Table saw modification question

[earcaesar1]

Hey all,

When I was younger I had purchased a table saw from sears. 315.218290  the saw does fairly well for me in the past. My issue that I currently have is that the miter table / sled that comes with the unit is not stable. it has too much play in it for moving it. I was looking to somehow modify the setup and add a new sled on top. I know I would loose some blade height, but the improved cutting would be much better. The problem I have is there is no miter slots on both sides of the table. The router table part has 2 slots on it but the miter sled has none.

I was looking for some suggestions on what people think or have ideas on what I could do. 1 option which I would rather avoid is to buy another router table part to put on the other side and I have 2 miter slots already done. This part would be an additional $100 for the sled to work.

Thanks for the feedback. I think the person that designed this saw didn't think about the need for the fixed miter slots because of the miter sled they were including.

I have attached a stock photo of what it looks like with the sides that move. The left piece moves around also. You can see it sits on top of the middle part.

[attachimg=1]

I think that if you were to maybe create a sled that hugged the inside part of the saw that it might work but I am not sure if the sled would lift up or if it is not suppose to lift up or not.

 

[harry_]

Depending on the slop, could you not add (layers) of Teflon tape to snug it?

 

[rmhinden]

That was was made by Ryobi for Sears.  They are the Ryobi BT3x (BT3000 or BT3100) and Sears 22811 or 21829.

There is a forum that has a lot of information on these saws, see:
https://www.sawdustzone.org

There is a FAQ there with lots of info:
https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/d...825717-the-bt3-faq-frequently-asked-questions

I have one I get in the early 1990s.  I need to spend some time getting it back into alignment.

 

[Michael Kellough]

That saw is the Sears branded version of the Ryobi BT3000 (from when Ryobi Tool’s were blue and still made in Japan).

I had the Ryobi and remember making an add-on miter slot of wood but it it wasn’t good enough so I made a sled instead. The base of the sled was 1/4” double tempered Masonite.

There used to be (may still be) a user group devoted to the BT3000. If you take the time to set it up correctly (especially the sliding table) it will produce very good results.

I managed to bend the arbor on my saw so I was limited to using the blades specially made for the saw. They were more tolerant of runout. I put nice a thick Forrest blade on the arbor and the vibration was horrendous.

 

[earcaesar1]

How did you go about making it 90 without the miter slots. Did you make it hug the center?

I like the saw cause of the rip size. But the cross cut has to much play. I'd rather not have to get a new saw. I love the built-in router table and compacted part

 

[Svar]

It might be easier to fix existing table than add anything on top. Replace the slides with more precise linear bearings.

 

[Michael Kellough]

When the sliding table is tuned/trued it’s more useful and has more capacity than any miter slot.

 

[Sparktrician]

I have to ask what is obvious to me - wouldn't it be far more time- and cost-effective to just buy a current production saw that has all the features you want rather than throw away the same resources on a 25+-year-old saw for which you may not be able to find parts?
[huh]

 

[earcaesar1]

Well the saw works and has all the features I like on it. I am just trying to find out how to make a cross cut sled on it without the miter tracks.

I have found that they did make add-on miter tracks, but you can't buy them anymore which I figured would be the issue. The only thing I am trying to find out what to do is to add the sled because the sled in my opinion is not good with mine. Mine could be bad or faulty it has a lot of play when you push forward.

I'd hate to retire a table saw that works fine for just trying to add 2 miter slots. Saw was purchased in 2010.

 

[derekcohen]

Hey all,

When I was younger I had purchased a table saw from sears. 315.218290  the saw does fairly well for me in the past. My issue that I currently have is that the miter table / sled that comes with the unit is not stable. it has too much play in it for moving it. I was looking to somehow modify the setup and add a new sled on top. I know I would loose some blade height, but the improved cutting would be much better. The problem I have is there is no miter slots on both sides of the table. The router table part has 2 slots on it but the miter sled has none.

I was looking for some suggestions on what people think or have ideas on what I could do. 1 option which I would rather avoid is to buy another router table part to put on the other side and I have 2 miter slots already done. This part would be an additional $100 for the sled to work.

Thanks for the feedback. I think the person that designed this saw didn't think about the need for the fixed miter slots because of the miter sled they were including.

I have attached a stock photo of what it looks like with the sides that move. The left piece moves around also. You can see it sits on top of the middle part.

[attachimg=1]

I think that if you were to maybe create a sled that hugged the inside part of the saw that it might work but I am not sure if the sled would lift up or if it is not suppose to lift up or not.

What I would do:

Two points of reference are needed to achieve stability and repeatability(i.e. no wobble). The obvious ones you have (in the absence of a mitre slot) are the sliding table and the rip fence.

Attach a crosscut table to the sliding table and run it against the rip fence (perhaps add a bearing - skateboard wheel - at the end against the rip fence for smoother running).

Regards from Perth

Derek