Dado Blades...

[inkjunkie]

Have a few wood working projects that need to be done here soon. Thinking about using a Dado blade to cut channels in the legs of the shelves that I will be building. Is one style "better" than the other? We have a belt driven Rigid table saw, the model prior to this one. Going to build a bunch of other things down the road as well so the $$ of buying a good blade set is not much of a concern....

 

[Nite Moves]

Ink, First be dam carefull.........To me a Dado is a Dado.......Its great to have a set you can adjust widths but I have been using my Routor with different size bits. Clamp down both ends with some good straight scrap and done. This is of course you have a routor. Ive seen some cut up nasty looking fingers with dado blades in my line of work....Honestly hate table saws. One reason I sold mine. New,never used.

 

[jasperjacko]

You could also do it with making muliple passes with just one blade. I have an adjustable dial type that works well. It's made by DML #73500

 

[66 Dartman]

Just don't buy a wobbler there ****!! a stackable 1 is good but time consuming to set up,
I bought a dial 1 and it's awesome i can rip a 1/2" wide dado nice and clean on my 3hp table saw,

 

[roccodart440]

Have a few wood working projects that need to be done here soon. Thinking about using a Dado blade to cut channels in the legs of the shelves that I will be building. Is one style "better" than the other? We have a belt driven Rigid table saw, the model prior to this one. Going to build a bunch of other things down the road as well so the $$ of buying a good blade set is not much of a concern....

I'm an industrial arts teacher and also own my own general contracting business. I have a rigid portable table saw. It will accept a dado blade or blade stack.

There are 2 types of dado blades, a dado stack and a multi angle (weebel wobble blade).

I use a Micro stack. Do not buy the weeble wobble blade. Get a dado stack.

If you need any help using it don't hessitate to ask.

With either style you'll need to make your own dado throat plate.

 

[Serj22]

When I make shelving I find it quicker to keep the regular blade on my tablesaw, and then use a router and I personally nail a straight edge board across the piece where the router table will channel the bit into the correct spot and make the shelf notches super easy. This is also a good way to go if you're making a grid-like shelf - like cubbies or something, and have to stop half-way into the board.

 

[roccodart440]

When I make shelving I find it quicker to keep the regular blade on my tablesaw, and then use a router and I personally nail a straight edge board across the piece where the router table will channel the bit into the correct spot and make the shelf notches super easy. This is also a good way to go if you're making a grid-like shelf - like cubbies or something, and have to stop half-way into the board.

This works and is really the only way if the cut doesn't go end to end.

If you are doing this with a 1/2 shank your ok. With a 1/4" shank you want make multiple progressive depth cuts to avoid chatter and shank warpage.

 

[C130 Chief]

What are you planning to use it for? I have both styles, and use each for different tasks. The wobble is great for ROUGH work, like making half lap joints in framing type materials. But they do not produce anything close to a smooth cut. For furniture quality work, the stack head is far superior. Decent stack sets start around $100 and go up from there depending on the number of teeth/chippers. Buy carbide.

If you'll be making a lot of cuts into sheet stock, like bookshelf or cabinet side panels, it's easier to take the tool to the work. For this a router and one of the the slick "clamping tool guides" is the way to go.

 

[blue missile]

The stacked variety is the only accurate way to go, dont forget to get an extra pack of shims for the set, youll thank me later. By the way I have had the same Rigid table saw for ten years and I love it! The wobble does put undue stress on the carrier bearings for the blade shaft.
I agree if you are making shelves and need to clamp two pieces side by side get a good router and a 1/2" dado set for it,
Andrew

 

[momoparman]

I have some complete sets of the Dado blades. If your interested in them PM me but for now here is a pic. They are in like new condition and are manufactured by Craftsman in the 70's.

Have a 7 inch stack-able blade, a set of profiles and the clamping mechanism all in original boxes and all sharp.

Mop

 

[inkjunkie]

Ink, First be dam carefull.........To me a Dado is a Dado.......Its great to have a set you can adjust widths but I have been using my Routor with different size bits. Clamp down both ends with some good straight scrap and done. This is of course you have a routor. Ive seen some cut up nasty looking fingers with dado blades in my line of work....Honestly hate table saws. One reason I sold mine. New,never used.

I have pusher sticks laying on top of the saw. Under no circumstances do I let my fingers get within 6" of the blade.

You could also do it with making muliple passes with just one blade. I have an adjustable dial type that works well. It's made by DML #73500

This is what I have been doing....

I'm an industrial arts teacher and also own my own general contracting business. I have a rigid portable table saw. It will accept a dado blade or blade stack.

There are 2 types of dado blades, a dado stack and a multi angle (weebel wobble blade).

I use a Micro stack. Do not buy the weeble wobble blade. Get a dado stack.

If you need any help using it don't hessitate to ask.

With either style you'll need to make your own dado throat plate.

Forgot about needing to make a throat plate...

When I make shelving I find it quicker to keep the regular blade on my tablesaw, and then use a router and I personally nail a straight edge board across the piece where the router table will channel the bit into the correct spot and make the shelf notches super easy. This is also a good way to go if you're making a grid-like shelf - like cubbies or something, and have to stop half-way into the board.

Thanks....

This works and is really the only way if the cut doesn't go end to end.

If you are doing this with a 1/2 shank your ok. With a 1/4" shank you want make multiple progressive depth cuts to avoid chatter and shank warpage.

I have a dinosaur of a router....believe it only has a 1/4" shank....come to think of it I have not seen it since moving up here....

What are you planning to use it for? I have both styles, and use each for different tasks. The wobble is great for ROUGH work, like making half lap joints in framing type materials. But they do not produce anything close to a smooth cut. For furniture quality work, the stack head is far superior. Decent stack sets start around $100 and go up from there depending on the number of teeth/chippers. Buy carbide.

If you'll be making a lot of cuts into sheet stock, like bookshelf or cabinet side panels, it's easier to take the tool to the work. For this a router and one of the the slick "clamping tool guides" is the way to go.

Just for making shelves. Actually the first thing I need ot build is a shelf to keep all of our shoes on. I have 4 different pair of running shoes I use when I am on the treadmill and several different pairs of boots that I alternate between. After spending close to 20 years on my feet with the USPS I learned to try to avoid wearing the same shoes 2 days in a row. The wife has more footwear than I do...she is a diabetic and NEVER wears the same shoes 2 days in a row....

The stacked variety is the only accurate way to go, dont forget to get an extra pack of shims for the set, youll thank me later. By the way I have had the same Rigid table saw for ten years and I love it! The wobble does put undue stress on the carrier bearings for the blade shaft.
I agree if you are making shelves and need to clamp two pieces side by side get a good router and a 1/2" dado set for it,
Andrew

Extra stack of shims....makes sense....

I have some complete sets of the Dado blades. If your interested in them PM me but for now here is a pic. They are in like new condition and are manufactured by Craftsman in the 70's.

Have a 7 inch stack-able blade, a set of profiles and the clamping mechanism all in original boxes and all sharp.

Mop

Will be in touch shortly...Thanks....

I am thinking that I very well might buy a Dado blade...but I will probably also buy a new router so that I have some flexibility....Do I really need a reason to buy more tools??

 

[Serj22]

This works and is really the only way if the cut doesn't go end to end.

If you are doing this with a 1/2 shank your ok. With a 1/4" shank you want make multiple progressive depth cuts to avoid chatter and shank warpage.

Good point, I personally tried to use a 1/4 when doing some edges for a walnut pillar I made for a house in Monterey. First couple passes without taking the extra material off, the shank bent, and the bit came loose and shot forward (away from me) and made a nice unsandable dent in a Chris Craft I was restoring. Never made that mistake again.

I think if you're going to be into wood working a lot, a router is invaluable. Maybe purchasing a larger router, with multiple tables, like a plunge, and the like, would be more worth the money later. I'd rather make multiple passes at different widths on a table saw than unbolt the blade and dado it all the time. Plus it helps to have the tablesaw ready to go already to cut your piece, then go to the router, planer etc. This is all just me personally. I do a lot of finish projects and big money boat restorations so I like to have a production line going of seperate tools, since the projects already take so long anyway. But I will say what my dad always told me - "there's no good BRAND of tool, you just hold it, and if it does what it told you to, and the tool respects you, then it will do exactly what you want." So get whichever one you feel more comfortable using, weather it be a dado or a new router setup, etc...

 

[inkjunkie]

Good point, I personally tried to use a 1/4 when doing some edges for a walnut pillar I made for a house in Monterey. First couple passes without taking the extra material off, the shank bent, and the bit came loose and shot forward (away from me) and made a nice unsandable dent in a Chris Craft I was restoring. Never made that mistake again.

I think if you're going to be into wood working a lot, a router is invaluable. Maybe purchasing a larger router, with multiple tables, like a plunge, and the like, would be more worth the money later. I'd rather make multiple passes at different widths on a table saw than unbolt the blade and dado it all the time. Plus it helps to have the tablesaw ready to go already to cut your piece, then go to the router, planer etc. This is all just me personally. I do a lot of finish projects and big money boat restorations so I like to have a production line going of seperate tools, since the projects already take so long anyway. But I will say what my dad always told me - "there's no good BRAND of tool, you just hold it, and if it does what it told you to, and the tool respects you, then it will do exactly what you want." So get whichever one you feel more comfortable using, weather it be a dado or a new router setup, etc...

Your Pop sounds like a very knowledgeable fellow. Your advice sounds like a very good idea. I very well might buy a Dado set, just to have it. But I am thinking the router with an assortment of bits is the better way to go for me. I did look at them while we were in Home Depot yesterday, found a few that I liked. Two of them had very similar specs, one had cheapo feeling plastic grips. The angle did not feel right. The other was a bit more $$ but had very nice feeling rubber grips that "felt right". Going to keep my eyes on Craigslist for a while, in addition to checking out all the Pawn shops in Spokane before pulling the trigger.

Thanks for the advice....

 

[roccodart440]

Ink, throat plate is easy. Creat the slid plate from the correct thickness stock (jigsaw or scroll and sand shape to perfection)

Put the dado in with the blade height all the way down. Insert the plate and slowly raise the blade into the wood.

 

[jasperjacko]

Ink, throat plate is easy. Creat the slid plate from the correct thickness stock (jigsaw or scroll and sand shape to perfection)

Put the dado in with the blade height all the way down. Insert the plate and slowly raise the blade into the wood.

Don't forget to put the fence over the plate to keep it from coming out when you raise the blade....yikes!!

 

[C130 Chief]

Don't forget to put the fence over the plate to keep it from coming out when you raise the blade....yikes!!

This!!! Otherwise the rotation of the blade will send it straight for your gentleman's parts at quite an uncomfortable rate of speed!