dado blade storage

[Lew Hodgett]

Freud provides spacers.

Since it costs money to provide them, they evidently think they are necessary.

Lew

[Mark & Juanita]

Depends upon whether you have time or money. The Woodcraft storage system referenced earlier, at $30 is cheap when you take time into account. OTOH, if you have lots of time and some scrap pieces, then it makes more sense to make something like those referenced above.

(At various times in my life, I've been in both situations [not simultaneously])

[Upscale]

Also advisable is a set of plastic shims. Lee Valley sells a set that has slots cut in them so the arbour nut doesn't have to be completely removed to add or resize a shim.

[Upscale]

Spacers that come with the blades? Hmmm, the set I bought this past summer didn't include shims.

[Lew Hodgett]

Oranges and apples.

"Shims" are made from cardboard and are used to get an exact width dado.

"Spacers" are a clear plastic circles that interlock with the blade and/or chipper to insure that the carbide teeth do not come in contact with metal.

Lew

[Upscale]

Ok then, I've learned something new. In any event, I didn't receive either. As far as what I was recommending from Lee Valley, I had shims on my mind.

[Jack Stein]

Adding to Johns comment, take a 1/2" Plywood and cut it 1-2" bigger than your dado set, say 10"x10" Trace a circle in the middle the size of your blades, tracing around the gullets of the blade so the saws will snuggle in nicely. Next lay 3 chippers spread evenly over the 10x10 and trace the chippers, some (most) of the tracing will overlap the circle. Use a jig saw to cut out all the tracings so when finished the blades and chippers will fit snuggly in there respective cut outs. Next, cut out a 10x10 hunk of 1/4 Plywood for a backer and glue the two pieces together.

Now lay in 3 chippers in the chipper slots, the middle chipper should be the thin chipper, then put in one blade, then two chippers in the outside chipper slots on top of the blade then the other blade on top of those 2 chippers. This will keep the chippers from touching each other,

Cut another 10x10 1/4" ply for the lid, put a dowel pin in one corner of the cover so it can rotate off the face and figure a way to lock it in place, another pin perhaps.

[Leon]

You have a point however the OP is looking for ideas of how to build a storage container. While Freud does indeed provide a nice storage container IMHO it would not protect the blades during shipping "with out" the spacers. Freud's method of storage requires the spacers. The Forrest method uses a bolt and nut to securely hold every thing in place during shipping and during normal storage. If the Op chooses to loosely stack the blades in a custom fitted depression in the storage container similar to the Freud storage container I would also suggest using the protective spacers. Because I did mention looking at the Forrest Dado King Storage container for an idea, the use of spacers would not be necessary with most any brand dado set.

[Mark & Juanita]

My CMT set came with a set of plastic shims in various thicknesses. They've held up well for the past 12 years.

[B A R R Y]

Forrest puts the chippers on one side of the case and the blades on the other.

[tom]

This one's unique. Mind the word-wrap.

[Lew Hodgett]

Go to a party supply place and get a package of foam plates, about 6" dia, and you have all the "spacers" you will ever need.

Lew

[Upscale]

I'm not sure I need them Lew. The red plastic open faced case my stacked dado set came in didn't have spacers of any kind. Yes, the blades and chippers were spaced appropriately so the carbide tips didn't touch, but they remained where they were placed if the plastic nut hold everything in place was tightened even a little. And, when the set was on the tablesaw arbour, again I placed everything so no tips touched and they remained there when the arbour nut was tightened.

[Lee Michaels]

"tom" wrote

This one's unique. Mind the word-wrap.

[Leon]

Yeah, that is more for balance than for protection. The case tips more easily with all blades on the same side. DAMHIKT ;~)

[Morris Dovey]

You might be making a hard problem out of an easy one. I've posted a try at a plan (of sorts) on alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking :)

[Father Haskell]

Set.