You Convinced me!

[Im A Little Petunia]

I Guys and Gals:

I am new to the forum, but not new to using wood, saws, hammers etc. I have been a silent observer for several days now. I have really enjoyed all of the information; instructions, photos, jig patterns etc. I must confess that I had bought the TBS15 just last week - before I found this wealth of information Forum. After fine tuning the saw and using it for two days I was a little disappointed. There were several things I was unsettled about and after reading all of the positive statements about the TB3100 and how happy most of you are with it I did as several others did - I cleaned all of the saw dust from the saw, broke the stand down, put everything back in the original box (I had called HD to be sure they would take a return), took it back to HD this evening and they are having the 3100 transferred from a HD in another town to them. I should be able to pick it up this coming Friday. I am so glad I found you all. I most likely will be back with some questions after I get the 3100 set up and running. Thanks for all of the good and interesting info.

Ps: Does anyone on the Forum make any miniature furniture? I love making miniatures (scale of 1" = 1') and I also like meeting other miniaturists.
Lynn

[Whaler]

Lynn

Welcome to the forum and to the cult of Ryobi BT3 owners.

There is a wealth of information here and all you have to do is ask.

[Im A Little Petunia]

Thanks Dick!

Lynn

[Ken Weaver]

Welcome Lynn - have fun, make sawdust and be safe!

[Im A Little Petunia]

Thanks Ken - really like your signature!

[mater]

Welcome to the forum Lynn. I am glad you decided to join and hope you enjoy it. Looking forward to seeing some of that miniature furniture.

[gmack5]

Welcome Lynn,

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 preceeding proceedure, 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 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/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.

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.

[LCHIEN]

Lynn, not to disuade you from the BT3100, especially if you are making bigger stuff, but there's a world of small tools out there, like 4" mini table saws that are probably better suited to exclusive making of dollhouse furniture and models with wood, plastic and metals.

Maybe you need one of these in addition to the BT3100.

Just thought I'd let you know they exist. Check with model shops and hobby/craft shops.

Here's one for $45
http://www.pennstateind.com/Merchant...Category_Code=

[monte]

Welcome to the group Lynn. Enjoy your new saw!

[Pappy]

Welcome to the Asylum, Lynn!

Making miniature furniture, it is going to be imperative that you use ZCTP's on your saw. Check the member classifieds, one of the forum members has some on E-Bay right now. The Ryobi plates are not the best in the world but better than nothing. They need to be shimmed to make them level with the table and they tend to flex a bit too much for me.

Lee sells a better version on his site (Shark Guard). If you want to make your own, he also has plans for them posted there.

[Im A Little Petunia]

Wow! Thanks everyone. I don't know when I have felt as welcome joining a group as this one. Already I have received so much good advice. Yes, I scour the net looking for tools I can use for making miniatures too. I have quite a few of them also - I guess you could call me "hobby tool crazy" :-). I have a little 4" table saw that is almost an antique! So much of the miniature work is just too dangerous to do on a regular table saw and that's not to say that the miniature table saw can't be dangerous too! I will be popping in and out as the days go by. I'm going to check out the suggested URLs now. Again, thanks for the warm welcome!
Lynn

[silverfox]

Welcome to the cult, Lynn. My guess is you will love the BT3100. Good luck and be sure to check the throat plate screw and the allen screws on the rip fence to make sure they aren't frozen. Some saws have come through that way.
Mike

[Mainemarc]

Hi Lynn:

Welcome to the forum. One immediate suggestion I have for you is to install a zero clearance throat plate (ZCTP) for your new saw. With your miniature furniture making skills, it should be a snap for you.

The reason why I think this is particularly important for you is that you're working with extremely small pieces of wood. A ZCTP will support those small pieces all around the blade and will prevent your small stock from falling below the saw table.

Just search for "ZCTP" and/or "zero clearance" on this site and you'll get plenty of information.

PS: do share some of your projects in the "Finished Projects" forum.

[Im A Little Petunia]

Thanks for the info Marc. That was going to be my next question - where to find a new TP. Even tho I won't be using the full size saw much for miniatures, (mainly use the 4" for them) I would like to have a ZCTP around anyway. The other two things I would like to find would be hold down clamps for the SMT fence and the rip fence. I am soon going to order the shark from Lee. Oh, also do you all face your rip fence(s) with an aux fence face - if so, any suggested materials i.e. some I'm sure you like better than others? Going to do a search for TPs and hold downs now.

Lynn

[gmack5]

quote:Originally posted by Im A Little Petunia

Oh, also do you all face your rip fence(s) with an aux fence face - if so, any suggested materials i.e. some I'm sure you like better than others? Going to do a search for TPs and hold downs now. Lynn

Lynn, the best material I've found for "Auxillary Fences" is 3/4" (18 mm) Baltic Birch.
It's one of the most stable wood products you can get your hands on. I buy it for $25.00 per sheet in 5' X 5' sizes from a local Cabinet Maker. (5' X 5' is considered a full sheet of Baltic Birch)