Hello Everyone

**jhart** · 01-30-2006, 07:33 AM

Welcome to the forum Josh. Send pictures of your projects as you do them.

**LCHIEN** · 01-30-2006, 10:19 AM

quote:Originally posted by kolku

This is my first post on this forum. I have been lurking here since about Christmas. My lovely wife wanted to get me a table saw for Christmas. Her budjet was limited (I was actually looking at the grizzly 1023 saw), so I started shopping around for something affordable and ended up finding this place due to a reference from new yankee workshop I think. Someone on that site had posted saying they should talk about some tools that "normal" people can afford and gave the BT3 as an example. So long story short this forum/site sold me on the saw and we picked one up at HD yesterday for 249 + a $75 gift card. Came out to be just under 200 with tax. I haven't finished setting it up yet (we have a 5 month old who takes up a lot of our time), but hopefully tonight I'll have a chance to finish setting it up and actually cut something. Then all I need to do is find a project to work on :-)

Btw... I already read all the very helpful advice on making sure I read the manual and setup everything properly.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Josh

welcome, Josh!

**BobSch** · 01-30-2006, 11:36 AM

Welcome to the asylum. Now, go paint the red line and start makin' some sawdust!

**Ken Weaver** · 01-30-2006, 01:47 PM

Welcome aboard Josh! Make sawdust, have fun, be safe!

**Wood_workur** · 01-30-2006, 01:54 PM

Welcome! Have fun, and be safe.

**Tom Hintz** · 01-30-2006, 02:34 PM

Welcome!
Keep that manual where you can find it again for when you think the saw needs adjusting, as they eventually all do.
Second, is make the wife something nice, that she wants. You are going to want more tools and showing her now how useful you can be helps!

**mater** · 01-30-2006, 03:07 PM

Welcome to the group Josh. Be safe and enjoy the forum.

**gmack5** · 01-30-2006, 05:27 PM

Welcome Josh,

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 one, 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/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" shown in the link below.
http://www.bt3central.com/forum/topi...TOPIC_ID=12490
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.

**bigstick509** · 01-30-2006, 07:54 PM

To the best forums on the net.

**kolku** · 01-30-2006, 08:22 PM

Well I got the saw all put together once the little one fell asleep. I have not "tune" everything yet, however I did make a miter cut on a scrap 2x4 just to say I have "used it" [

] Hopefully sometime this week or over the weekend I'll get it all setup the way it should be.

**Pappy** · 01-30-2006, 08:27 PM

Welcome to the Asylum, Josh!

**drumpriest** · 01-30-2006, 10:38 PM

Congrats on both the 5 month old and the new toy (saw). If you treat it right, it'll do a lot of work for you for a good long time.

**monte** · 01-31-2006, 01:57 AM

Welcome to the group Josh. Enjoy your new saw.

**scorrpio** · 01-31-2006, 06:57 AM

Grats on the saw! Before any serious use, make sure to supply adequate dust collection. I got a Ridgid 12-gal shopvac connected to saw's back, it sucks off all the dust and small waste pieces that fall through the throat plate opening, keeping everything squeaky clean.

And be sure to wear eye and ear protection when using it, even if it is 'just one cut'.

Hello Everyone

Hello Everyone

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment