FAO Jaymar - Dado Blade

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi jaymar

I'm replying to the point you raised about dado blades in the saw stop thread.

The laws regarding woodworking safety in the EU and US are totally different.

Dado sets cannot be fitted to NEW tablesaws, in the EU, because the arbor is too short. It is illegal, in the EU, to have an arbor long enough to accomodate a dado blade.

It all revolves around safety. In the EU new tablesaws are fitted with electric brakes to stop the blade within two seconds. A dado set fitted in a tablesaw with an electric brake would be like watching those kung fu blades flying around.

You can buy them and, at the moment, fit them into a RAS.

But, why bother? Why not make a simple jig and use your router. Much cheaper than a dado set and a lot safer. You could even have a dedicated router for cutting dadoes and it would still cost less than half the price of a dado blade.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Guest]

Thanks Neil, I just wondered
Jaymar

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Jaymar

Glad that I cleared it up for you.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Dewy]

Hi guys, new to this forum but I had the same idea about a router jig for dados.
I had seen the Canadian made MAC mitre board that turns any standard circular saw into a radial arm saw & can aslo be used for routers.
I made the 1st jig simply with a piece of white chipboard with parallel rails 18" apart. On top was fixed 2 rebated rails at 90° to the lower rails & set at the width of my router base then waxed for easy movement.
A better jig has one of the lower rails (against which you hold the workpiece) longer with adjustable stops & also 2 hold down clamps. One of the top rebated rails could be be made adjustable for different routers or saws. This works well & stops the need for stacked dado blades. Another advantage is that you can fit extra stops on the top rail for making stopped housings.