Play in rip fence roller carrier

[normw]

I'm working on resolving some issues with my BT3000 rip fence.

On the far end of the fence, there are two screws (part 2 in the rip fence diagram in Loring's FAQ) on the underside of the aluminum extrusion that attach the roller carrier (part 7) to the extrusion.

On my fence, the screws actually bottom out just before pulling up tight against the aluminum. Is this normal?

The reason I ask is that this leave some play in the carrier. When I lock the fence, the carrier slips out of the aluminum a bit and cocks slightly. This happens before clamper-b (part 6) locks down on the rear rail.

Thanks,
Norm

PS: Although this is my first post, I'm a 20+ years BT3000 user and have read and used advice from the forum for a long time - thanks for the resoures you all have provided.

[LCHIEN]

I recall no slop in these screws. I have replaced my roller holder (the official name) with a aluminum aftermarket one a few years back as the original plastic cracked as they do after so many years.

Lots of info here. Do an advanced search for roller holder.
Inspect your original plastic roller holder for cracks and distortion.

[LCHIEN]

https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...r-holder-parts

https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...bracket-design

https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...his-way-honest

https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...ticles-section

https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...ly-aftermarket

https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/discussions/bt3x00-related-discussions/835856-fence-roller-holder-broken

https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/discussions/bt3x00-replacement-parts-forum/856946-bt3x00-upgraded-aluminum-fence-roller-and-pin

[normw]

Thanks for the links and the suggestions! I had a look at the roller holder, and I saw no signs of damage, cracking or obvious distortion.

I got another turn or so on each of the screws (see comments to Black Walnut's thread for more about the screws). That brought the underside of the screw head down into contact with the aluminum and reduced the movement quite a bit. When the rip fence is locked down, there's now only about 1/16" gap between the meeting surfaces of the roller holder and the aluminum.

It's probably OK now. The roller holder locks down solidly and there's only a tiny bit of play in the far end of the fence, but I may take a look at the aftermarket roller holder, too.

Thanks again,
Norm

[Black walnut]

If your screws bottom out before becoming tight my guess is somehow you do not have the correct length screws. The correct screw is a pan head 10-14tpi 1/2"

[LCHIEN]

If your screws bottom out before becoming tight my guess is somehow you do not have the correct length screws. The correct screw is a pan head 10-14tpi 1/2"

Do you mean 10-24 x 1/2" Pan head machine screw.
10-24 is a standard UNC size, 10-14 is weird.

[Black walnut]

Yes. The exploded diagram had it listed as 10-14, I saw that and said to myself, nope, no such thread. I knew it was 10-24 but then typed 10-14. eek. Good catch Loring.

[normw]

Thank you both! I think the screws are original - they look like most of the other pan head screws on the saw (black finish, polished heads).

Threaded length under the head is 1/2", and major diameter is right at 3/16", so it looks like a 1/2" #10. Also, it *is* more coarsely threaded than a machine screw. If I'm counting correctly, I see 7 full threads in the 1/2" length. So I think 14 tpi is the correct pitch.

It looks like this matches a thread-forming screw used for plastic. I'm not allowed to link to the chart I found, but search McMaster-Carr, for example, for "thread-forming screws for plastic".

Thanks again,
Norm

[Black walnut]

If they are the correct size it seems odd that they would be bottoming out before becoming tight. Let us know when you have solved that mystery.

[dbhost]

If you are still messing around with this, I have a spare aftermarket roller carrier that was given to me as a gift out piece for Sawdustzone by the maker. Send me a PM if you can put it to use.