Mobile BT cabinet

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  • spratone
    Forum Newbie
    • Feb 2006
    • 19

    Mobile BT cabinet

    I was undecided when I first spotted one at the BORG. Running a Google on the BT3K led me here. With all the great reviews and info I picked one up and couldn't be any happier with my purchase.
    The first project I made was this Mobile cabinet. I started with a torsion box, then for the cabinet used biscuits to add strength to the joints. I've used biscuits to assemble a prior project and it worked well. The center dividers were spaced to place the BT mount bolts outside the vertical dividers. This gave me a decent size for the drawers and space to route out the middle for my dust collection bin. I made the cab plenty deep to prevent the saw from tipping when cutting large boards like my old Craftsman would. This had the benefit of adding weight to the unit for stabilty. Seems to work well. I am adding leveler feet to the sides and am looking to add a router station and table top. Any comments or ideas would be appreciated.

    Thanks

    Brian
    Attached Files
  • monte
    Forum Windbag
    • Dec 2002
    • 5242
    • Paw Paw, MI, USA.
    • GI 50-185M

    #2
    Nice work Brian! And also welcome to the group. Be safe and enjoy your new saw.
    Monte (another darksider)
    Reporting Live from somewhere near Kalamazoo

    http://community.webshots.com/user/monte49002

    Comment

    • greencat
      Established Member
      • Dec 2005
      • 261
      • Grand Haven Mi
      • 3100

      #3
      Very Nice job
      Thanks again,
      Mike

      Comment

      • bigstick509
        Veteran Member
        • Dec 2004
        • 1227
        • Macomb, MI, USA.
        • BT3100

        #4
        Very Nice


        Mike

        "It's not the things you don't know that will hurt you, it's the things you think you know that ain't so." - Mark Twain

        Comment

        • Scottydont
          Veteran Member
          • Aug 2003
          • 2359
          • Edmonds, WA, USA.
          • Delta Industrial Hybrid

          #5
          Lookin' good!
          Scott
          "The Laminate Flooring Benchtop Guy"

          Edmonds WA

          No coffee, no worky!

          Comment

          • atgcpaul
            Veteran Member
            • Aug 2003
            • 4055
            • Maryland
            • Grizzly 1023SLX

            #6
            That first picture looks more like an entertainment center than a mobile
            cabinet, but I suppose the BT3K is an entertainment center for most of
            us. Nice work.


            Paul

            Comment

            • gmack5
              Veteran Member
              • Dec 2002
              • 1973
              • Quapaw, Oklahoma, USA.
              • Ryobi BT3000SX & BT3100

              #7
              Welcome to the Family!

              Welcome Brian,

              Congratulations on the acquisition of your BT3100 and welcome to the "family".

              One of the first things you need to do, after you get your BT3100 Saw assembled is, following your Owner's Manual, go thru the entire set-up proceedure, step by step, in the sequence laid out in the Manual. Each set up proceedure builds on the one before it, so you MUST keep them in sequence.

              Usually the Saw is set up properly, right out of the box, but you should still check it as this gets you familiar with all the adjustments on the saw and assures you that everything is as it should be.

              Here's some free plans that'll keep you busy for a while. http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/r...ex.php?cat=102

              And here's some additional information about your Saw that you may find useful.

              Regardless of what you've read or others have told you, NEVER NEVER use any wax or lubricant on your saw that contains Silicone, this includes all automobile waxes and polishes and most spray-on furniture polishes. The reason is simple, most of them contain Silicones and they will make your projects difficult to finish. Silicones repell liquid, making "fish eyes" in your finishes, this will force you to remove the Silicones from your project and start over.

              That stuff (Silicone) migrates all over every where, don't ask me how, it just does. If you put it in one place, eventually it will be all over the entire saw.

              Your best bet is to use a "dry" lubricant, such as Teflon (PTFE), Powdered Graphite, or Candle Wax for the Raising/Lowering and Tilt mechanisms below the table top.

              Then use either Johnson's Paste Wax, Minwax's "Finishing Wax" or Butcher's Wax on the working surfaces, table tops (All three of them) and the Rip Fence.

              Do NOT Wax the Front and Rear rails or the Miter Fence. As a mater of fact, you may want to glue 220 grit sand-paper to the front face of the Miter Fence, cause you don't WANT things to slide on there.

              You might also want to check out the "Articles" section on the www.BT3central.com site. Lots of good maintenance information on your saw and some of the Jigs and Fixtures that BT3Central members and others have designed for it. Located here: http://www.bt3central.com/index.php?page=articles

              The only thing you'll need to access the information is a recent copy of the Adobe Reader (It can be downloaded from the BTcentral site).

              One of the Articles mentioned is a "Check List", written by Jim Frye. You can find it here: https://www.sawdustzone.org/articles...nce-check-list

              This list contains all the different areas on your saw that need to be periodically inspected or given some sort of special attention. In other words, a "Preventative Maintanence Check List" or PM.
              Performing this PM on a monthly basis would be a good idea.

              One of the other things you'll find there is an on-line copy of the User's Manual in downloadable pdf format (a handy thing to have).

              Something you might think about is the use of a set of Draftsman's Triangles instead of the Carpenter's Square that they show in the Owner's Manual for setting up your saw.

              An accurate Carpenter's Square is almost a myth!

              A good one will cost you quite a bit of money, $40 - $75, or more.

              I would recommend that you consider using a pair of Draftsman's 30 -60 and 45 degree triangles instead. You'll find they're not near as expensive and are far more accurate than a run-of-the-mill Carpenter's Square. The 30-60 triangle should have one 12" leg and the other leg would be 9" long. The 45 degree triangle should have at least 8" legs on either side of the 90 degree corner.
              That way either one can be put up against the side of the Saw Blade without touching the saw teeth.

              Just remember, regardless of which measuring instrument you choose to use, check it(them) to be sure they're accurate. When checking the Miter Fence for Square to the Blade with a triangle, use the 12" 30-60, if possible.

              One of the other "tricks" that I've discovered is to take a piece of "Wax" paper, fold it several times and rub it in the grooves that the "T" nuts that lock your Rails in place ride in. Makes the Rails move smooth as Butter.

              You might also want to check out the "FAQ" in a "sticky" in the Getting Started Forum:

              It'll answer a lot of your questions.

              Last, but not least, don't forget to paint the RED line!
              It's a line that extends the line-of-sight from the saw blade to the front edge of the table to remind you NOT to let your Miter Fence or your FINGERS get in the way of the saw blade. Just put red paint, nail polish, or what ever, in the grove that extends towards the operator from the front edge of the saw blade.
              Stop thinking why you can't and Start thinking how you CAN!
              Remember, SUCCESS comes in CANS!
              George

              Comment

              • ddamoore
                Established Member
                • Jun 2003
                • 225
                • Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
                • Craftsman (Ridgid 3612 Clone)

                #8
                Great first project!

                Welcome aboard the Crazy Train!
                Dennis

                "Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects" - Will Rogers

                Comment

                • lcm1947
                  Veteran Member
                  • Sep 2004
                  • 1490
                  • Austin, Texas
                  • BT 3100-1

                  #9
                  It sure is pretty. You sure you want to get saw dust all over it. No really it's a nice looking station. Did you just poly finish it or what? Looks good whatever you did. Just curious. I plan on upgrading my homemade stand one of these days. Right now it's kinda - well, simple.

                  Oh, I completely forgot to welcome you abroad. So welcome abroad. Looks like you're not new to woodworking I gather from your work. Hopefully we'll be seeing you around the forum.
                  Last edited by lcm1947; 03-19-2006, 04:13 PM.
                  May you die and go to heaven before the Devil knows you're dead. My Best, Mac

                  Comment

                  • John Hunter
                    Veteran Member
                    • Dec 2004
                    • 2034
                    • Lake Station, IN, USA.
                    • BT3000 & BT3100

                    #10
                    Very nice.
                    John Hunter

                    Comment

                    • Wood_workur
                      Veteran Member
                      • Aug 2005
                      • 1914
                      • Ohio
                      • Ryobi bt3100-1

                      #11
                      Nice Work Rod, er Brian. Congrats on the saw.
                      Alex

                      Comment

                      • spratone
                        Forum Newbie
                        • Feb 2006
                        • 19

                        #12
                        Yeah, after I assembled and coated it in Poly, I was thinking it would look great as a tv stand or something inside the house. I guess I figured that I might as well take my time and do it right. I think it took me about 2 weeks before I even got the saw mounted (that only took about 20 minutes). Lots of planning and looking around the internet for ideas before I even got around to buying the wood. I used some leftover 3/4" red oak ply for the torsion box and on the back and 3/4" birch ply for the rest. I'm not too impressed with the 4" wheels I bought at OSH. It is kind of hard to get to the locking lever.

                        Comment

                        • lrogers
                          Veteran Member
                          • Dec 2002
                          • 3853
                          • Mobile, AL. USA.
                          • BT3000

                          #13
                          That turned out great. You can never have enough storage in a shop.
                          Larry R. Rogers
                          The Samurai Wood Butcher
                          http://splash54.multiply.com
                          http://community.webshots.com/user/splash54

                          Comment

                          • mater
                            Veteran Member
                            • Jan 2004
                            • 4197
                            • SC, USA.

                            #14
                            Very nice work.
                            Ken aka "mater"

                            " People may doubt what you say but they will never doubt what you do "

                            Ken's Den

                            Comment

                            • TomBar
                              Forum Newbie
                              • Apr 2005
                              • 78
                              • Rexford, NY, USA.
                              • BT3100

                              #15
                              Great job! Well thought out and built. Just one question. What is the plan for the space directly under the saw? Dust collection?
                              Tom

                              Comment

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