First Table Saw

[Roger on the Rock]

I figure I'm on somewhat of a bias'd forum...but here goes anyway.

I'm just starting out as a hobbyist woodworker and looking at making small shelf, birdhouse, table projects as well as bookcase, entertainment centre projects as I get more experience.

There are a million opinions out there as to what direction one should go with a first table saw...all of them with valid arguments.

My question is simply...does anyone on this forum have any regrets about having a BT3XXX as their first saw or would they have done anthing different given their time back?

Thanks in advance for the forthcoming advice.

Roger

[RmeDad]

I made the right choice. Very pleased.

[Popeye]

I used another one for 25 years before buying the BT. May upgrade to a cabinet saw someday..... may not. As a first or last saw it's the most bang for the buck out there. Pat

[mikeg]

It's my first saw too. I got mine in January. So far I have no real regrets. Sure, it's not a cabinet saw, but I don't have the room or money for one. Maybe someday. But so far it seems to do everything I need.

mikeg

[Ken Massingale]

No, not at all. I had a BT3000 for a few years and it served me very well. I have cast iron now, but if I had the room the BT would still be here to keep it company and be used frequently. It's a lot of saw for the money.
ken

[gsmittle]

I figure I'm on somewhat of a bias'd forum...but here goes anyway.

I'm just starting out as a hobbyist woodworker and looking at making small shelf, birdhouse, table projects as well as bookcase, entertainment centre projects as I get more experience.

There are a million opinions out there as to what direction one should go with a first table saw...all of them with valid arguments.

My question is simply...does anyone on this forum have any regrets about having a BT3XXX as their first saw or would they have done anthing different given their time back?

Thanks in advance for the forthcoming advice.

Roger

Not a single regret. As everyone has said, it's a lot of saw for the money. If someone wanted to give me a brand new Unisaw, honestly, I'd have to think about it. I love my BT!

Given the small space I have and my limited budget, I feel like I've made a very good purchase. I can't imagine why more manufactures don't use an SMT.

Just watch out for the elcheapo direct-drive table saws. Life's too short.

g.

[LCHIEN]

it's my second saw, the first one was not too good - frustrating to use.
Had it for 6 years now, I've enjoyed it a lot.

[Warren]

I'm switching over to cast iron soon and I'm racking my brain, trying all sorts of configurations in the shop so I can keep the BT3000. When I started wood working it was the first major power tool I purchased. Back then there were no alternatives to the BT3000. Contractor saws didn't have the versitility and the big saws were out of my price range. It's done everything I've asked of it and I've pushed it to the limit more than once.

I have absolutely no regrets and will be sad to see it go . . . if it has to.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

AAAAAAND ownership of the BT3 makes you part of the coolest online community in the universe !!!! :-)

Seriously, I have not owned the BT3, rather I have had Jet Contractor saw this I picked up for $150 due to this site ($600 table saw that was really nice) and then a few short months later I upgraded to Craftsman 22124 Cabinet Saw at $400 due to this forum.

If I did not have a saw and I could get a good deal on BT3 and it meet my needs I would get it. It seems to be especially new user friendly with sliding table, router insert, etc.

I bought my Dad a Craftsman 22104 for Christmas and got it for less than $370, when combining 10% off TS coupon and 10% off on Sears charge. Nice saw, if you aren't a tool snob (assuming your not since you are considering BT3). A lot of folks would argue that is a lot more saw for only $120 more than BT3 (more powerful, better dust collection, etc) but I am not a fan of either saws wings. Not a big fan of Rigids TS due to wings. I like my wings cast iron, flat and heavy, LOL.

Summary : Can't go wrong with BT3 as a first TS. Lot of bang for the buck. However if someone offers you a Unisaw for the same price take it. :-)

[drumpriest]

The BT was my first TS, and still my TS. So far so good. I've used some bigger saws, but I don't see much reason to regret my BT. I suppose that I wouldn't turn down a large cabinet saw, but I still feel that the BT3100 is the best sub-1000$ table saw available.

Put a shark guard on one, and it's near perfect. Of course I'd like more power, but I'd have to rewire my house to get it. The only bad thing that I could really say is that I wish it had more front of table to blade.

[bhbuster]

Bought mine this past December, the only regret is I did not get it sooner. I have used it for some small projects, a bookshelf, & to rip some boards for a deck that I built.

Brian

[maxparot]

As long as you are not looking for a jobsite saw (they tend to take a beating) A BT3100 is a tough saw to beat for value, versatility and accuracy. It isn't a super heavy duty saw there are many great saws out there that can handle a heavier work load. The question becomes how far do you plan to go as a woodworker and how big an investment are you willing to make. If you know you are going to put a heavy work load on your saw on a regular basis and you'll need a tool that can handle it, then maybe a hybrid or a cabinet saw would be a better investment in the long run. A BT3100 is a very capable saw that can make furniture grade cuts! For a first saw it is usually way more capable than the woodworker and able to take a woodworker from beginner to advanced.

[jgrobler]

I have to agree. I have a Radial Arm saw, and used a small Central Machinary table saw for a little while. When I started my kitchen remodel, I purchased the BT3, and haven't used the RAS or the other one since. The BT3 is a dream to work with!

Great saw, great value, and no regrets.

[SteveJ]

I know I'm probably a minority of one here, but I am someone who regrets buying my BT3100 because I don't think it's the best choice for someone who is new to tablesaws. I'd agree that there are a lot of real good reasons for buying the Bt3100, and you'll get no argument from me that this is one of the best forums on the Internet. I just have an opinion of the BT3100 which varies a little from everyone else.

As I write this, I can feel everyone's hackles going up, because I know the BT3100 is beloved by almost everyone here, so let me be clear that I agree the BT3100 has many great features. As is often said here, "you can't find a better bang for the buck".. My only point is that I don't think it's an entry level tablesaw, and there are probably better choices for the first time tablesaw user. In my opinion, the BT3100's many good features are best appreciated by more experienced users.

The reason for my opinion is that too many new users, myself included, have had difficulty with the alignment procedure which is long and tedious, and is, I believe, too difficult for users who have never before aligned a tablesaw. When it works, it's fine, but when it doesn't, then it's really a lot of trouble. With all the things a new tablesaw user has to think about, safety being the primary one, the last thing they need is a cumbersome alignment procedure.

Briefly, this is my experience; My first tablesaw was a Craftsman bench top model, which as everyone knows has its shortcomings. But, I liked it and was able to complete some nice projects with it. When I bought the BT3100 it was an upgrade so I could make the better cuts required in woodworking.

For the first couple of months I was quite happy with my BT3100, then I started having problems. .. The first thing to go wrong was one of the plastic guides broke on my sliding mitre table. It took about three weeks for Ryobi to get me some new ones (I replaced all of them). I didn't have too much trouble installing the new guides but, no matter what I did, I couldn't get the sliding mitre table to align properly. I followed the procedure outlined on this forum to the letter, and was on the phone with a Ryobi tech for over an hour, and still the alignment was off. After several frustrating months, which consisted of aligning the smt, then making a cut, then adjusting the alignment, and then starting the whole process over, I gave up and bought a mitre gauge setup. This works ok, but to really get the benefit of a BT3100 you should be using the sliding table.

Also, and this is something I've never seen mentioned here, none of the woodworking literature that I've seen, and there's a lot of it, talks about how to align a sliding table. It's all based around saws which use a mitre gauge. I know there's lots of help to be had on this forum, but for me this was an unforseen factor which I think contributed to my inability to align my tablesaw.

I also had a lot of problems with the on/off switch which had a nasty habit of not working while my saw was running. I don't know how many times I took that switch apart and put it back together, only to have it work for a while and then suddenly stop working, always, it seemed, while my saw was running.

So, after a few months and increasing levels of frustration, I put my BT3100 on the shelf and bought a Ridgid TS3650. I had the TS3650 aligned in about ten minutes, and was working on a project the day after I brought it home. Except for some small adjustments, I've not had any problems with it. I'm now back to enjoying woodworking. I've gone through a lot of time and money trying to find the right saw, but so far I don't have any complaints with the TS3650. ........ BTW, does this make me a dark sider? I've never really been sure of what it means to be a darksider.

As someone else has said, I'm not Norm, so I'd be the first to say my lack of skill contributed to my not being able to align my saw. But, I've seen lots of others here who had experiences similar to mine, so I don't think the blame is totally on me. I also doubt if I'm the only person to get a new saw because of these problems. It just seems to me that for what is gained from the BT3100's sliding table, the frustration level for new users is too high.

Anyway, that's my experience and my opinion. I know there's mostly disagreement with me on this, but deciding which tablesaw to buy is perhaps the most important decision a woodworker will make so you should have everyone's input. I'm not experienced enough to argue the fine points of this saw's qualities. I just hope my experience helps someone.

Steve

[agent511]

Not a big fan of Rigids TS due to wings. I like my wings cast iron, flat and heavy, LOL.

The Ridgid TS3650 (the darksider saw) has cast iron wings. Mine are flat, and I think they are heavy.