using dado cutters in tablesaw

[thebigt]

hi all ive recently been thinking about setting up a stacked dado set in my bosch tablesaw,i know our laws over here arent the same as the states but used right and carefully i beleive thta they will save me time on certain projects,ive sourced the new zero insert for my saw and the stack sets at a very nice price and good quality of course,itll save me doing the rebates through the router or router table,as i can just utilise my tablesaw for even more uses than i allready do,ideal for me on making new cabinets and even tennons onsite,there are a lot of uses for having the set up in the van i think,let me know your thoughts and experiances please,thanks lads

 

[deema]

Scary! The dado set are normally used for trenching which means that they don't project out of the table more than say an 1". You can see the blades when you are making the cuts and you cannot use the crown guard. When the cutters reappear there is no protection for pinkies. With them being low down in the table, spinning it is so easy not forget that they are there. If like me you are used to the location of a standard saw blade, it comes as a shock when you forget and find the dado cutters that you can open to circa 1" wide suddenly appear where you don't expect them to be.

If you want to use dado cutters I would recommend you to use them on a Radial Arm saw such as a Wadkin BrA350. This was designed to take Dado cutters, the crown guard will accommodate them, and you can see virtually all of the cutters all of the time.

 

[thebigt]

cheerz bud,totally understand the issues with them,like i say set up right and used correctly they are very handy and ide be struggling to get a wadkin in the van aswell,, :shock:

 

[Richard S]

BigT
I personally have no issue with the use of stack dado sets on a table saw and do so myself regularly. However both my saws are designed to take these. I'm not sure that the Bosch bench top saws available in this country are actually capable of accepting the additional width of the stack, although I stand to be corrected. I would check this carefully before investing in the equipment. If it is possible to fit one you may want to consider a 6" version rather than the more common 8" variety. This will decrease the strain on the arbour considably, you will also want to make sure the saw is securely fixed down, the inertia created by these things is quite considerable. Having said all that and firmly nailing my colours to the mast to be broadly in favour of these things, I'm still not sure I would personally use one in a light weight, portable saw bench.
Apologies re grannies and eggs etc. HTH
Cheers
Richard

 

[thebigt]

Thanks for reply

 

[Steve Maskery]

I have an 8" stack which fits my Xcalibur. I rarely use it, but when I do it does a good job. I don't know where you would find a portable saw that would take a dado. Whilst not totally anti-dado in principle I think you are asking for trouble. You say they are safe when used properly. I agree. But nothing you have written leads me to think you are going to be using one properly.
Sorry, but you did ask.
S

 

[thebigt]

no probs there,i understand that being used on a tablesaw risks injury,and i never gave it a thought of setting one up on my saw untill i seen there was a stack available for the portable saw like mine in the states,i know there safety isnt as stringent as ours but didnt think that there was a dado available,it would be a good system to have and i would use it very carefully as im not risky or stupid in my work,,but as stated by other members the cons outweigh the pros on a portable saw,so ill muddle over it for a while longer

 

[nanscombe]

If you are taking this stuff out on site be careful and think about other people who may be around but less aware than yourself.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

hi all ive recently been thinking about setting up a stacked dado set in my bosch tablesaw, ... i can just utilise my tablesaw for even more uses than i allready do,ideal for me on making new cabinets and even tennons onsite,there are a lot of uses for having the set up in the van i think,let me know your thoughts and experiances please,thanks lads

It's hard to determine what you mean by saying you plan to use it onsite, but if your onsite work is in some of the larger rebuilds, or in new buildings where you are being subcontracted and there are professions such as architects involved, it crosses my mind you may run into Health and Safety compliance issues. Certainly running dado blades in table saws (if you can get one to fit at all) in professional furniture and joinery workshops is challenging with regard to meeting these compliance isssues. In effect, dado blades are seldom fitted to table saws for this very reason, and we don't have one anywhere in our workshop. Slainte.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Andy
At the risk of stating the obvious, not one of the hundreds of guys who cut their fingers off last year on tablesaws thought that they were being stupid or taking risks. And yet it happened. Go to the sawstop site and watch the testimonials. Some of them are very experienced guys. Misguided into thinking that sawstop is the answer, but at least they are up front about the consequences of working the way they were used to working.
Find another way of achieving your ends, eh? Lots of us others do.
S

 

[Dangermouse]

I use a dado set on my Wadkin saw, its made to take one and is built like a tank. The only thing I have to do is take of the riving knife, the guard stays in place and its just as safe as using an ordinary blade. But I would be extra careful if using it on a modern portable saw bench, it would need to be made to take a dado. NEVER put a dado cutter onto a bench not made to take it. If you only use it for your own use then its not covered by any laws or health and safety regs, but if your going to use it in a work environment , it will be covered by such regulations and you will have to make sure it complies with them, if an accident occurs involving another person you will be responsible and I expect you will need to inform your insurance company too.

 

[RogerBoyle]

hi all ive recently been thinking about setting up a stacked dado set in my bosch tablesaw,i know our laws over here arent the same as the states but used right and carefully i beleive thta they will save me time on certain projects,ive sourced the new zero insert for my saw and the stack sets at a very nice price and good quality of course,itll save me doing the rebates through the router or router table,as i can just utilise my tablesaw for even more uses than i allready do,ideal for me on making new cabinets and even tennons onsite,there are a lot of uses for having the set up in the van i think,let me know your thoughts and experiances please,thanks lads

Silly idea to be honest

Take it onto virtually any of the main building contractors site's and you will get kicked off for unsafe work practises ... Is it a 110 Saw Bench ???
Would it be guarded ??? etc

Smaller (local builder) type builders would probably let you use it . I personally wouldn't but theres more that would :evil:

Have you actually seen and used a stack dado head if not nip round to your nearest joinery shop and ask if they would let you have a look at one and ask the guys there what they think of them both the good and the bad ...

And yes I do use one for batch production but that is in a dedicated workshop and not in a site or van environment

You would be much better off using a router and jigs for the amount of times that you would use it in the dado blade configuration

Roger

 

[thebigt]

thanks to all of you for your input it was just a idea and like rb says for the amount of times itll be used i might aswell use my router,i dont work on sites with subbys anymore all my work work is part and full rebuilds on stations and depos all over the uk,

 

[Bluekingfisher]

You'll probably find your saw won't take a stacked dado, not unless you have changed the arbor or had it imported from North America.