bt 3100 table saw

[4905749022]

Where can i find the bt 3100 table saw at? home depot?

thanks jim

[jonmulzer]

The BT3100 itself is no longer in production, though it was sold by Home Depot. Sears sells a rebadged version as their 21829 table saw that is WAY overpriced. Keep an eye on craigslist. Around here they seem to come across there at least once a month.

[pelligrini]

I think there still available new in Australia. That might be a bit of a drive though.

Craigslist, our member classifieds, and occaisionally on ebay are the most likely places you'd find one now. I've got the 21829 and I really like it. The folding feature is perfect for my little shop.

Sears pricing is a little high now, and there haven't been too many deals on it recently.

[toolguy1000]

you might want to re-think that idea. i came across a sears version of the 3100, with all the removable table extensions, sliding miter table (one of it's best features) and re-settable fence rails and i have concluded that it is a perplexing tool. the one i experienced is a right tilt. with the widest rip capacity on the same side of the blade towards which the blade tilts presents issues when bevel ripping. it's direct drive motor is, imho inferior to belt drive saws. on the plus side, ryobi apparently offered a rather extensive list of accessories which really leveraged the tool's functinality(kinda wish ridgid did some of that!).

i had always wondered about the ryobi bt3xxx saws. it's a curious beast and i can see how some users are extremely loyal to it. owning a more conventional contrator saw, i have developed habits which are not complimented by the bt3xxx. if i'd "grown up" with it, and not a contractor's saw, i would probably feel that a contractor's saw didn't offer enough flexibilty. i'm not trying to knock the bt3xxx, just noting that it is a little different from more conventional contractor saws.

[pelligrini]

the one i experienced is a right tilt. with the widest rip capacity on the same side of the blade towards which the blade tilts presents issues when bevel ripping. it's direct drive motor is, imho inferior to belt drive saws.

The BT saws and the 21829 are belt drive saws. The rails can be easily moved to the left of the blade as well. All of the ryobi accessories fit the 21829 too.

[Jim Frye]

it's direct drive motor is, imho inferior to belt drive saws.

It is very much not a direct drive saw. The motor is a universal motor like direct drive saws, but the similarity ends there. The blade arbor is geared 4:1 with the motor shaft and is driven by two, multi-vee poly belts. The motor is really very much like a 15 amp. router motor and delivers the same power as one. Having the blade arbor running a 1/4 the speed of the motor gives the saw very good power and torque for cutting. The blade spins at 4,800 rpm vs the 3,450 rpm of a contractor saw. The arbor design also gives the saw a larger depth of cut than direct drive saws and most contractor models.

[pierhogunn2]

Something that I haven't noticed said about the bt3000/3100 that is shocking.

One of the absolutly greatest accessories that comes with this saw, for free I might add, is this community

if you have a question, someone here WILL have an answer, maybe not the answer, but an answer none the less

if you have a triumph someone will celebrate with you

if you have a tragedy, someone(several people) will commiserate

if you do something stupid... someone here has already done it.

etc.

[Pappy]

Something that I haven't noticed said about the bt3000/3100 that is shocking.

One of the absolutly greatest accessories that comes with this saw, for free I might add, is this community

if you have a question, someone here WILL have an answer, maybe not the answer, but an answer none the less

if you have a triumph someone will celebrate with you

if you have a tragedy, someone(several people) will commiserate

if you do something stupid... someone here has already done it.

etc.

While SamCondor.com, ultimately BT3Central.com, was launched as a stable replacement for the program error plagued Ryobi user forum, it has evolved into much more than Sam ever imagined.

Each of the 4 'ifs' you mentioned, and many more, are true in almost every aspect of both woodworking and life in general. We are much more than an internet community, we are a family. The first time my wife met Jeff Ward was when he came to visit her in the hospital. At that time we had only met face to face once.

[Norm in Fujino]

I'm still kind of amazed that Ryobi discontinued the BT3000. I can't imagine buying another tablesaw that didn't have some of the BT's standard features, like a real riving knife, sliding miter table, and good dust shroud. I'm glad to see that US tablesaws are finally starting to come around, but it's certainly taken them a long time. Another thing: I have to work in my car port, and a cast iron saw would turn to rust in no time here in tropical Japan, another reason I appreciate the aluminum construction of the BT3000. I know it must sound paradoxical since everyone extols the virtues of CA, but I simply couldn't maintain a saw here if it had a CA table.

[LCHIEN]

jim, you might want to request the BT3 FAQ from me, (see sig line below) among the 100;s of questions are where to get (now that HD has discontinued it) and what are the good points and weak points of the saw and how to get around the weak points.

It has a big following for a reason. And yes then arbor is belt driven. And the rails are both movable and extendable to maximize rip width to near 70 inches or so. Not many saws you can upgrade to 70" right or left rip width for $50 (used)-100(new).

[chopnhack]

Well said Norm, can you imagine the price of a us made table saw that has a riving knife and a sliding miter table? I am going to say in the thousands...



got about $5k lying around?