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Kind of like T-nut bases you can thread then weld to a threaded stud.
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/weld-nuts
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/weld-nuts/low-profile-narrow-base-weld-nuts-with-projections/
Last edited by LCHIEN; 06-02-2023, 01:12 AM.
Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
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The McMaster Carr weld on nuts described above will only work as T-nuts on the narrow face slot of the rip and miter fence, they are a nice close fit with just enough play to allow some adjusting.
If you are looking to make your own T-nuts for other areas of the saw like for the top of the fences, you could possibly get a 1/8” thick steel bar 1” wide and cut into 1-1/8” lenghts which is the same dim as all the rest of the T-nuts that come with the saw. Then to mount the T-nut to the bar, you could weld them if you have a welder, or you could attach the to the bar with J-B Weld (cheapest, good work time and easy to get at HD, Lowes or Ace) or 3M 2216 structual adhesive (McMaster Carr 75045A65, pricey, short work time, long cure).
Me, I would cut up a bunch of “blocks” and drill and tap the in the center(like the ones that came with the saw) the same as whatever size threaded weld nut chosen, thread the weld nut onto the approprite screw, apply just a bit of J-B welt to the bottom of the nut and thread it into the block, line it all up and let it cure overnight. The next day, add a bit more JB weld around the edges of the nut with a toothpick and again let it cure overnight. Candidates for this approach could be McM numbers:
10-24 98001A120, 98697A520
10-32 98001A125, 98697A520
1/4-20 98001A130, 98697A540
5/16-18 98001A130, 98697A550
NOTE: I have not tried this yet and the projections on these weld nuts may require that they have to be ground down a bit to provide clearance to anything mounted above.
As for the rest of my fence, the 36” double T-track with measuring tape and 2-1/4” flip stop are from Powertec item numbers 71131 and 71135 respectively. I got mine through HD, Powertec is currently out of stock and HD has removed it from their site but will likely add it back when Powertec gets them back in stock. I plan to add aditional mounting holes in the wood fence so it can be adjusted so the miter fence can be on either end of the board, in the middle or anywhere in between. You can see inone if the pictures where i drew a line on the board the corresponds to the centerline of the slot and brilled my mounting holes 1/16 in below that line to pick the board up off the SMT just a bit. Below are pics showing how the nut fits in the slot, the end of the track/board interface, #8 wood screw mounting the fence, stop down and up and the scale indexing feature. NOTE: the flip stop can be nounted on either side of the fixture and you will need to slide the measuring tape right or left to line up the index with the actual
Last edited by Cale Moyer; 06-04-2023, 02:58 PM.Comment
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Complete Construction article here: https://www.sawdustzone.org/articles...ence-and-rails
After a bit more thinking, some universal T-bolts for the rip miter fence make more sense.
The two big slots in the rip fence and the miter fence and the front and rear rails are sized to take 1.00 inches x 1/8th and 1-1/8" x 1/8th.
So I took some 1/8th flat Aluminum 1.00 inches wide and cut 1-1/8" long rectangular plates, and drilled a 1/4-20 threaded hole in the center.
Put a 1/4-20 x 1-1/2" stud (or in my case, a 1/4-20 x 1-1/2" set screw was an easier and cheaper buy) and I have these. Used a drop of super glue although Maybe just some red or blue loctite will work. Other threads such as 10-32 and 8-32 will work; 1/4-20 only has about 2 threads engagement in 1/8th inch but its OK and I have a lot of knobs and thumb nuts in 1/4-20.
These nuts fit in the slots on the rip fence, miter fence and the inside and bottoms of the front and rear rails. (may have to rotate 90 degrees as some BT slots are 1" and some are 1-1/8", this will fit one or the other when rotated since the base is 1" x 1-1/8")
Attached FilesLast edited by LCHIEN; 07-09-2023, 07:27 PM.Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
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DIY T-Bolts used to mount a rail to the top of the rip fence.
So from here its easy to see how you can mount auxiliary fences, sacrificial fences, stop blocks and other rip fence jibs to the rip fence, either side.
The fence is 1.572" (1-9/16") wide and the 5/16th inch holes are located 0.675 (11/16") from the left edge.
I used 1/4-20 wing nuts. Some 1" threaded knobs would work well. Tightening the nuts or knobs locks the T-nuts and rails to the rip fence.
Last edited by LCHIEN; 11-06-2023, 09:39 PM.Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
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For the concept. I thought it up and could prove it easily, and having it could be useful tool to have in the box in the future. Usually as I work on it I see a few more improvements I can incorporate.
I already have solutions for tall rip fence and sacrificial and short rip fence (for repetitive short crosscut cut-offs without kickback) which use the Rockler fence clamps I have shown on several occasions.
But basically, if you have a pair of these T-nuts and make the top bar like I did, you can fasten just about any accessory solidly to the rip fence (or the miter fence for that matter), screwed non-destructively into the top bar.Last edited by LCHIEN; 06-07-2023, 02:46 AM.
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Sorry I’ve never mentioned it, but there is a fastener that does everything that has been discussed in this thread. It is simular to the toilet attachment bolts (they are likely repackaged and sold for that purpose). They are elevator bolts. They attach grain buckets to wide belts used to transfer agricultural products into holding bins, train cars, ships etc. Since I live in a farming community they can be purchased at most hardware stores and farming equipment stores. There are lots elevator bolts sold online, relatively cheap, and usually have a higher grade bolt than a toilet bolt. Easy to saw off 2 sides to make them fit in a “T” track. They also have the square on the base of the threads like a carriage bolt does. I think the last elevator bolts I purchased were $.50 ea.Comment
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Last edited by LCHIEN; 06-06-2023, 11:53 PM.Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
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Oh, I found the ANSI spec sheet.
Here's the dimensions part of it
The quarter inch threaded version might be a little shy in head diameter for the BT3 1" tracks; definitely too small for the 1-1/8" track.on the top of the rip fence and miter fence.
The 5/16th inch threaded version might work for both and will require some grinding. At the minimum A dimension the amount hanging onto your track lips may be almost nonexistent.Last edited by LCHIEN; 06-07-2023, 12:55 PM.Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
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I have 4x 2' sections (one of them is cut) of the original aluminum T-Block extrusions. With these extrusions you can make your own fixture blocks by cutting, drilling, and tapping.
You can see my original post here - Aluminum extrusions for BT3X00 fixture blocks - The SawdustZone
Hit me up if you are interested. I don't have my BT3 any longer so would be great to see these go to a good home.
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