Looking for my first TS

[CraftD]

Hi. I just joined this forum today. I am looking to buy my first table saw. My budget is very limited. $200 to $300. I want a non portable saw, so new is out of my budget. There are 2 bt3xxxs on craigslist. One is a bt3100 that doesn't have a blade guard. It is priced at $125. The other is a bt3000 with a blade guard, dustbag and a miter fence clamp. It is priced $200.
There are also two delta ts350s (1 for $250 and 1 for 400 that has extra jigs and throatplates) and a woodtek for $250.

With this being my first ts, I'm a little worried about the various adjustments that have to be made to the bt3xxxs. I'm also a little worried about not being able to find parts. Does anyone know when they stopped making the bt3xxxs?

I have done a lot of research, but I'm still stumped.
I would really appreciate any advice anyone has to give.

[JoeyGee]

If the only thing missing from the 3100 is the blade guard, I would definitely choose that over the 3000. Not only is it cheaper, you won't have any shim issues that plague the 3000. I have not used a blade guard on my 3100, but go with what you are comfortable with as far as guards go.

I don't know anything about the TS350, so I don't know if that's a good deal or not. BTW those two listed, I would go for the $350. You can build jigs and throat plates.

[twistsol]

If you went with the $125 BT3100, you could order a SharkGuard which is a far superior solution to the stock bad guard and till be under your max budget. Sears PartsDirect still has many but not all parts available for the saw and there are always parts listed on eBay for it as well. There is a blade guard on eBay now for $59.00. I wouldn't worry about the adjustments and I don't think there are really more on this saw than on others. The adjustments are just different than any other saw. There's always plenty of help here if something doesn't work out quite right.

The Delta saws are nice and I wouldn't spend money to get jigs you can build yourself. My brother in law has one and when I used it I didn't leave thinking either I must have one of these, or that it was a piece of crap. It's a good serviceable tool. There have been a lot of grumbling posts on other sites about not being able to get Delta parts even for products that are still in warranty. The one delta tool I own, a jointer, has never needed parts in 12 years.

[CraftD]

I appreciate the advice Joe. Is there anything else I should worry about with such an older model saw?

[CraftD]

All I could find online about the delta ts350 was that it was a direct drive, and the maximum cut height was lower than the bt3xxxs. This of course makes me lean towards the bt3100. Thanks for your help Chr's. Is there anything I should look for in particular when checking out the saw? Like blade height slippage etc?

[leehljp]

Concerning the 3100, There is that advantage of not loosing shims but other than that, I like my 3000 much better than my 3100. (I had a 3000 while living in Japan and a 3100 back here, and bought the 3000 back with me when I moved back permanently). The 3000 had a better stand, the crank handle seems stronger and less flimsy.

I still use both. My 3000 holds its settings better and longer than the 3100 also. I can set up my 3000, square the SMT with a registration square and check it - off and on, over months and it holds square even if I take the SMT on and off. My 3100 just doesn't do that. It is good and it can be squared but it doesn't seem to hold its alignment as well.

That has been my experience.

[CraftD]

Sorry to be so full of questions, but.... I read that the bt3100 sliding miter table has a 1/16 in of play when pushing it through the cut. Have any of you run into this problem? I was also wondering if any of you have attached a router to your bt3xxx, and how it worked out. Thanks for all the help!

[Black wallnut]

With a properly adjusted BT3K you should not have any noticeable slop in the SMT for the full length of travel. Many have used a router in the accessory table and it workd great as long as you use the OEM clamp to secure the back of that table to the rear rail.

[JimD]

The SMT does not have play when set up properly. I have a router on mine but it is on the wooden accessory table, not the aluminum one that comes with the saw. You can use the aluminum one but you have to lock the table down or it will rattle a LOT. It doesn't normally clamp on the back, just the front.

A BT3100 is a very accurate saw with a fence that stays parallel to the blade. It also has a small table but the length can easily be increased with an accessory table. Width you are pretty well stuck with the stock dimensions. I like mine. I used to have accessory rails on it for 60 inch rip capacity but now use it with stock rails because I have a track saw for wide rips. You need a ripping blade for deep rips on the BT3100 and need the blade to be clean and reasonably sharp but if you do that, it will cut to the full 3.5 inch depth.

I don't know anything about the other saws but I would get the BT3100.

[cwsmith]

I absolutely love my BT3100. It is the only table saw I've ever owned and the features are great. As mentioned earlier, you can get a great "Shark Guard" and still be under your budget.

Make sure that the motor is still functioning properly before you buy though, as a replacement is very hard to find.

The slop in the SMT can be adjusted out. If the spacers are worn, I do believe that replacement parts are available.

The $99 accessory kit which includes several parts including router mounting kit for the accessory table is still available from Home Depot.... or at least was just a few months ago.

The BT's are great saws and my BT3100 has done everything that I've demanded of it. I think it is not only a good "first" table saw, but also one that will perform very well for the experienced.

I hope this helps,

CWS

[LCHIEN]

you may want to ask me for the BT3 FAQ which has tons of user information on the saw and accessories,
See my signature line below for details on how to get it.

[leehljp]

As Jim mentioned above: I recently purchased a very good freud rip blade and it works absolutely great. If you are going to do much ripping, get a good rip blade.

[CraftD]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I contacted the seller on the bt3100. Waiting for a response. I will check it out, and get it, if it's good and still available. If not I will probably get the bt3000.
I have surgery on Tuesday so if I can't get it by then, then it will be a while before I can get one. I really wanted to get one before then, so that when I was feeling better I could fool around with it. We'll see what happens. Again, thanks for all the help. I will keep you posted about what I get.

[leehljp]

Keep in touch with us and let us know your thoughts as you use it.

[JSUPreston]

Just adding my 2 cents worth. I replaced my BT3100 with a Delta Contractor's saw several years ago. However, as others have pointed out, the Delta you found is a direct drive. Having had both a direct drive and belt driven (as many others here have had), you're making the right decision to go with the BT3x.

I can't remember the model number, but IIRC, the Ridgid 4xxx series contractor saws are also considered very good, but they seem to be pretty rare around my parts.