New BT3000 owner with a question

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  • Thirtybird
    Handtools only
    • Apr 2013
    • 8

    New BT3000 owner with a question

    Hi! I had been looking for a new table saw for a while to help finish the basement and do some more cabinet making, and finally picked up a well used BT3000 yesterday - for a great price for what I got though! I had gone through a bunch of the posts and articles here before even purchasing the saw so I knew what to look for - so thank you to everyone who contributed.

    I've been able to get most all of the missing or broken parts ordered through ereplacementparts.com and I should be up in running by the weekend!

    my question - how many of you have found the dual miter slot attachment worth the money? I would like to have one (since that's what I'm used to, never having had an SMT before), but don't know it it's worth the $45-$50 to order one or not. Opinions?

    -Joe
  • eccentrictinkerer
    Senior Member
    • Aug 2007
    • 669
    • Minneapolis, MN
    • BT-3000, 21829

    #2
    I use my miter slot attachments 100% of the time. The SMT is a great idea on paper, but the slot miters get it done with less hassle.

    BTW. a miter sled is a must in my book. JMO.
    You might think I haven't contributed much to the world, but a large number
    of the warning labels on tools can be traced back to things I've done...

    Comment

    • LCHIEN
      Internet Fact Checker
      • Dec 2002
      • 20920
      • Katy, TX, USA.
      • BT3000 vintage 1999

      #3
      ask me for my FAQ and read the section on the accessories and which are worth having.
      Basically for the DMST there is a big split with half loving the miter slots and the other half loving the SMT.

      I would suggest tuning up your SMT and if you like it forget the miter slots. If you don't or then want to use jigs that use the slots, then get one later.
      Loring in Katy, TX USA
      If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
      BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

      Comment

      • JR
        The Full Monte
        • Feb 2004
        • 5633
        • Eugene, OR
        • BT3000

        #4
        I'm a DSMT guy. In fact I have two of them.

        The SMT can be good, once you have it properly set up. If you have to remove it often, as I had to do in my small shop, you'll find yourself wanting to adjust it every time you install it. That's a pain in the neck.

        The problem is that the DSMT are pretty much mutually exclusive, IMHO. With DSMT installed the miter fence has a pretty long throw to the blade. It just feels funky, and some have said that it tends to cause the miter fence or the SMT to deflect.

        YMMV,
        JR

        Comment

        • jdon
          Established Member
          • Feb 2010
          • 401
          • Snoqualmie, Wash.
          • BT3100

          #5
          I use both, and see them as complementary rather than mutually exclusive. For small pieces, jigs (finger joint, e.g.) and quick angle cuts I like my miter gauge in the miter slot (I only have one side).

          For crosscutting larger panels I like the SMT; it provides more depth in front of the blade than the alternatives of pulling the miter gauge rail almost out of the slot, or turning it backwards in the slot to accommodate wide (front to back) panels. I haven't gotten around to making a crosscut sled for the miter slot- the SMT serves the purpose pretty well. I've finally gotten my SMT tuned pretty well, but still do a quick check when repositioning. The only thing that bugs me about it is that the surfaces of the SMT and the main table aren't exactly coplanar: my SMT surface sits slightly lower, and I don't know of any adjustment to even them.

          As has been said, try both methods. The miter slot is a useful addition.

          Comment

          • Thirtybird
            Handtools only
            • Apr 2013
            • 8

            #6
            Thank you all for the input on the miter slots. I think for now, I'll just get myself acclimated to the table and get it cleaned up and tuned up properly (once I get the parts I had to order). Then if I still feel I need one, I think I might attempt to make a table attachment with a slot.

            I need to say this though - I know everyone is different in how they treat their tools, but this one has seen some neglect. There were broken off screws in holes for the throat plate (which was bent and rusted, only held in with 1 screw), a broken-off, jagged plastic elbow on the dust port, no arbor wrenches, no SMT holder, no handle for the fence. Under $40 in parts, a little elbow grease, and some time should have it back in good shape.

            Comment

            • LCHIEN
              Internet Fact Checker
              • Dec 2002
              • 20920
              • Katy, TX, USA.
              • BT3000 vintage 1999

              #7
              Originally posted by Thirtybird
              ... Then if I still feel I need one, I think I might attempt to make a table attachment with a slot.
              ...
              It's not that hard to make your own. Places like Woodcraft, Rockler sell Miter slot extrusions of aluminum, embed it in a thicker piece of wood with a dado slot or laminate some wood together and put the miter slot in between top sections with a spanning bottom layer.
              Loring in Katy, TX USA
              If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
              BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

              Comment

              • Thirtybird
                Handtools only
                • Apr 2013
                • 8

                #8
                well, I may just be un unlucky sob.. I was raising the blade to blow out and vacuum out the sawdust when what appears on the floor below me? A shim! A quick read through the shim replacement guides has me taking off the left side and dust cover to get to the guide holder when the other shim falls out, ripped and flattened...

                so, looks like order #2 to ereplacementparts is happening, however it may be for more than just the conversion parts as one of the steel screws holding the guide holder on is all but unmovable - the other three succumbed to pb blaster and herculean force, but not the last one, oh no, not it. I've got screw removers if I have to drill it out, but I'd just like something to go my way for a change.

                Comment

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