BT3100 shims, how tight should screws be on guide holder?

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  • TheNewGuy
    Forum Newbie
    • Mar 2014
    • 6
    • Dallas, TX
    • BT3000

    BT3100 shims, how tight should screws be on guide holder?

    I recently purchased a BT3100 in very good shape via craigslist.

    The saw runs great but was a little hard to raise/lower the blade so I used some PTFE based Dry Lube (something blaster). It immediately smoothed up while the lube was still wet but once it dried out the wheel became even harder to turn.

    I thought I must have knocked some dust into the mechanism and seized it so I disassembled the whole thing. I cleaned everything with Mineral Spirits, re-lubed, and reassembled. It is still VERY hard to turn (I'm not forcing it at all so it's currently unusable).

    If I tighten the screws on the guide holder until the screws won't turn easily then I can see the guide holder edges bowing out a slight bit and the wheel is difficult to turn. If I back the screws out a 1/2 turn or so then I can turn the wheel but I don't feel like the screws are very tight and I'm worried they would come loose with vibration eventually.

    My question is how tight should the screws be? Because the BT3100 shims are "sprung" I'm not sure how tight they should be.
  • Black wallnut
    cycling to health
    • Jan 2003
    • 4715
    • Ellensburg, Wa, USA.
    • BT3k 1999

    #2
    I am just guessing here but just tight enough to remove play and no tighter. 1/8 to 1/4 turn back from tight would be plenty IMHO. A half turn is a lot. However I do not have the 3100 and may be wrong. Regardless too tight is for sure a bad thing, likely to wear out the friction parts of the saw. Where too loose not as much of a bad thing but could result in blade drift or a wider kerf after the cut than what the blade is designed for.
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    • TheNewGuy
      Forum Newbie
      • Mar 2014
      • 6
      • Dallas, TX
      • BT3000

      #3
      Thanks for the info, I'll try to leave it a little bit loosened and check it again after being used a couple times to see if the screws have come out at all.

      Do you know if there is way to tell the difference between the BT3000 guide holder and the newer BT3100 one? I have seen other posts where people have tried to use the newer spring shims with the older guide holder and had the same problem, that it was TOO tight after reassembly.

      I bought this saw used but in great condition. I really don't know what they did to it before I brought it home.

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