advice on saw type required wanted please

[beeman mike]

Hello everybody,
Can you advise please?
I'm making a few beehives and frames ? , and would like to know what is the best type of saw to cut flat bottomed joints? I heard a stacked dado blade was the thing,so bought one from America thinking it would fit.....oops, my dewalt r.a.s. doesn't seem compatible, without something else....not sure what.[/size][/size]Maybe a router would be best, does anyone make one fitted in a table? :? thanks Mike

 

[RogerP]

Dado blades are illegal on UK (EU) table saws because in order to use them the guard and riving knife have to be removed. UK or European table saws are deliberately fitted with short arbours to prevent their use. That's why you can't fit your US import.

As you say - use a router instead.

 

[Karl]

I'm not sure that's right Roger. It might be true of a commercial (with employees) workshop, but I don't think it's relevant for the home shop.

My Xcalibur t/s can take a dado blade (I regularly use mine - it's quicker and cleaner than a router), and I think the Deft t/s also has the ability to take one.

Cheers

Karl

 

[Steve Maskery]

It's not the dado blade that is illegal, it the use, in a commercial space, of an unguarded blade. The increased stopping time may also make its use fall foul of EU legislation.
However, it is not impossible to guard a dado blade successfully. I've had a long chat with the local HSE bod about this, so I'm confident of my ground here.
I can say this now, because they are not available (and I don't know when they will be) but I have another 2 DVDs to release at some point in the future, and one of them is a fairly comprehensive treatise on the subject of the Dado head (other stuff as well of course).
A dado blade does cut a superb housing. But:
Unless you have a production run to do, the setup and setdown time make it a much slower option, the guarding issues need to be addressed first, not afterwards, and you have to faff about with shims to get a good fit.
A router and jig, on the other hand, is cheaper, quicker setup, much safer, and requires no shimming or test cuts.
For the home workshop, it's usually a no-brainer.
S

 

[RogerP]

I abbreviate my original post too much.

Yes, I know the rules/laws apply to commercial use not to the home-user. What I really was trying to point out was that machines with sufficiently long arbours to take a dado are not supposed to be sold in the EU and that is why the OP can't fit the dado set he has bought to his machine.

".....oops, my dewalt r.a.s. doesn't seem compatible, without something else....not sure what.[/size][/size]"

 

[Steve Maskery]

Yes Roger, the gist of what you say is right.
S

 

[9fingers]

All DW RAS models are capable of taking dado sets. A different flange on the motor side is used and a reasonable width of dado stack will fit inside the standard blade guard which I believe is as safe as any other blade in a RAS
Dado blades are legally sold in the UK so need to import from the US.

Bob

 

[Jacob]

By "flat bottomed" I guess you mean half housing joints? You could take out part of the waste (say a third - one out of three kerf widths) with multiple passes on a ROS or TS and then finish with a sharp chisel?

 

[9fingers]

Mike, I have replied to the email you sent me via UKW.
If you have not got the reply in your inbox, then you might find it in your spam folder or the attachment I sent might have been to big?

Bob

 

[Digit]

Like Jacob I just do multiple passes on a TS, the setting up time of Dado sets is a pain.
Beehives for yourself or sale BTW?
Great hobby, and Honey's nice as well :lol:

Roy.

 

[Steve922]

The Tool Shop on Osmaston Road in Derby has a notice in their table saw section. Its been there at least five years and IIRC says to the effect (paraphrased, don't quote me.)

"The gizmo which that Yankee uses on the telly is not available in the UK to fit any Table Saw under £2000"

Again, if my memory serves, a few years ago they told me they had a Sheppach TS which was designed to use such an implement but you should buy an extra guard-related add-on for about another £500 to do it correctly.

Please note the warnings above about my memory. I'm old, sometimes I struggle!

Steve

 

[paultnl]

Dado cutter are perfectly legal in the UK
The HSE state it is perfectly acceptable to use saws fitted with a dado blade if the saw table is designed to accept it.
The current BSI guidelines allow for saw tables to be manufactured for sale in the UK today with a dado up to 15.5mm, possibly wider see below.
Riving knives can be removed during grooving operations as long as the blade is guarded. A safety guard doesn't have to be attached to a riving knife.

Full details here http://www.greatbritishwoodshop.co.uk/T ... fault.aspx

 

[SurreyHills]

I use a router to cut the joints for my beehive brood and super boxes. I found that making frames was not worth the ffort and buy them.

 

[hunggaur]

hi folks i have a freud dado blade which works great with my sip table saw. i got mine from machine mart when it was on offer cost me £60.00 would not be without

 

[Digit]

The reason the regulators don't like Dado blades is the damage they can do to the operators hands, which is massive in comparison to a narrow blade.
But that is typical of the muddled thinking of 'crats, properly guarded they are no more 'dangerous' than any other sharp whirling things.
The argument against them when the machine has a brake is easily sorted, the blade can be 'pegged' to the arbor as heavy commercials were/are.

Roy.