Jim Frye's Wide Crosscut Fence For The BT3000

[nicer20]

Recently I was working on a kitchen rollouts project and I had to cross cut panels wider than 16". I did the cuts using my circular saw but wished I had built one like this by Jim Frye -
Wide Crosscut Fence For The BT3000 - The SawdustZone

Jim Frye & others - I am seeking any insights given that it has been in use for so long. Is there anything you would do differently?

Thanks in advance.

NG

[leehljp]

There was another wide crosscut thread some years back, probably 15-17 years ago in which the regular SMT fence was mounted somehow in the back like that of Jim Fry's is. I don't remember who or when exactly but after seeing that, I did mine like that for the wide cross cut. I don't have that SMT now as I gave it and that saw to my son in law in Texas.

If anyone else remembers what I wrote about in the above paragraph, and has a link to that, please post it. Thanks

[LCHIEN]

You could use the knob and bolt from the SMT miter fence or make/buy a knob and a bolt. The original knob is 2” in diameter and will overhang the face of the fence slightly. This will not pose a problem as long at the work piece is less than 1 1/2” thick.[*]I make my own knobs for jigs by using a hole saw mounted in my drill press. I used a 2 1/4” hole saw which cuts out a 2” diameter plug. For a 1 1/2” knob, you would need a 1 3/4” hole saw. For this knob, I started by using the hole saw to cut about a 1/4” deep into the knob stock. I use 3/4” plywood for my knobs. This first step creates the center hole for the following steps and provides a registration ring to finish sawing the knob out later. Next, I counter bored the center with a 5/8” forstner bit just deep enough to receive the 5/16” nut. A 9/16” bit would be a better fit, but I don’t own one. The next step is to bore out the knob center with a 5/16” drill bit. Lastly, remount the hole saw and completely cut the knob free by running the hole saw into the previously cut ring. I mount the knob blank on the bolt and secure it with two nuts. This assembly is mounted in the drill press and sand paper is used to round the corners and smooth the entire knob. I epoxy the 5/16” nut in the counter bore and epoxy a flat steel washer on the under side of the knob to provide a wear surface. I then finish the knob with stain and varnish. I use stainless steel hardware when ever possible. It looks neat against the dark finish of my jigs and it never rusts, discolors, or corrodes.

Here is my comment:

I think this is a great solution to the problem - it should work nicely and as Jim F says, you don't have to deface your saw table.

However I do have two constructive comments. In thinking why I've never needed this, I concluded that If I am crosscutting wide panels 12-20 inches wide and the ends are squarely cut, I can use the rip fence to guide the cut, as long as the piece is not too wide. so that its impossible to control twist or the rip fence capacity to the right or left is not too great.

My second comment is that if the knob overhang is an issue ( for tall workpieces) then use this ratcheting lever knob
https://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Adjus...s%2C92&sr=8-20
whose lever gives you the torque needed to tighten it but whose pushbutton rotate locking mechanism allows you to position the wide handle part as desired in any direction (like to the front of the saw).

This knob solves the overhang issue on the front that Jim described.

https://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Adjus...s%2C92&sr=8-20

[nicer20]

Thanks - I hear you regarding using the rip fence and going for a rip cut instead of a cross cut. But in this case the panel I was working on was 21" X 22 5/8".
I have found my rip fence was only going to just 20" with end cap removed. I tried moving the rails but something wasn't right. So I chickened out and reset the rails back in original state. I am paranoid after having spent last year tuning this saw and dialing in as much accuracy as I can manage.
One of these days I may have space and money to add rail extensions. The width of rip is biting me more often.

[Jim Frye]

How odd. I used this fence last week for the first time in many, many years, to trim the ends of a glued up shelf blank. I had never thought about the knob diameter before and it could have been made smaller, but I've never used it to make a cut that interfered with the knob. I like the ratcheting knob idea. When I originally made this jig , cost was a design criteria, so I made my own knob. I actually adjusted the fence slightly out of square because the space the shelf was just a tad out of square. The shelf blank was over 19" wide and the jig allowed me to make the cut.

[nicer20]

Thanks - isn't it interesting with coincidences !

[Jim Frye]

Here's how I usually do crosscuts on long stuff. The rails can be slid to the opposite side for really wide rips. I think I can get 33" of rip capacity that way.

[Jim Frye]

I move things around all the time. The saw was designed for this purpose. I actually have five accessory tables. There two under the rails on the saw stand. Two are from the unused BT3100 I have. Two are from the BT3000, and one came from Ryobi as a gift. The one not pictured has a 15 amp. plunge router permanently mounted on it with a shop made router fence attached to the BT3100 rip fence. Moving the rails won't alter the alignment, but any time you R&R the SMT, you should realign the SMT. I keep a draftsman's 45-90 triangle just for aligning things.

[nicer20]

Ok thank you - I will venture into moving rails next time the need arises.

When you talk about realigning SMT is it readjusting all those 4 eccentric screws? I have followed @Black Walnut's comprehensive article about SMT service when I tuned my saw. But that took me quite sometime.

BTW five accessory tables and an unused 3100? - Now I envy you so so much :-))

[Jim Frye]

When I R&R the SMT, I align the edge nearest the fixed part of the saw and then lock down the cam locks in a diagonal fashion, i.e. left front, right rear, right front, & left rear. Then I align the miter fence with the saw blade using the aforementioned draftsman's triangle. Takes only a few seconds. My normal rail/table setup is with the router table on the far right end with an accessory table to the left of it next to the main body of the saw. The SMT sits to the left of the main body. I work with mostly rather small work pieces, so this layout serves most functions.