Bts16

[hydronaut]

Hopefully this is the right place to ask.

I am looking for a cheap saw for some odd jobs, does anybody have any info on the Ryobi BTS16?

Thanks,

Andrew

[dbhost]

Andrew,

I'm not sure which model you mean. I did some Googling, and was unable to find any references to a Ryobi BTS 16. There was a BTS 10, BTS 15, BTS 20, and BTS 21.

The BTS 15 and 21 both had a sliding miter table similar to the BT 3x00 saws, but the similarity ends there.

The BTS 10 and BTS 20 had standard miter slots.

Of those saws, the BTS 20 and BTS 21 had larger, expandable tables, folding stands, better fences that locked front and rear against the rails etc...

There is no shortage of folks here, and on other forums that will tell you that none of those saws is worth a darn for any sort of woodworking beyond basic carpentry. I disagree. They are NOT the easiest saws to use, but they are not the worst either.

I personally own a Ryobi BTS 21, and while I am working a deal for a BT 3100, the BTS 21 has been a fairly steady and solid partner in my shop. With the advice found on this site, and making adjustments just like the BT 3x00 owners did for the lack of a miter slot, I have found the BTS 21 to be a reasonably accurate saw, that has done everything asked of it.

Since the BTS15 is a very low end saw, and is quite out of production now, I would assume you are looking at a used model. Take a VERY good look over the entire saw, in and out, up and down for any signs of wear, and even then, don't pay over $100.00 for it.

If you hold on a bit, and watch your Craigslist postings, BT 3x00 (BT 3000, and BT 3100) saws come up with relative frequency accross the country for between $100.00 and $200.00 depending on condition and additions. If you look around you may even find new in box examples for sale cheap.

[Daryl]

I have the BTS 15, I think I got a good saw for what I paid. The fence locks up solid, easy to raise and lower the blade, lightweight so I can move it outside when I need more room.
About the only downside is the blade insert is flimsy and there is no easy way to make one for a dado blade.

[MikeMcCoy]

There is no shortage of folks here, and on other forums that will tell you that none of those saws is worth a darn for any sort of woodworking beyond basic carpentry. I disagree. They are NOT the easiest saws to use, but they are not the worst either.

That was a pleasant change and I agree whole heartedly. I found this forum when I had a BTS20. It wasn't up to standards with the table saw I now have but I renovated two houses and re-built a complete kitchen cabinet set with it. They have severe limitations but they can be worked around.

[dbhost]

Well, I don't want the poor fellow thinking the lowly BTS saws on the folding stands are quite as miserable as some folks make them out to be.

Yes they are direct drive, and yes, they lack the expandability of the BT. But with a good blade (99% of all table saws need a replacement blade from the factory anyway) these are some good wood cutting machines. It has taken me a while to get used to the SMT, and with the help of this site, I am getting very productive with my saw. Every cut I have made on it has been dead accurate. The fence, which some folks say is wimpy, locks up nice and solid, and very straight. The Dado insert wasn't super easy to come by, and I have to make my own ZCTP. I found an Amazon seller that beat the official Ryobi outlet price wise for the Dado insert though.

So far I have had the stock Ryobi 36 tooth general purpose blade, a Diablo 40t general purpose blade, a Diablo 80t cross cutting blade, an Irwin 24t Marathon 24t ripping blade, and a DeWalt masonry blade in it. (used that outside, with a respirator, in a wind...). The Diablo blades work amazingly well, the Irwin Marathon blade is not something I would do again. OEM blade cleaned up and sharp worked better.

As far as Dado stacks go, I have had my Skil 6" stack in it, which does okay at best. The bottoms can be a little rough, but nothing that can't be cleaned up very easily with a chisel. I would NOT recommend that stack though.

I have also had a friend's Freud SD206 stack in it. I like that set a lot. Very clean Dadoes in MDF, and ply.

I believe the motors are the same on all of the 15 amp BTS models. If so, power won't be a huge problem with this saw. They aren't cabinet saws by any means, but they sure work nice...

There are plenty of other saws in the price range with the BTS series. Some are pretty decent little saws, and some are complete junk.

A friend of mine has a B&D FIrestorm FS210LS, and while it is a B&D, and by no means a great saw, he has built some amazing stuff with that saw. Mind you, he works only in materials he can get from the big box stores...

[hydronaut]

You can see the BTS 16 here

http://www.ryobitools.com/products

Home depot Canada has it for $199.99. It has mitre slots not a sliding table and extensions on each side (able to rip full sheets). Similar to the 21 it has a 15 amp direct drive motor and the colapsable stand is actually quite sturdy.

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/s...k=P_PartNumber

Andrew

[dbhost]

Sorry, you didn't indicate that you were in Canada... The BTS16 with a Ryobi label is not a U.S. market saw, however it appears, at least from the published specs and photos, to be identical other than colors and blade to the Sears Craftsman 21805 which sells for the same price.

The reviews I see on it are pretty much what I expect for it. It is fairly decent for what it is. The leg arrangement appears to be a telescopic kind of deal, which suffers a bit in stability. IF It were me, I would go with a saw with a more stable base, or be prepared to remove the OE base and mount the saw on a heavy duty universal tool stand.

I saw a review on another forum from a fellow that makes his living woodworking and he hated the saw because of how light duty it was... Again, this is basically a benchtop saw put on telescoping legs... Mind you this guy tends to do stuff like slab mantles from full logs. So me might be a bit ham fisted, or not, I don't know him from Adam you know?

There is a real possibility the legs are stout enough, I haven't seen one myself, so I can't say for sure... If the stand is stout enough for your use, and it otherwise compares to the BTS20 in motor, miter slots and such, for the price go for it. Don't expect a lot from the miter gauge from ANY saw in that price range though... Double, triple, and quadruple check your angles prior to making any cuts with the miter gaugue...

[hydronaut]

My apologies not indicating I am from Canada...

Picked it up and seems to work well. No noticable blade runout (I will check with my dial indicator later). Splitter lined up well and it seems to cut nice so far.

Once small issues was one of the notches in the miter slot was not level but a quick tap with a small rubber faced hammer fixed it.

Legs are actually study, theya re not telescopic, the black pieces slide up and down and are part of the cross braces.

Thanks

[dbhost]

Well, congrats on the new saw! Now the fun part begins, making saw dust with it!