8" stacked dado on bench table saw

I have a 10" Delta Shopmaster table saw, model TS-220 (or something like that), but would like to upgrade to a contractor/cabinet saw in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, I'd like to get a dado-blade I can use on the bench saw, but don't want to waste money.

Can I get a decent stacked dado (Freud, etc) and only use what will fit on the shorter arbor? Will the saw be able to spin that much metal, or am I stuck getting a smaller 6".

Also, I've seen the $100 Freud in stores, and have read that it's decent (not great, but good). A woodworking class I took had an Oldham stacked dado, and it seemed to cut clean dado's. Any difference in quality between the two?

Rob

Reply to
RobW
Loading thread data ...

Reply to
Art Lindquist

You have unanswered questions about a dado set working correctly with your current saw, how could you possibly make an educated decision about buying a dado set for a saw you have not even chosen yet? If you do not want to waste money, wait until you get the saw you want to upgrade to.

Reply to
Leon

The new (April 05) Fine woodworking has a review of several dado blades.

Enjoy

Reply to
Andrew V

I disagree. He has a 10" saw now. Most likely, anything he upgrades to will also be 10". There is no difference in table clearance from one 10" saw to another. Maybe you missed the point that he is currently running a

10" saw.
Reply to
Mike Marlow

Can you assure us that although his upgrade saw will be a 10" saw that the clearance in blade Width will be adequate? IIRC some saw manufacturers suggest smaller diameter dado blades so that there will be adequate Width clearance if the dado blade is tilted.

Reply to
Leon

Well, according to Delta he can use anything with a 5/8" arbor that does not stack beyond 1/2". That's something of a limitation, but not one that should be a show stopper. If he upgrades as he plans, just about any better saw will only give him more capability with just about any dado head. If he never upgrades, well then he's stuck with a 1/2" limitation, but at least he has a few spare cutters at his disposal.

Reply to
Mike Marlow

BUT, not all saws have adequate clearance under the table for a 8" tall and wide dado blade when tilted. IIRC a few years ago Jet recommended a 6" dado set for proper clearance under the table. Most likely he will be OK but I would still wait to see what I end up with before buying the dado set.

Reply to
Leon

Nope - I sure can't, but like I said in another reply, he has one of the smallest arbors out there already. Any upgrade - especially to the level of saw he specified, is *almost* assured to only gain him arbor capacity. Worst case, he doesn't really upgrade and ends up with another saw of the same class - so he continues to use his dado up to the 1/2" limit that he's bound to today. Like I said in another reply - he ends up with spare cutters. It's a no risk investment as I see it.

Reply to
Mike Marlow

You might have a point there - I really don't know. I was always under the impression that you were not supposed to operate a dado head cutter on a bevel. I don't use a dado head cutter so there are aspects of their use that I'm not certain of.

We all look at things differently. If I were the OP and I felt I needed a dado, I'd go out and buy what my saw will support. If I upgraded my saw down the road and decided I needed a different one, I'd sell mine and go buy a new one. Personally, I don't like waiting until I get something that I'm only planning on getting "down the road sometime". If I need it today, I go buy what I need. Again - worst case scenario - most likely, if his saw will only support a 6" dado, I'm guessing that a 6" dado will probably do 99% of what he will ever require of a dado cutter. Those who use dado cutters instead of routers could probably speak with greater authority to that assumption. Assuming it's true though, that purchase of the 6" dado cutter today will likely serve him extremely well, no matter what saw he ultimately ends up with.

Reply to
Mike Marlow

Buy a router and the bit you need for the dado. Upgrade the saw later. No wasted money and best of all, you'll have more tools!

Dave

Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services

---------------------------------------------------------- ** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **

----------------------------------------------------------

formatting link

Reply to
TeamCasa

The latest Fine Woodworking has a review of about 15 dado blades, might want to check it out, though most of the one's they reviewed are more high end $100-200 range

Reply to
Doug

I'm no expert on dado's, but I bought the Freud set you are referring to last spring for a project made from maple. The results were less than stellar and I wound up using my table saw crosscut blade to cut both edges of the dado, using the dado to hog it out, and then using the router to clean up the bottom. The edges weren't that crisp with the dado set and the bottom of the cut was far from flat.

So...why didn't I just switch to the router once I realized that the dado set was not great? Because I spent a hundred bucks on blade set, of course! ;-)

Bob B.

Reply to
Comcast

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.