She sat weathered and worn in the neighbors drive-way with the sign out front that read Yard Sale. Bill had pounded out a decent living building upper end outside furniture for 3 years with it. But.. he decided that it would soon surrender soon and it was time to make the change to a larger PM. She looked tired at first glance, but after a careful exam, I caught a glimmer in the corner of her eye that might have gone un-noticed by anyone but the “tinkerer”.

I wrote the check for $125 even after being advised and warned by Bill he had pushed it hard for 3 years and Ryobi BT3000 TS’s are considered junk the day you took it home from the tool store. That is common knowledge after all. I think most will agree.

A little cleaning.. two centrifugal 6″ belts and a good going over got her off the death bed. Salvation from the “junk man cometh early on Monday mornings” was the challenge. Tinker a touch here and a tad there and she was purring in hardly any time. A heavy scrap hard-wood cabinet to settle the jitters and a new TK blade to add spunk to the little 15 amp motor. She already had a riving knife by design and the dust shroud is about as good as it gets.

Six years latter and with another 30,000 + linear feet of ripping up to 2″ hard-wood accomplished, the owner had the need for a larger cabinet saw as he saw more and more of un-surfaced wood in 12/4 and over come into the shop.

So… what to do with my aging little  friend that the majority agree CAN’T and never will..  even though it COULD and in fact DID just what she wasn’t supposed to do and that’s “Get er Done”.

I tried for several weeks to sell her. No one wanted a Ryobi. I tried to give it away free to 2 young men who had just entered WW and joined a WW Club. But they were advised the saw was “junk” and declined. Go figure.

She sat in the rear shop collecting dust until one day I set up to cut dadoes. What a hassle this is to set up, make the cut, take it back down till next time I thought to myself. There’s got to be a better way and I can’t justify a ton of cash for just dadoes.

I had been to the Table Saw and Router… and I had a “dream”. I dreamed that there could be a way to cut dadoes quickly and accurately in up to 16″ wide stock and do it about as safe as it could be done. My “dream” included mobility and ease of set-up to the point that I could cut em as fast as they could be scribed on a piece of stock and accurate as a Marine Sniper.

And a dado that doesn’t even require a pass with my Veritas medium shoulder plane to tidy the bottom. Set up and shimmed so accurately that every cut is assured of 3/4″ width and 3/8″ depth. That’s a big dream. But…

Out of retirement “she” came and the tinkerer set the wheels in motion. The CAT would get the 3rd attempt at life. Could she… ? Most say she never could.. but success require motivation, desire, sweat and thinking “out of the box” in some cases.

Price of “junk” saw.. $125  Results produced… PRICELESS!

“Gitty up, little Ryobi”…. I had a “dream”…the cavalry is on the charge..and your leading the way as you’ve shown me you CAN!

Sarge.. john thompson