 years ago and have never looked back. Get the fact sheet (Lchien or Loring's post) it is invaluable especially with the problems you have experienced. Second get a LeeWay Shark Guard. I don't know which is better the increased safety or the dust reduction, but no BT3 should be without one. Third a new better blade will add to your enjoyment by considerably cleaning up a cut. I went all the way to a Forest Woodworker II blade.

[leehljp]

Welcome to this forum! Yes, Texas IS hot! I have a daughter in the Greenville area and while I enjoy seeing her and the family, IT IS HOT there! I noticed the other day that the temp was 106° but the heat index (feels like) 103°. Since when does the heat index feel less in temps like that?!!!

There has been some good advice above and I will add one other note. Purple heart and Maple (and cherry) both are more prone to blade burns than most other woods. Dull blades as well as gummed up and even slightly gummed up blades contribute to this.

Sharp clean blades reduce back pressure and allow a bit more feed speed without the burning but still, the BT3000/3100 does not like to be forced. It is more of a precision machine than a speed machine. Think of it in those terms.

There have been members here that loved it at first and then hated it as the BT would not handle the rough handling (dropping 2X4s on top) or all day long continuous ripping of 2x4s. The other side of the coin, we used to have a member here from Australia that made his living making furniture (with the BT) that sold in the tens of thousands of dollars. But he was more concerned with the precision than speed.

Everyone has to know their methods and work habits to find what saw fits them. I have two BTs - I lived in Japan for 25 years and had one there and one back here in the States. I now have both here, but the one from Japan is still unassembled and in its box. I had my dad's Unisaw after he died but it was a pain to keep up and adjust, but it was FAR more powerful. My dad needed a heavy duty production saw, but I don't. Both of my BTs have been excellent and stayed in alignment for months and months (average 2 years or more) on end. Some people have not been as fortunate. And some has to do with the machines themselves, and some has to do with the work habits that different ones have. We each have to figure that out for ourselves.

Enjoy the saw and show us a picture of your work!

[twistsol]

There's not much I can add as far as advice that hasn't already been covered, but welcome aboard!

[glenwmr]

Well, I just got off work, and thought I'd check the forum before running out and making some cross cuts on the same pieces I ripped yesterday - making an end-grain checkerboard pattern. But, I'm thinking I'll hold off and first doing more research/learning about my new saw.

I really appreciate all the advice. I do think the "smoke" I saw was the fine dust. Later in the evening I opened the garage and it poofed out of there. The smell of wood burning is what I smelled - and there are plenty of burn marks on my rip cuts.

The blade with the saw is the original combination blade. Overall the saw came very clean (at least on the outside) - but I'm not sure what it looks like on the inside. My co-worker said they barely used it.

I honestly don't even know how to align the blade to the miter slot or the fence so I'll read the items you all suggested - and hopefully check out some videos.

And, yes, I need to get an adapter for my shop vac - but I never even considered it recirculating particles - so that's something for me to check out, too.

I really want to finish my cutting board - but I think it's more important to set my saw up right first. Just the kid in me that wants to immediately start playing with my new toy, I guess. I'll be an adult!

Thanks again, all, and I'm glad to have your help!!!