My first BT3K and a repair...

[g34rh34d]

Hello all,

I am new to this forum, Found it on the web while searching for parts for my newly acquired BT3K. (Which btw, was FREE!) The story:

I ran into a co-worker at the local Home Depot, and he was looking for a new saw... As we chatted, he had mentioned that he was tired of the saw he currently had due to the "raise / lower" mechanism being broken. He described the problem and mentioned that it might be something I could repair. (It was stripped as expected) So I asked him how much? and he said nothing.. NOTHING!? He said the price is that I help him unload the new saw and get it out of his garage, and I could have it.... DONE!

Yesterday I took the saw apart and tried to figure out the solution to the stripped mount, and (prior to seeing the article on this forum.) I decided that I could either Helicoil it, or possibly solve the problem a little differently.

What I ended up doing was to get a 9/16 x 12 pitch nut, and a small piece of 1/8" steel plate. I trimmed the plate to match the profile off the boss of the motor body, then drilled and tapped the plate with 2 10-32 screws. I match drilled the boss on the motor housing such that I could screw down into the steel plate. I gave the boss a little more support by adding a couple of spacers in the casting, and snugged them up.

Once I had everything tightened up, I drilled the plate by using the boss as a guide with a 9/16 drill. I had to be careful because of the material differences of the aluminum vs. the steel.

Once the hole was drilled I used a 9/16's bolt and snugged up the nut to the plate through the boss on the housing. At that point I tack welded the nut to the plate, and WALA! its fixed.

Total cost of the repair: $1.07.

I will re-assemble the saw this evening and see how everything works. I have photos, So once complete, I will try and post them to the site.

Can anyone tell me the location of where to post them?

Thanks!

[LCHIEN]

quote:Originally posted by g34rh34d

Hello all,

I am new to this forum, Found it on the web while searching for parts for my newly acquired BT3K. (Which btw, was FREE!) The story:

I ran into a co-worker at the local Home Depot, and he was looking for a new saw... As we chatted, he had mentioned that he was tired of the saw he currently had due to the "raise / lower" mechanism being broken. He described the problem and mentioned that it might be something I could repair. (It was stripped as expected) So I asked him how much? and he said nothing.. NOTHING!? He said the price is that I help him unload the new saw and get it out of his garage, and I could have it.... DONE!

Yesterday I took the saw apart and tried to figure out the solution to the stripped mount, and (prior to seeing the article on this forum.) I decided that I could either Helicoil it, or possibly solve the problem a little differently.

What I ended up doing was to get a 9/16 x 12 pitch nut, and a small piece of 1/8" steel plate. I trimmed the plate to match the profile off the boss of the motor body, then drilled and tapped the plate with 2 10-32 screws. I match drilled the boss on the motor housing such that I could screw down into the steel plate. I gave the boss a little more support by adding a couple of spacers in the casting, and snugged them up.

Once I had everything tightened up, I drilled the plate by using the boss as a guide with a 9/16 drill. I had to be careful because of the material differences of the aluminum vs. the steel.

Once the hole was drilled I used a 9/16's bolt and snugged up the nut to the plate through the boss on the housing. At that point I tack welded the nut to the plate, and WALA! its fixed.

Total cost of the repair: $1.07.

I will re-assemble the saw this evening and see how everything works. I have photos, So once complete, I will try and post them to the site.

Can anyone tell me the location of where to post them?

Thanks!

That's a pretty good way of fixing the stripped elevation thread problem!

You can post the photos right here in the thread... (when you enter a message there will be an "Attach File" upload link that will get the file from your PC and store it here and put it into your message.) Just try and reduce the pic to something like 400 x 600 pixels otherwise its real hard to view.

If you're real ambitious you can write an article and have it placed in the user articles section by the moderator, Sam.

[gmack5]

Welcome Frank,

Congratulations on the acquisition of your BT3000 and welcome to the "family".

One of the first things you need to do, after you get your BT3100 Saw re-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 mention 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.

Just remember, regardless of which measuring instrument you choose to use, check it(them) to be sure they're accurate. When checking the Miter Fence for Square to the Blade with a triangle, use the 12" 30-60, if possible.

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.

[g34rh34d]

[/quote]
That's a pretty good way of fixing the stripped elevation thread problem!

You can post the photos right here in the thread... (when you enter a message there will be an "Attach File" upload link that will get the file from your PC and store it here and put it into your message.) Just try and reduce the pic to something like 400 x 600 pixels otherwise its real hard to view.

If you're real ambitious you can write an article and have it placed in the user articles section by the moderator, Sam.


[/quote]

I will definately do so. But first I will take some additional pictures of the re-assembly. Once I get that together, I will throw the pictures in for the whole setup.

I will also try and write a detailed article for the user's section as well, Thanks for the compliment. More to come...

FH

[g34rh34d]

quote:Originally posted by gmack5

Welcome Frank,

Congratulations on the acquisition of your BT3000 and welcome to the "family".

One of the first things you need to do, after you get your BT3100 Saw re-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: http://www.bt3central.com/articles/l...sp?ArticleId=7

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 mention 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.

Just remember, regardless of which measuring instrument you choose to use, check it(them) to be sure they're accurate. When checking the Miter Fence for Square to the Blade with a triangle, use the 12" 30-60, if possible.

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.

Awesome! Thanks for all the great advice / info... (I especially like the idea of the 220 grit SP on the fence.. I never would have thought of that!

I will keep ya'll posted on the re-assembly / project as I put it back together.

[Stytooner]

Welcome aboard.
This sounds interesting. I am looking forward to seeing the photo's and more of your posts in the future.

[John Hunter]

FH,

Welcome aboard.

[dlminehart]

FH,

Ingenious, resourceful, thrifty, articulate, thorough . . . just the kind of forum member we love to see. Welcome!

[monte]

Great idea on the fix Frank. And welcome to the group!

[g34rh34d]

All, I had topost a new topic on the repair pictures. I couldnt figure out how to add photos to this topic. The new topic is: "BT3K height adj. repair"

Sorry for the multiple posts on the subject.

[Pappy]

Welcome to the Asylum, Frank.