Another New Member

[axio]

Hi Everyone, I just purchased my BT3100 yesterday at the HD by my house. It wouldn't fit in my girl's accord, my friend's chevelle, so we had to get his neighbor's F150 do haul this baby home. It's still currently in the box in my garage, but today I'll be putting it together (I hope). I'm going to try to make a little mobile caster system as well, and if the stock blade guard really sucks, I'll spring for the Shark Guard. And yes, I'll paint that red line

[smc331]

Welcome aboard - I see you've already read gmack's post(s)!

Have fun and be safe - look forward to your posts and projects!

[Ken Weaver]

Welcome aboard Derrick!! Make Sawdust and be safe!

[Scottydont]

Welcome Derrick! Be patient during the setup. Once it's twaeked you will love the saw.

[Tom Hintz]

Congrats on the saw! Take your time and assemble / adjust it right the first time and it will be much easier and safer to use.
It's good to see a new guy lose his soul to the wood gods! the rest of us need company!

[leehljp]

Welcome Derrick. Glad to have you here. Feel free to ask questions and post some of your work. Join in th fun here.

[monte]

Welcome to the group Derrick! Take your time and enjoy your new saw!

[Whaler]

Derrick

Welcome to the family, I hope you will enjoy and get as much out of this site as I have.

[mater]

Welcome to the forum Derrick. Enjoy your saw.

[WoodPirate]

Hey Derrick! Nice saw!!! Welcome to the group. These guys are really great and everybody seems to get along so much better than on the other forums. I'm new to the board, too. Don't hesitate to ask if you need any help. [8D]

[gmack5]

Welcome Derrick,

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.