A View From A Former Owner
Written: Jan 16 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sliding table, price, versatility
Cons: low power, doesn't hold settings well
The Bottom Line: It isn't a Delta but it will do.
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| gamblin_man's Full Review: Ryobi BT3000SX Benchtop Table Saw |
I had and regularly used a BT3000 from when I got it as a Christmas present in 1989 until I traded it for an installed water heater in 1999. When it left it had virtually every attachment available with it.
I can recommend this saw with several caveats. It is better than most other small table saws in its price range. It can be expanded to do a lot of things. It can cut thick, hard wood with the right blade. It can make precision cuts. What it doesn't do is: hold its setup well, chop through anything without slowing or burning, handle long or wide boards or plywood without spending more money, or look as sexy as a Delta or Powermatic cabinet saw.
Let's start with the base tool where most do. Usually it is either your first table saw or your first step up from a small B & D, Skil, etc. Step 1 is to become very familiar with the setup procedure. The setup of the sliding miter table is both critical to your satisfaction with the saw and difficult to do the first few times. Don't worry. If you plan to make precision cuts, you will get lots of experience. The fence can be made to be parallel with the blade. It can be made that way again a few days later, then again a few days later, and so on.
The second thing you will, or should do, is get a top of the line, thin kerf 80 tooth combination blade. I used Freud successfully.
When you bring your first sheet of plywood home, plan to have two friends help cut it down, have the place you bought it cut it into smaller pieces, or buy the fence extension with tables and legs. I used all three solutions over time. (As an aside, I got the fence extension for $10.00. It takes time, patience, lots of looking, and some luck but you can get most add-ons at very low prices when some store that sold the saws decides to quit.) They all work. What doesn't work is trying to do it by yourself with the saw as delivered.
For dado blades, stick to a good 6 inch stacked set. It works well if you keep the blades clean and sharp.
One of my early add-ons was the router mount. I still remember ruining a six foot piece of cherry because I forgot to add the extra locking to the fence. I was cutting a dado along the length of the board and watched in horror as the fence slid away from the router bit. So, the next thing you will learn is to check and double check everything, using the manuals unless you do it all the time, before you commit your good wood to the Ryobi. The manual that comes with the saw is pretty good. The manuals that come with the accessories are also generally pretty good.
For a while I used roller stands for the outfeed but when I ran across a Ryobi outfeed table at a ridiculously low price I grabbed it and saved the roller stands for in front of the saw. Another early add-on was the long fence which can be used pretty easily for ripping long boards and, with more hassle, for mitering. I never got the casters since the saw was positioned so I didn't need to move it.
Over the years I had this saw I waxed it occasionally, I readjusted the miter table and fence regularly (generally just before starting a new project), and I applied oil and grease where it was needed when it was needed. I also bacame familiar with the Ryobi parts store. A lot of the parts are plastic and they do break. The parts are easy to get and generally easy to install. I also discovered that drive belts always break at the worst possible time so I kept a couple of spares on hand. Replacing the drive belt is an interesting exercise in handling frustration. Please believe it can be done and will be every year or so if you use the saw regularly.
I really liked this saw and have to admit I was sad to see it go. The time had come, however, in my hobby growth, to step up to a contracter's saw. I still miss the sliding table but a shop made sled for my contractor's saw and an upgraded miter gauge replace it pretty well.
This saw is a good starter saw for a woodworker. It is adequate as a site saw for contractor's (and mine was used that way by friends a couple of times) but I wouldn't choose it for that. It can have additions to keep up with you for many years as it did for me. It will give you lots of experience in making and keeping a tool accurate. It will give hours of pleasant experiences to offset the occasional bad experience it gives you.
If this is what you can afford, get it. If you can jump straight to the $600-$800 saws, do it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
gamblin_man
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Member: Larry
Location: Pacific Northwest
Reviews written: 391
Trusted by: 228 members
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I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. Will Rogers
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