New Member

[r1968]

Hi Guys
I just wanted to introduce myself. I have been a avid reader of this forum for a while now and decided to join. I am in the process of putting together my garage shop and am looking at the BT3100 as the centerpiece (along with a couple of other TS options) I am ofcourse leaning towards the BT3100.
Most of my woodworking experience has been thru building sets and props for a theatre group that my wife and I are a part of. My wife designs the sets and I build it with help from her and a few volunteers. This is a non profit group by the way. Since we had our daughter 2 years ago, we have not had much time to build sets. Also we bought our home six month ago and it is now time to get back to woodworking. For the next year or so it is mostly going to be home improvement type stuff. I consider it my great fortune that LOML is also into woodworking (not necessarily into tool buying but I am working on that).
My shop is 1 bay of a 3 car garage + a 15x12 storage shed. I currently have a few power tools. My new additon was a hitachi miter saw (c10fsh) that I got on e-bay brand new. It was too good a deal to pass up. I also have a Bosch 1617EVSPK, as Skil jig saw an a craftsman circular saw and a few drills. I should be adding the Tablesaw and possibly a DC this year.
I may not add much woodworking wisdom for a long time to come but will try to contribute in any way I can..

Raj

[Ken Weaver]

Welcome aboard Raj!! Watch for gmack's post, make sawdust, and be safe!

[gmack5]

Welcome Raj,

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 proceedure, 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 take 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 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.

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.

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.

[GeekMom]

Welcome, Raj. We have a great group here!

[leehljp]

Welcome Raj. Glad to have you here. Join in the fun and we do look forward to your contributions.

[Pappy]

Welcome to the Asylum, Raj!

[mater]

Welcome Raj and I am glad you decided to join the forum.

[John Hunter]

Welcome Raj!

[r1968]

Thank you all for the warm welcome. BTW, I live in San Jose and work in a SW company as Operations and IT Manager. I can definitely answer computer related questions. I am computer nut and I have a web business selling computer water cooling components. I will try to make myself useful to this community in any way I can.

[drumpriest]

Hey r1968, welcome to the forum. I'm a graphics programmer who develops video games. There are a few techies here, which is really cool. I think there is a link between woodworking and any math intesive field. I enjoy seeing my mathematics become something tangible for once.

good to have you....

[monte]

Welcome to the group Raj. Enjoy the forum!

[WoodPirate]

quote:Originally posted by r1968

work in a SW company as Operations and IT Manager.

Welcome Raj! Seems there are lots of IT folks here. I'm a network tech at a mortgage company in Jax, FL. Music seems to fit in here, as well. Hey, Drumpriest... you play an instrument??? I have a set of Mapex drums in my living room as a permanent fixture. When I grow up I wanna be immature!

[PeteFohl]

Just to chime in, I'm in computers as well - I'm a software engineer at a small company in Santa Barbara. Used to be all desktop apps - now everything needs to be "Web-enabled."

-Pete

[ElRay]

I'll add another tick to the IT tally. Like Pete, almost all of our business is web enabling existing systems.

Ray

[r1968]

Any of you guys in the Silicon valley. May be we can try a get together during the woodworking show in Santa Clara Convention center in April (I think)

Raj