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Ryobi BT3100 table saw


SwampNut

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Looked up the 3100. It seems a little light weight but the sliding table is something you'll like. I always associate weight with rigidity. Delta's 10" table saw is something like 600 lbs.

The 1st time my delta kicked back a board and hit me in the nuts, I drilled and tapped 4 holes and mounted a vise to it and turned it into a work bench. Finally gave it to my brother.

I hate tablesaws. If I did find a need for one, Delta and Powermatic have good stuff. If you want to save a buck, Jet makes some great Delta clones but the motors are not up the the standards of Delta.

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I spent some time screwing with it, sat on it, tried to bend it, etc. It's as rigid as my DeWalt. The fence self-parallels (an absolute requirement for me) and locks on both ends, so you have less chance of kick. It's light because the top is aluminum (yeah, I'd prefer iron), and the sides are plastic. Just like the DeWalt.

I looked at a lot of Delta and even Jet/Powermatic. I saw a real nice Powermatic setup for only $9099, marked down from $12k. :shock: I bet it cuts nice. I'd rather have a new bike. Thing is, nothing has the features of this one at double the price. The features I find valuable are a good, solid, self-aligning fence, the miter sled, a very deep cut (this is better than my DeWalt), and the ability to put my router into the same table. There are a shit load of other little features that I like.

The DeWalt will probably still be running when this one is in the trash. But the DeWalt is not a great one for quality finish work.

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Do you have a pic of the Ryobi? If it's the same Ryobi that's available at most home centers (has a sliding table and knockouts for mounting a router) I had the exact same saw the Ryobi made for Craftsman several years back. The fence locks in place with a handel that uses a cam to tighten it up. It is made of really soft aluminum, and broke twice. I had it repaired locally both times and it eventually broke where the handel connected to the fence. Other than that it was a decent saw, but I had to measure the fence front and back to make sure it was parallel. I sold it t a guy that works for me after it broke the last time. As far as I know it's still running. Not sure what he did about the fence though. If they improved on the locking design of the fence it's a pretty good saw.

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It's similar, but this is a newer model. And I ended up with an updated version of the newer model, which wasn't on the floor or in the reviews I read. The model number is BT3100-1, yours was the BT3000, and the one I've seen reviewed is the BT3100.

I've split off this thread into its own, to also add a review and discussion of the saw.

First off, I was wrong about parts of it being plastic. This is all metal, everything is metal. Right to the motor carrier, dust collector port, absolutely everything. The top is not iron unfortunately, but it is cast aluminum with a LOT of reinforcement for stiffness. The side rails are extruded aluminum also with a lot of channels and reinforcement. I tried to bend them. They aren't going to. Everything is heavy guage; the stand is thicker and stronger than any of the stands on my other power tools.

The big thing about this saw is the features it has. It might not stand up to everyday pro use, but for me, features are more important since I just do occasional projects. The saw includes a nice, solid miter sled with a longer miter fence than most saws include. An accessory table is included for mounting a router. The rip fence is self-aligning, smooth, and accurate. It will cut 4" dimensional lumber (over 3.5" blade height). I looked hard and was unable to find any other 10" saw that could do this. The rails can be moved to provide for a very wide cutting surface if needed. I haven't measured them, but I think you could get the fence out to over 30" and have support out to 40". The power switch actually powers an outlet on the side of the saw base, and the saw motor plugs into that. With a splitter, I can power my shop vac and work lamp so they turn on/off automatically with the saw.

The only drawback I've seen compared to some other saws is that there is no way to attach/hold blades and the tools on the saw itself. I'll fix this by attaching some hooks and bolt/wing nuts to the legs.

You wouldn't believe how much shopping I did looking for the saw I really wanted, and then I happened across this one by chance at a Home Depot. It is not available at all Home Depot stores; the one closest to me, where I first looked, doesn't have it.

Cost was an amazing $299.

I also picked up the accessory kit. This includes two zero-clearance plates, a dado plate, dust bag, miter fence hold-down, miter slot table, wheels to make it portable, and a router mounting kit. The kit parts are higher quality than expected. The router kit is very complete, with hardwood fences, dust catcher/safety cover, etc. You can get the kit on eBay for around $55 or so.

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Not a bad saw. I've had one for about 3 yrs. I liked the light weight aspect-easy to move around, but sits solidly on the floor when you don''t want it to move. Plenty of power. The outlet does clog up pretty easily and this starts throwing all the sawdust out the top. The miter serves as a nice panel cutter. Non-standard miter slot though, so you can't fit the tenon cutting attachments and such. Good luck.

MikeG

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Mike, does it clog up with a vac, the collector bag, or just open? I usually use a vac, but was thinking of trying out the collector bag for small jobs.

I added the standard slot table which has two industry-standard plain slots (not T). My featherboard works great in it. Since it has two slots, I get more position options. It goes between the sled and the fixed table top.

New saw...and no impending projects...why does everything around the house look like it needs cutting...?

Oh, and I learned this saw has its own online cult. www.bt3central.com Funny, it's kinda like...having a motorcycle model-specific board... :)

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