Sliding Miter Table Guide Modification

[Spin Doctor]

One of the things that has always bothered me about the BT3000 is the plastic guides on the SMT. Yah, I know they are a glass filled Acetel IIRC. But they still wear. And if the saw lives in the garage in the Upper Midwest the cold is not kind to them. This week I tried a modification to the problem. Thursday after hours at work I set up the table on a Bridgeport and milled the webbing on the bottom side of the table between the Guide Mounting surfaces even with those surfaces.
Then using some left over Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba*) I made up two guide bars that bear directly on the side of the Table Guide Surface. In metal working I think of it as the ways

These provide much more surface area to act as a guide for the sliding able.

I may rethink the guide design as I would prefer to have something I can adjust with set screws rather than the ecentrics on the adjusting screws. I used toe ecentrics on one side and two concentric screws on the other. The table moves a little more stiffly than the stock set-up but seems to be pretty accurate from the test cuts I have done. Next up ZCTP with splitter. Oh. One other modification I did. I removed the cord provided and wired the end of a retractable cord reel into the switch. The end of the cord reel that would normally have the female receptical had its end replaced with a three prong plus. The reel is mounted to the right hand side of the saw cabinet using its original wall bracket. Now I always have an extension cord ready to go on the saw.

[Black wallnut]

Spin Doctor, Thanks for posting. It is out f the box thinking that leads to innovation. That said I think you are going down the wrong path as this IMHO is not an improvement. I think the wood will wear faster and surely will not be as smooth due to the huge increase in drag. It seems that about half the users did not like the smt. I'm not one of them. The SMT has been the single best feature on my saw and has proven to be durable, accurate and dependable for years. Keep the posts coming though and let us know how this works out for you.

[Spin Doctor]

I am not really sure that wear will be an issue. Jatoba is around 2450 on the Janka Scale. Plus if that wears too much I also have some Cumaru which comes in at 3540. Yes the slides is a little stiffer but not so much I can't live with it if it doesn't work, oh well the original style guides still will. I have thought about a new table using full extension door slides.

[Black wallnut]

All I got is you want the cheaper part to wear. I'm not sure wear will be an issue either as it has not been with the OEM guides, on my saw anyway. Still kudos to you for trying something different, seriously!

e.t.a. Wish I had a Bridgeport............. might by now had I not decided to become a cyclist.

[All Thumbs]

The wood should wear much more slowly than the tiny plastic guides due to their much greater surface area. My only concern would be changes in moisture leading to binding or slop. But if that turns out to be the case you can replace the wood with some type of plastic, or aluminum with some sort of slipper plastic facing.

[Bill in Buena Park]

Interesting. How about UHMW plastic for this instead of the wood? I sometimes see bags of off-cuts at the Woodcraft for reasonable prices.

[Spin Doctor]

As a Tool Room machinist/machine repair/machine rebuilder/Tool Maker (my old job we had to do it all) I hate UHMW with a passion. Now maybe if I can score some glass filled Acetal or Nylon 66. UHMW machines like a substance I will not name. I was putting the saw through its paces this weekend and the SMT preformed realy well. The only prblems I had was doing cross cuts on Maple veneer plywood where I had trouble holding the cuts square. I traced the problem to fence not holding postion. I'm thinking I really want the extension rails so I can support longer stock. I'm alo thinking a fold up table in front of the saw that would allow easier ripping of long stock. Sometimes I'm thinking two projects ahead of myself

[capncarl]

I may stir up a hornets nest saying this, but I found that the SMT's did not have reliable repeatability when cutting anything much bigger that a shoe box lid. Longer pieces tend to make it tilt and twist no mater how you hold them.
Capncarl

[DanJones]

SMT Mod Nylon 6/6

How about this? 1/8" thick 12X12 $15.34.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CPRB8KW/ref=biss_dp_sa1

Dan

[LCHIEN]

...The only prblems I had was doing cross cuts on Maple veneer plywood where I had trouble holding the cuts square. I traced the problem to fence not holding postion. I'm thinking I really want the extension rails so I can support longer stock....:

crosscut, rip cut on veneer plywood is sort of begging definition since plywood has no grain. For larger pieces its better to use the rip fence even if the short side is against the rip fence for 4-6 inches or larger, I think. depends on the situation.

As for the miter fence, you of course have the black pin properly placed in the A or B side holes on the SMT and the miter fence holddown in the middle. Using the Ryobi Miter fence clamp has issues that you have to deal with.

Check my BT3 FAQ for miter fence issues details.