Pushing the B3100?

[mackmack]

How much can I push this thing? I want to cut wood(3/4 - 1" plywood) 5-6 hours a day some days... can the bt3100 handle that sort of cutting? I have had no problems thus far but have only cut continously for about 2-3 hours so far.

I just wanted to know if I would be pushing the bt3 to far or if I might damage it.

Thanks for the help guys.

oh, also, the blade is an $80 thin kerf dewalt blade with maybe a month of cutting on it. so that is in good shape.

[mackmack]

resason I ask is because a friend of mine had said "I was going to break it" if I cut to much word on it.

[RayintheUK]

I'm having a bit of trouble imagining anyone cutting continuously for 2 - 3 hours. I guess it relies on your interpretation of "cutting continuously" - simply because of the immense amount of linear feet you could push through in 2 hours, let alone 3.

However, even if this meant leaving the motor running for 2 - 3 hours, I'd struggle with it as a concept - the noise alone would drive me (and probably my neighbors) nuts!

If you spend 2 - 3 hours or 5 - 6 hours working with the saw, with a fairly rapid throughput of workpieces, especially sheet goods as per your post, I can't see that it would give any problems - providing that the feed rate is appropriate, the saw is fitted with a sharp, clean blade and the dust extraction is working efficiently.

Given that you could ruin the saw on its very first cut if you used it inappropriately, surely the secret is in how kindly you use it, rather than how long a period of time? I've worked with mine all day without problem - but as to how long the saw was actually cutting, I have no idea. JMTQW

Ray.

[mackmack]

Yeah, I don't leave the motor on continuously. I usually set the fence and rip... turn it off, set up the next piece, turn it on again and rip.. over and over. that goes on for about 2 hours...then I start cross cutting.

So i would say I actually cut every minute or so.

I am going to be selling the stuff I make so I usually cut all the wood in the first 2 days of the week.. I do glass work, and painting the rest so I was just asking about the 2 days that I do cut.

It's such a cheap(price wise)saw that I wasn't sure if the motor was up to it.

[Stytooner]

I have run mine for maybe 3 hours straight a couple of times before. I was claning up the edges on some oak tonge and groove flooring that I recycled. It worked great. I was worse for the wear, but the BT held its own.

[LCHIEN]

I obviously don't have any experience doing this so my comments are sort of theoretical.

You already explained that continuous means turning the saw on and off every couple of minutes to make a cut and this goes on for 5-6 hours.

Now I consider 5 days a week 4 weeks a month 12 months a year or if its for 3-4 days once a month to be Production work.

The saw has a universal motor and as such is probably suited well for weekend-warrior workers but not production work. The reason I say that is that the motor has brushes and they will wear. The saw also has a medium duty switch rated for the load but probably not really designed for hundreds of actuations per day, every day, every week, every month etc.

2 days a week is low end production work, the saw will last longer than with production work but not forever, is my guess. And that's assuming you don't abuse it in other ways that construction workers are prone to do.