Proud new owner w/question

[WoodTherapist]

Hello, all. This is my first post here. Last week I purchased and assembled the BT3100-1 and, thanks to all your first-rate advice, I have gone through the alignment procedures in a rough fashion. Now that I fairly understand the process, I’ll do it again in order to fine tune and then make some sawdust. But ONLY after I paint the RED LINE!

Anyway, I just wanted to say that BT3Central is a great resource (thanks, Sam!) and members of this forum seem to be a pleasant bunch. I wouldn’t have learned that the BT is such a great value without you all. It is a perfect fit for my limited shop space and my limited budget.

I also have a question. Does anyone know how I can purchase the accessory table router inserts without buying the entire accessory kit? Thanks!

[scorrpio]

One way is look on ebay - the router mounting kits seem to sell there regularly for about $40.

That said, if you have a DP and some forstners, you should be able to make your own fairly easily.

[WoodTherapist]

scorrpio, thanks for the advice. I checked ebay but I'm over my budget for now (too many new tools in a short period of time) so I must make-do on the cheap. I'm new to using routers in a table and didn't know if the router inserts needed to lock in place somehow or not. I'll try making some from scrap using the forstners. Then on to making a better router table fence using the BT rip fence to maount it on.

[LCHIEN]

I looked at mine today and wondered how I would make some to fit.

I Think I would do it this way:

Get some 1/16th thick or better yet, .057-.060" plastic material
Using a "fly" cutter on a DP cut out one to fit the hole of the top of the aux table. Something like 2.53-2.55"

Using the same fly cutter or a router and a circle cutting jig, cut a 1/4" thick piece of plywood or wood the same diameter as the inner hole of the Aux table hole. 2.43-2.44"

Hopefully you used the same drill center to make both disks,
use a dowel or drill bit to line them up and glue into a sandwich.

Hopefully you made a handful of these, you can now center the DP on the center hole and use forstner bits to make the bit opening hole whatever sizes you want.

The smaller dia wood piece should fit snugly so as to keep the insert from moving or being lifted easily in use. you can add some tape or something to make it fit snugly. Put your finger in the bit hole to lift it out.

If you need to, you can also counter sink the bottom of the insert so the collet can go up closer to the top. Probably a 1" forstner and carefully control the depth of drilling!

[WoodTherapist]

Fantastic! Thanks for the tips, Loring. I was thinking of using a hole-saw to cut the parts and then sanding them to the appropriate diameters, but I think it would be difficult to end up with good results that way, especially when making multiple inserts. I don't have a fly cutter, but maybe I can borrow one. I would definitely use the router and circle cutter jig approach but for making such small parts I would think I would need the router insert in place - kind of the chicken and egg dilemma. However, I can probably just drill a hole slightly larger than the bit in a piece of wood and mount the router directly to the temporary "table" just for this purpose? That would also make it fairly simple to use a nail in the board as a centerpoint for making the circles. Using such a jig, I suppose (saying this with the benefit of no router table experience) that I could even cut the inserts from one piece of material by making adjustments to the centerpoint and router bit height in order to make the top "lip" of the insert. Do you think that is feasible? Again, thanks.

[JimD]

You also do not have to reduce the diamter of the opening with an insert for most purposes. I use a 3 1/2 inch opening in my router table most of the time. This is significantly bigger than the opening in the BT3100 aluminum table. I reduce the opening when using a lock miter bit to make small drawers but that is about the only time I make it smaller.

Jim

[LCHIEN]

quote:Originally posted by WoodTherapist

Fantastic! Thanks for the tips, Loring. I was thinking of using a hole-saw to cut the parts and then sanding them to the appropriate diameters, but I think it would be difficult to end up with good results that way, especially when making multiple inserts. I don't have a fly cutter, but maybe I can borrow one. I would definitely use the router and circle cutter jig approach but for making such small parts I would think I would need the router insert in place - kind of the chicken and egg dilemma. However, I can probably just drill a hole slightly larger than the bit in a piece of wood and mount the router directly to the temporary "table" just for this purpose? That would also make it fairly simple to use a nail in the board as a centerpoint for making the circles. Using such a jig, I suppose (saying this with the benefit of no router table experience) that I could even cut the inserts from one piece of material by making adjustments to the centerpoint and router bit height in order to make the top "lip" of the insert. Do you think that is feasible? Again, thanks.

To make a circle with a router, hand held:

Need a work surface you can cut into like a sacrificial piece of scrap plywood or MDF or hardboard (would be the cheapest if you actually have to buy some.)

Lets say we were going to cut a 2.44" circle of 1/4" plywood.
Assume we'll use a 3/16" center hole.

Step 1. get the stuff: HH router, 1/4" straight bit, spiral upcut preferred. 1x4 x 6" for jig, and the plywood 3/16 drill and 3/16" dowel about 1" long. Double stick tape will help a lot. backer board for work surface. 1/2" drill, 1/2" OD router guide template.

step 2. Drill the plywood where you want the center.
Step 3 Tape the plywood to the backer board so that the cutout and the leftover will bothe be secured. You don't haveto do this but the likelyhood is that when the circle is cut free,, some stuff may be flying around and get cut where you don't want it to.
The backer board shold be clamped to the table, t needs to be oversized so the router doesn't hit the clamps. - about 8" from the center hole.
Step 4. Drill the jig board 1/2" drill 2 inches from the end in the center. the guide template should fit this.
Step 5. mark a spot 1/2 of (2.44") - .125" or 1.095" or 1-3/32" from the edge of the 1/2" hole. The 1/8" is the distance from the edge of the guide template to the edge of the bit where the circle will be cut.
Step 6. Drill the 3/16" hole centered over the spot marked.
Step 7 put the dowel thru the jig board so that just under 1/4" sticks out the bottom and cut off anything left from the top so the jig board is flush on top. May want to glue it.

Step 8 Place the jig board over the plywood so the pin is in the center hole inthe plywood. Make sure the jig board can spin around the pin 360 degrees. Try doing this by pushing on the 1/2" hole. It should spin around, not super freely but with some friction but not too difficult.

Step 9 Place the router with the template guide installed and the
bit installed and the bit lowered to 1/16" is exposed below the jig board.

Step 10 With the router lifted slightly (assuming you don't have a plunge router but a fixed base router) from the hole for the tmeplate guide, start the router and lower the router all the way into the hole - youll hear it cut into the plywood. As soon as it bottoms, start pushing the router around the circle. Hold the router in the same attitude to you so that it will spin in the jig once around for every round of the jig.
Make a couple of passes, then stop the router. Lift it , lower the bit 1/8" and repeat. Do this a couple of times and you will be cutting into the backer.

Step 11 Now you can take off the jig and the router and take your circle off the tape.



If you don't have a fly cutter, this may work for the 1/16th plastic, the pin will have to go thru the plastic and into the backer.

[gmack5]

Welcome WoodTherapist,

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.

The Illustration shown below is of a BT3000SX.
Most of the accessories shown will also fit the BT3100.



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.

[monte]

Welcome to the group. Be safe and enjoy your new saw.

[WoodTherapist]

Many thanks to all for the welcomes and the tips. The post from George is a rite-of-passage!

JimD, I appreciate the tip that I probably do not need the inserts for most table routing projects. That piece of info will allow me to get started and not feel rushed to make or purchase the inserts. My first router table project will be some picture frames and I see now that I can get by without the inserts for that. I would like to make some small boxes later that will probably require using the inserts, but that is down the road a bit. So I think I will concentrate on making an auxilliary router table fence first.

Loring, thanks again for taking the time to patiently and clearly explain the processes. With the information you provided, I think I will still try to make the inserts later instead of buying them , even though I now know that I don’t need to be in a rush to acquire them, just because it will be a good learning experience. Your instructions have been printed and are ready for action.

I’m looking forward to finding a little BT3-time this weekend. Hope you all find some too!

Bruce