before I go buy one will my BT3100 fill the bill

[papasmurf113]

First great "new-bie" question. Since the first project of epic proportion that the "3100" will be involved in happens to be remodeling the living room of my palacial abode, (at the behest of the queen), which will involve fabricating and installing new sills on the bay window and moulding throughout the room (all the way to the baseboards AFTER installing the laminate flooring), the question is; do I need to go buy myself a compound miter saw or will the "BT" with it's SMT feature handle the job ok? AND do I need to go get a different blade for cutting the laminate? Oh masters of BT3Kdom, I beg for your opinions please.
Your humble newbie on the gulf coast.
papasmurf

[twistsol]

For window sills, window trim, and laminate flooring, you're not going to beat the performance of the BT3 unless you plan to spend a whol lot more. I used the stock blade to install about 1200 sq ft of Pergo and it cut just fine throughout the job and long after. There are special laminate blades, but in my experience it wasn't necessary for laminate flooring. I do use one for melamine and plywood.

Floor trim and crown moulding I have a problem with on the BT3, or any tablesaw. When I try to crosscut the end of a 12 or 14 foot piece of trim it is hard to keep the whole piece moving at the same rate. My miter saw is a pice of crap so I use an RAS to crosscut anything over about 4' in length.

[Jim Boyd]

I would opt for both. For a blade I would use some cheap circular saw blades and save the BT blade for the hardwood.

[Sawatzky]

Get a CMS for sure if you are going to cut mouldings. It will be too hard to keep them straight on the BT.

[Hoover]

Welcome to the forum. For cutting moulding and trim, the tool best suited for the job is a compound miter saw. You can set the saw up and by the use of stop blocks, achieve repeatability. The angles needed for cutting trim require precise angles to achieve professional looking results. This is where a good miter saw comes into the picture. A dual bevel miter saw would make the setups easier. Also a dual bevel miter saw carries a bigger price tag.

But if you care about the end result, the extra $$$ mean less than a so so end result.

[silverfox]

You really need a CMS for molding and other construction/remodeling projects. If you get a SCMS it will do most of the job without going from one saw to the other. I have both the BT3 and a SCMS and use them to compliment one another. I do primarily construction work and find that I could never be without the SCMS or, at least, a CMS. I love the BT3 and wouldn't want to be without it. But I use the SCMS as much or more in my work. A SCMS or CMS is a good compliment to the BT3 and you'll be glad you have it.
Mike

[JR]

A CMS is definitely needed for the tasks you mention, particularly baseboards, less so for window molding. You could always get a new backsaw and miter box, but then that defeats the requirement to acquire new power tools at every possible opportunity.

A table saw will be needed to rip a few of the floor boards, unless the size of your room just happens to be a multiple of the width of the boards.

JR

[papasmurf113]

thank you oh gods of BT3dom! I will take all the advisment as "I need a CMS" (& can't afford a SCMS). Since the queen and progeny are departing for the weekend (thus leaving me unsupervised), I shall, this very night, invade Lake Jackson's Home Depot and Lowes to obtain a CMS that will meet my needs.....I especially relished JR's response concerning opportunities to obtain new and different power tools. Thanks to all and everybody have a safe weekend.
papasmurf