Lexan ZCTP's for the Ryobi BT3000 This page contains info about making zero clearance throat plates (ZCTP's) for the Ryobi BT3000 Table saw. These can also be used on the new Ryobi BT3100 TS. These are Made out of Polycarbonate, a nearly bullet proof clear thermal plastic sometimes called "Lexan." Lexan is actually a trademark name of General Electric. I built a bunch of these things at one time and had them for sale. If you would like to make your own, the info here may be useful to you. This is the hardware package that I sent out with the plates. This hardware is for one ZCTP. This hardware is 10-24 thread stainless steel with the exception of the clip and spacer. Remove the plastic film from the ZCTP. Next you cut the plastic spacers at 1/2". These spacers are merely hard plastic tubing that fits fairly good around a 10/24 screw. Cut these with a sharp knife. These spacers go on the 2 side screws. Here is the step for threading the hardware. The 2 side screws are the longer screws. Take one and place it through a side hole. Then comes the washer, spacer, clip and locknut. Look at the next pic for the proper orientation of the clip.
The front screw goes in, then washer, clip, and locknut. Make sure they are pretty snug.
Here's a couple of graphics with the dimensions if you want to make these yourself. The next thing is to test fit it. You may have to bend the clip just a hair, one way or the other, depending on your particular saw. When they snug up, you are there. Also, if your clip doesn't want to turn with the screw, try a little lock tite or construction adhesive. A simple star washer would work very well here. All of this hardware should be readily available at your local hardware store. At this point, determine whether your blade is contacting this plate, or not. Next is a pic of a sacrificial fence. I would suggest using a standard 2" x 4" on edge clamped to the Sliding Miter Table fence.This, IMHO, is a MUST DO!!! This prevents any deflection when cutting through the plate. When you cut through the regular ZCTP, you want to make sure that the blade is not in contact with the plate initially. Some will actually touch and some won't. It can burn up the belts if the blade is binding on the plate. You can check this by slipping a thin strip of wood between the top of the left panel on the saw and the main table top. If the blade is touching the plate, just use a 7 1/4" circular saw blade to just start the cut a little way, then switch back to the 10" and finish up the cut. Make this cut by slowly raising the blade through the lexan. Ignore the snowing effect. Pay attention to what you're doing. You can cry about the mess later. Now you can make the cut for the splitter. Put tape the sole of the jisaw to make the cut painless and scratchless. I use a scroll saw or jigsaw at slow speed to cut the slot for the splitter. Next is a pic showing the jigsaw route. You may want to try a metal cutting blade., although, I have had positive results with a sharp woodcutting blade. I finish this cut by using sandpaper to get it the perfect thickness to hold the splitter. I don't cut all the way through at the back where the rear rabbet cut is. This helps to keep the plate more rigid. Depending on the thickness of your jigsaw blade you may have to make 2 cuts. When you have it close, just fold over some sandpaper and sand the slot to fit your splitter. The clip placement is the result of a lot of trial and error on my part. This design can be used for any ZCTP that you wish to make. Normal, beveled, or dado. The clips won't interfere.
If you are making a ZCTP for a dado blade, I suggest the same sacrificial 2x4 over the center of the blade. Also keep in mind that a normal dado is no deeper than about 3/8" to 3/4". Cut these just a little deeper than the depth you normally make your dados. This will aid in dust collection and keep the chippers from rubbing the throat plate constantly. I feel that I must say this to keep my rear covered. Use these additions at your own risk. I personally see less risk of injury with this setup than the OEM stuff. Do NOT take my word for it. Good luck and I hope you like them as much as I do. Back