Newb w/ BTS20 & General Table Saw Questions

[plarkinjr]

OK, so I bought this portable 10" Ryobi, it will fit my needs and space limitations nicely, but I have a few questions... I've searched all over for answers but maybe I'm searching wrong. Anyway, here goes:

1. next to where the rip fence stow's, there is another molded bracket in the chassis that seems to hold something about 16" long and an inch or two wide. Any idea what goes there?

2. Its been a LONG time since I did anything clever with table saws, and I seem to recall some trick about putting a strip of wood on the rip fence. My father-in-law's 1950's craftsman saw has gnarly circular cuts in the fence from being too close to the blade... but the fence on this Ryobi has no holes, or any other obvious means to attach said strip of wood. Any ideas there?

3. The mitre pusher thingy has two slots on top, presumably for bolting something else onto the face. What would that be, and typically for what?

4. Trying to loosen the two top hex bolts on the fence to align it... one will not budge, despite liquid wrench - I'm about to round out the hole. What IS the right size allen wrench for this, and am I doing the right thing?

Thanks, and please be gentle! [:I]

[plarkinjr]

Oh yeah, forgot a couple more:

5. would there be any harm to losing the phillips screw that holds down the throat plate since it has snap in tangs?

6. any good sources for pre-made throat plate blanks for this unit so I can make some Zero Clearance ones?

TIAA

[Mainemarc]

Hi planrkinjr:

Welcome to the forum! I have a few ideas re: your questions, which I'm sure the more experienced members will either support or correct me on.

1) I think the second bracket might hold the miter fence from your miter table, which you would typically want out of the way when ripping very wide stock.

2) I think you're talking about a sacrificial rip fence, which is useful for milling rabbets with a dado blade, among other things. Does the BTS20 at least have a fixture mounting groove on top of the rip fence? If so, you could make a two-sided wooden fixture with an inverted "L" shaped profile that mounts to the top of the rip fence with some T-bolts. Otherwise, make a three-sided wooden fixture with an inverted "U" shaped profile that encapsulates your rip fence.

3. Among other things, some sort of hold down clamp, and a stop block for making consistent size cross/miter cuts on multiple pieces.

4. Well, at least you stopped before you stripped out the the second hex head. First, make *sure* you're using the right size hex wrench (there are certain metric and Imperial sizes that are very close). Call Ryobi CS, if necessary to confirm this. Then get that size in a quality, T-handled hex wrench. Consider rapping the top of the hex wrench with mallet, and also try turning the hex head slightly in the *clockwise* (i.e. tightening) direction first.

HTH,

[plarkinjr]

Thanks Marc! updates:

1. bracketry holds blade guard/riving knife assembly... oh, and I removed those wicked anti-kickback pawls! They bite like piranha!!

2. indeed there is a groove on top of the fence; I guess I'll have to go get some T-nuts.

3. I get it now. Stopblock was the keyword there I guess.

4. I'd tried all that, had to resort to cutting a slot with a dremel and using a hand-held impact driver. Its aligned now... and I guess I should go get a new bolt from the hardware store - and use anti-seize on it.

5 & 6, the throatplate stuff - remains.

Thanks again, Marc, and in advance for anyone else with comments.

[MikeMcCoy]

"5. would there be any harm to losing the phillips screw that holds down the throat plate since it has snap in tangs?"

I had that saw for quite a while and got rid of the screw the second time I used it to change (and throw away) the blade that came with it and never had any problems. The clip holds it down securely but use your own judgement there.

"6. any good sources for pre-made throat plate blanks for this unit so I can make some Zero Clearance ones?"

I never found a source for those but it's easy to make your own out of ply or even Lexan if you have a router. Just use set screws to get the right elevation.

You'll save yourself some grief if you make yourself a couple of jigs to straddle the fence and makes using Destaco type clamps easier. I even made a tenon jig like this that worked well. I don't know if you're looking to spend any more money but the Incra V27 miter guage fits perfectly and will save you a lot of cussing later. Add to that a reliable sliding crosscut sled will save a bunch more. This saw is underpowered but I made a couple of sets of kitchen cabinets with it (AFTER I got the new miter guage and built the crosscut sled). It has its shortcomings but is a pretty well made saw especially is space is an issue.