Hi Michael and welcome to the forum
Steve Maskery":3ra9xu73 said:
Using a tablesaw unguarded in a commercial environment is, I believe, illegal.
Correct. Mandatory more than 50 years ago, I believe.
Steve Maskery":3ra9xu73 said:
The reason there is so much debate about dadoes is that there is not a definitive answer.
Not quite right, I feel. The reason that there is so much debate is probably because there a lot of people who, without any training or experience think that they can eschew professional advice and do things their way. There are a small number of individuals who read the regs, or do a course at night school or even read a book on wood machining (I'd recommend F.E.Sherlock's "MACHINE WOODWORKING TECHNOLOGY For Hand Woodworkers" publ.
Stobart-Davis ISBN 0-85542-041-X £ 16.95 - this is used in City & Guilds training) and by doing so gain an insight into what we call "safe practice". The rest are, to my mind, a bit like an untrained rider on a powerful motorbike - they may learn to ride without injury, but they run a higher risk......
The definitive answer is that in a trade shop they are regarded as unsafe practice because they cannot be adequately guarded except on something like a crosscut saw (read radial arm saw, which is what Machine Mart used to sell them for). In a trade shop you are required under PUWER 98 (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regs., 1998 - that's the act, Steve) to carry out an ACOP Safety Assessments on all your processes - do this and you'll find that using a radial saw with a dado head, or a spindle moulder, or a router table, or a pin router, etc are all safer than using a table saw with a dado head BECAUSE
THEY CAN ALL BE ADEQUATELY GUARDED whilst the table saw with dadop head (in the main) cannot.
Manufacturers consider that dado heads are questionable because they are difficult to lock onto an arbor (especially under braking), almost impossible to guard adequately and possibly don't meet current legislation on tooling design - so they sensibly opt not to get caught out by an accident involving one of the great untrained/unread.
Steve Maskery":3ra9xu73 said:
Also sawblades have to come to a halt in under 10 seconds, although I can't quote you chapter and verse about the particular Act for either of these.
PUWER 98
Steve Maskery":3ra9xu73 said:
If you can guard effectively, and stop them quickly, I think you are fine.
See the HSE publication
Circular saw benches: safe working practices and look at Fig.7 and you'll see the sort of guarding that you need. Difficult to do that on most table saws, I'd say.
So Michael, from a professional woodworker's perspective, they are unsafe, difficult to make safe and that's it. The Americans have appalling safety standards against our own, but I doubt an OSHA (the US equivalent of the HSE) inspector would OK a pro shop using a dado blade on an unguarded table saw. Even they have standards.
Woodworking is regarded by insurers as a hazardous occupation, so use at your own risk and don't be surprised if, in the event that you do have an accident, your insurers refuse to pay part or all of the claim. Don't know about you, but I
like having ten fingers.... BTW, note the signature below - I have had stitches in both my thumbs over the years, although not from a dado head - their design means that they tend to just amputate and macerate (so there's nothing left to sew back on, unlike a saw cut).
Scrit
P.S. Not having a go at you Steve, honest :lol:
P.P.S. I feel that maybe Charley and his team might consider putting up a FAQ about this subject, simply because it gets dredged up
ad nauseum Any chance, mods?