3100 blade depth super hard to adjust

[smithb9]

Hey guys,

New member here, recently picked up a BT3100 from craigslist. When I originally got the saw, the blade height was a little hard to adjust, was easier cranking it down than up though.

I figured it just needed some lube, so I bought some "dry teflon lube" from lowes, lubed the vertical adjusting screw, the threaded piece on the motor housing that rides on the screw, the gears, etc. Turned the handwheel to see if it would work the lube in, and it seems the sticking point is closer to the handwheel than the gears/threaded post. So, I took the handwheel off, the next part, the angle lock handle, and lubed in there as well. For some reason, blade adjustment now is even worse. I have to use both hands on the handwheel to raise or lower the blade, and it's a real chore in either direction. Anyone else have issues here, or any possible remedies?

The saw seems to cut great, I bought a 40t diablo blade that works well. My only other perceived complaint is that the cut angle seems to drift through the cut when cutting deep. Meaning, on a piece 8-16" long, 2.5-3" thick, the cut will be 90* at the beginning, but at the end of the cut it seems the angle has drifted out of square, in the opposite direction of the saw's angle tilt? Maybe the blade is heating and flexing through the cut? There doesn't seem to be any play in the bearings or arbor if I grab the blade and try to shake/move it side-to-side/up-down.

[smithb9]

did some further reading here, seems like a shim issue, although supposedly the 3100 doesn't have the same shim issue as the 3000?

Maybe a stripdown and cleaning will be beneficial...

[Black wallnut]

did some further reading here, seems like a shim issue, although supposedly the 3100 doesn't have the same shim issue as the 3000?

Maybe a stripdown and cleaning will be beneficial...

^^^^this. suspect technique for he drift problem.

Welcome to BT3Central by the way.

[bfrikken]

Hey guys,

New member here, recently picked up a BT3100 from craigslist. When I originally got the saw, the blade height was a little hard to adjust, was easier cranking it down than up though.

... and it's a real chore in either direction. Anyone else have issues here, or any possible remedies?

I'm having the exact same problem right now. Before I put it in place when I complete my mobile cabinet, I plan on cleaning every inch of it.

[smithb9]

I took it all apart tonight, no issue with shim damage, I assume the minor bit of pitch/dust in there was gumming it up. Lubed everything, put it all back together... cranking the blade down is effortless, cranking it up though is still moderately difficult. Maybe that's just how it is?

[smithb9]

Fooling with it a bit more last night, I'm wondering if there is some play in the motor/blade assembly fore/aft, so that when you attempt to adjust depth, the housing shifts slightly and binds on the fore/aft faces that it slides along. Maybe some wax or something will help to alleviate this, although I'm not feeling too confident...

[Black wallnut]

Some movement is normal. Sometimes the installation of the riving knife creates drag at the back of the opening by rubbing on the saw body. Check to make sure you have clearance there. Lube with candle wax or a dry spray lube that does NOT contain silicone. Prevent sawdust buildup by always using at minimum a shop vac hooked to the dust exhaust port when using saw, make sure the vac has room for more sawdust.

[Brian G]

Another suggestion is to check the nut at the end of the elevation shaft, beneath the two bevel gears that rotate the elevation shaft. If it's too tight or too loose, the gears don't mesh as well.

I rub the gears with some wax now and then, too.

[pelligrini]

smithb9 mentioned lubricating which helps, but make sure it is cleaned too. I've had some difficulties raising my saw and when I cleaned everything, especially the crown gears it started moving a whole lot better. A little time with a brass or nylon brush made a big difference for me.

[greenacres2]

There's something kind of oddly enjoyable about laying on my back under the BT3000 with brush in one hand and reaching for the crank wheel with the other. No matter how clean it looks to start with, the difference when i'm done amazes me. It's almost like she appreciates it!!

earl

[pelligrini]

That's one thing I really like about my 21829 and the folding stand. It puts the saw on the side and maintenance is a breeze (when I get around to it).

[wd4lc]

Some movement is normal. Sometimes the installation of the riving knife creates drag at the back of the opening by rubbing on the saw body. Check to make sure you have clearance there. Lube with candle wax or a dry spray lube that does NOT contain silicone. Prevent sawdust buildup by always using at minimum a shop vac hooked to the dust exhaust port when using saw, make sure the vac has room for more sawdust.

Riving knife. I had this problem. It didn't make raising the saw blade easy but it made it easier.

I did not feel very bright when I finally realized after months that the riving knife had been budging against the back for quite some time. When I would install the riving knife, I would use the edge as a guide for the riving knife to sit parallel. Little did I realize that it would gradually and minutely seat closer against that edge the more you raised the saw blade... which of course would start to bind everything up. That explained why it started off fine raising the blade every time but would get harder the higher the blade needed to be raised up. A true face palm moment.

[leehljp]

Another suggestion is to check the nut at the end of the elevation shaft, beneath the two bevel gears that rotate the elevation shaft. If it's too tight or too loose, the gears don't mesh as well.

I rub the gears with some wax now and then, too.

This was more of a 3100 problem than with the 3000. If Brian had not suggested it, I would have and it was my first thought when I read your original post.

[greenacres2]

Another suggestion is to check the nut at the end of the elevation shaft, beneath the two bevel gears that rotate the elevation shaft. If it's too tight or too loose, the gears don't mesh as well.

I rub the gears with some wax now and then, too.

I wasn't familiar with that, but it makes some sense given the symptoms. When my elevation shaft is grunged up, it gets harder to turn both ways, though down is always easier than up. I'd think that gears not quite meshing would be way more noticable when working against gravity--is that one of the clues??

earl

[smithb9]

Sorry guys, got busy this week and forgot to check in here

Some movement is normal. Sometimes the installation of the riving knife creates drag at the back of the opening by rubbing on the saw body. Check to make sure you have clearance there. Lube with candle wax or a dry spray lube that does NOT contain silicone. Prevent sawdust buildup by always using at minimum a shop vac hooked to the dust exhaust port when using saw, make sure the vac has room for more sawdust.

I don't have the riving knife installed, got this saw off craigslist and didn't notice that it didn't come with guard/splitter/knife/etc until I got home. I've never used a tablesaw with a knife/guard, so it's not too big an issue for me, although I imagine the riving knife would be a nice feature to have.

I will have to check that nut at the bottom of the elevation screw, maybe that could be the cause. Will also doublecheck behind the riving knife mount to make sure nothing is rubbing back there, although I think it's clear.

maybe some wax will help too, the stuff i have now is dupont dry teflon, seems to have an alcohol solvent or something. I figured at first it was just because I had been cutting a lot of pine recently and it got pitched up, but after stripping the saw down to the shims, cleaning all of the surfaces with laquer thinner and lubing, it didn't seem to get much better, so maybe that elevation screw nut could be the culprit.

Thanks for the help guys.