Extending rails on BT3100

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  • BeauxTi
    Established Member
    • Jan 2012
    • 108
    • Georgetown Texas
    • Ryobi BT300

    Extending rails on BT3100

    Just thinking, I know new Factory Accessories for my saw are not available, readily anyway. Anyone taken a pair of standard front and back rails and used them as extensions? If you have, I would be interested in how you did it and how it worked. If this is a really bad idea, any info you can share on that would also be appreciated.
    Beaux Ti -

    If you see a Bomb Tech running, follow him....
  • LCHIEN
    Internet Fact Checker
    • Dec 2002
    • 20913
    • Katy, TX, USA.
    • BT3000 vintage 1999

    #2
    Lots of people have done this. The BT3000 rails are silver and the BT3100 rails are black; they have a slightly different profile so you will want to match them.
    Of course front and rear are different.
    The extension rails are exactly the same as the original rails that come with the saw except no ruler.mounted and the extension rail kit includes some metal bars and some screw to facilitate screwing them together along the back and bottom.
    Some people I know milled 4-5" pieces of wood to fit snugly the inside of the rails and then drilled and screwed the rails from two sides (back and bottom) into the wood blocks.

    It was also common to fit half rail extensions, i.e. not the entire 42 inch length but a sawed off piece either 21 or 24 inches long. Then then sold the cut-offs to others for short extensions. This takes up less space. You may still need some support depending on the length and weight..
    Last edited by LCHIEN; 07-27-2020, 12:36 PM.
    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

    • ballard770
      Established Member
      • Jan 2016
      • 140
      • Washington State
      • Ryobi BT3000

      #3
      If you have a pair if rails you can use th3m if you can get the connectors and t-nuts. If you can’t get connectors you can use Stanley ? mending straps that are available and t-nuts that are not Available as far as the Ryobi tnuts. However you can get tnuts from T-nuts.com for about $1.60 each. Tnuts.com also has a half wide table hinge for about $25 that you can use.

      or, keep tabs on eBay and full sized and half size kits are occasionally available for about $90.00. Just search “ Ryobi bt3000 Wide” and you will find them occasionally. Also look at completed listings for rec3nt history of listings.

      Comment

      • BeauxTi
        Established Member
        • Jan 2012
        • 108
        • Georgetown Texas
        • Ryobi BT300

        #4
        Thanks, both of you. Going to start down this road and see where I end up.
        Beaux Ti -

        If you see a Bomb Tech running, follow him....

        Comment

        • LCHIEN
          Internet Fact Checker
          • Dec 2002
          • 20913
          • Katy, TX, USA.
          • BT3000 vintage 1999

          #5
          There's a lot of info on BT3x00 in the FAQ available by clicking the link at the bottom of this reply if you haven't got it yet. A section on the rails is included.
          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

          • GrumpyDad
            Established Member
            • Jul 2020
            • 163
            • Midwest
            • Ryobi BT3100, BT3000, Sawstop PCS

            #6
            Really like this idea...
            One reason I bought my BT3100 is because the building that housed my shop at the time was very small. For most cutting operations, the stock footprint of a BT3100 was about as large a table saw as would comfortably fit. I was also attracted to the space-saving potential of the router mount in the stock accessory table. There

            Harumpf!
            GrumpyDad

            Comment

            • leehljp
              Just me
              • Dec 2002
              • 8429
              • Tunica, MS
              • BT3000/3100

              #7
              Originally posted by GrumpyDad
              Really like this idea...
              One reason I bought my BT3100 is because the building that housed my shop at the time was very small. For most cutting operations, the stock footprint of a BT3100 was about as large a table saw as would comfortably fit. I was also attracted to the space-saving potential of the router mount in the stock accessory table. There
              I don't know how I missed that thread and those pictures. That is Really Great!

              I RARELY miss something like that. -> Then I looked back on my calendar - I was in a three day transit from Nagoya to Tokyo to Memphis to Dallas back then.

              (I have my calendar of events and meetings going back to summer of '98 when I got my first Palm Pilot - and I kept every thing and ported all events over as I changed platforms and apps.)
              Hank Lee

              Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

              Comment

              • LaVike
                Handtools only
                • Jun 2017
                • 3
                • Rocky Mountains in Colorado
                • BT3000

                #8
                Originally posted by GrumpyDad
                Really like this idea...
                One reason I bought my BT3100 is because the building that housed my shop at the time was very small. For most cutting operations, the stock footprint of a BT3100 was about as large a table saw as would comfortably fit. I was also attracted to the space-saving potential of the router mount in the stock accessory table. There
                By any chance does anyone in the thread posted by GrumpyDad have the plans that LarryG in that thread was sending around?

                If anyone does, can you please send them to me?

                Thanks!

                Comment

                • GrumpyDad
                  Established Member
                  • Jul 2020
                  • 163
                  • Midwest
                  • Ryobi BT3100, BT3000, Sawstop PCS

                  #9
                  I reviewed the forum posting and located only 1 member who asked for the plans that may be active...

                  os1kne
                  Senior Member
                  Last Activity: 02-17-2020, 07:12 AM

                  Could the Vbulletin admin reach into a historical archive for the plans?
                  Last edited by GrumpyDad; 07-30-2020, 02:06 PM.
                  Harumpf!
                  GrumpyDad

                  Comment

                  • LaVike
                    Handtools only
                    • Jun 2017
                    • 3
                    • Rocky Mountains in Colorado
                    • BT3000

                    #10
                    GrumpyDad - Wow! Great idea!

                    This setup seems to be really good and plans would be great!

                    Comment

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