Whats wrong with a stacked dado?

[mailee]

I have to agree with you on this Steve and you have put it well. I do not have a dado set for my table saw only for my RAS which I never use anyway preferring to use a router for the task. If I did have a dado set for my table saw and a run of dados to cut then I would use it as it is much quicker than using the router for this job. I will come clean and admit I do use my table saw without the crown guard often for slotting type operations but never remove the riving knife. (I move it up or down to accomodate the cut in hand) I do re install the crown guard afterwards but find it limiting being attached to the riving knife of course. It is all down to the operator being lazy and not replacing these things after use that makes the accident happen IMHO. As for the riving knife using a dado set it is a chocolate fireguard IMHO as it is far too thin for the dado curf and is not needed anyway as the wood is held firmly to the mitre fence/sliding table and let's face it using a dado set you are never going to take deep cuts with it anyway. Just my two penneth. :wink:

 

[seaco]

I made this to get over guarding my dado...

First attempt but didn't swivel out of the way...

 

[phantom of the offcut]

Many thanks for all the replies on this, It would seem that it is a good topic to re-visit once in a while.
FWIW i believe that used sensibly and with guarding a dado cutter is as safe to use as many of our other tools, my saw however does not have the capacity to use one and maybe thats a good thing.

 

[newbie]

Thanks to everyone for posting on this subject, I'm new to stationary machines and it's great to learn from your experience. I'm off to ally pally on sunday and i was going to be looking for a table saw to fit to fit a dado set to, sort of feel i'd be asked to leave by security now though!! some great fors and againsts and safety issues i'd never thought of. one thought though, if we could rely on mechanical safety devices 100% why do they keep showing how some tablesaws wont cut through hot dogs! if it's that good he'd stick his finger there. surely thats going to make some people think " no honestly it's ok, its got a device to stop the bla.........oh my god get me an ambulance". if it doesnt feel right it probably isn't right.

 

[9fingers]

Newbie,
If you want a ts to use with a dado set then you might want to look at the xcaliber range. A few forum members have them and are pretty happy with them. They sell an adaptor to take a 30 mm dado set and the whole thing is built like a brick outhouse. The design is very similar to the delta Unisaw as used in the New Yankee Workshop

http://www.woodfordwm.co.uk/
No commercial connection just a satisfied customer.

Bob

 

[Philly]

I'll second Bobs comments - my Woodford is fantastic.
Philly

 

[Corset]

I have the dado set for the hammer/felder range. It is more like a groover for the spindle moulder (which it can be used for and therefore made it worth a punt for me) and therefore has all the chip limiting aspects. However if you try to use it to make multiple cuts (ie a tenon) the knife blades on the outside, which give a clean cut, leave trace marks which is irritating. However it leave a very clean cut in its groove.With the braking on my saw it stops very quick.
Although I own it now I think it is unlikely I would buy it again solely as a dado blade, Its just a little scary so i prefer to use it in combination with the sliding table and like it has been said before you can do it all with a router. Unless you are running batch production of stuff it probably takes less time to wack out a router.
Owen

 

[seaco]

I'll second Bobs comments - my Woodford is fantastic.
Philly

So is my Unisaw... :wink:

 

[Steve Maskery]

If you want some ideas of how to guard the machine when making non-throgh cuts, then go to the Clips page of my site. I'm using the stand-alone guard featured in British Woodworking a few issues ago and the SUVA-style guard that you see in my avatar. You can also see how some of my jigs have guarding built into them.

As it happens, that machine is also an Xcalibur, so you can see it in use. It's a slightly dated design, but, as Bob says, its built from baked clay with the intention of withstanding the passage of time even with regular use.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Benchwayze]

Edge tools are designed to cut and they don't have a mind of their own. So they are likely to bite back if we are :

Ignorant
Over-familiar or
Careless.

I've seen mention that table saw manufacturers won't sell dado-cutters with saws, because they would be held responsible for any accidents. If it's illegal to supply these things, then why trot out that excuse? If suppliers really could be held responsible, they could also be called to account when someone has an accident with the ordinary blades they supply?

Any such claim would be difficult to prove. As long as the saw can take a dado-cutter, all they would have to say is they have no control over how the saw is used. Just like the manufacturers of any other machine or appliance. In short, it's as ridiculous as saying that cutlers are responsible, if Father cuts himself whilst carving the Sunday roast!

So let's just accept that the Nannies from H&S have to sit there and imagine every conceivable scenario, so they can cover every eventuality!

YES I do use appropriate guards on my machines; and all the other safety aids. So, short of a blade disintegrating at speed, anything that happens is likely to be down to me.


:wink:

 

[DaveL]

I'll second Bobs comments - my Woodford is fantastic.
Philly

So is my Unisaw... :wink:

And my Wadkin is pretty good too. 8)

 

[newbie]

have now shorted out my keyboard dribbling over the xcaliber saws, wifes threating to have me sectioned!!! do i need a saw that a dado set can be used on? do i need a saw at all? i could just by the stuff i want to make, but wheres the sense of achievement in that. as i said in my first post i'm used to portable tools, makeshift if not dangerously unsteady worktables. the whole reason for me to have a tablesaw is to have a firm fixed base to cut on. i'm glad i found this site, i'm much more aware of the possible dangers associated with not only dado sets, but any type of moving blade. I'd like to a see more people directed to a site such as this when they buy a power tool of any type, we buy them, we use them, no training, nothing and yet all this info is freely available. going to write to some of the major tool manufacturers and suppliers, what do you all think?

 

[seaco]

have now shorted out my keyboard dribbling over the xcaliber saws, wifes threating to have me sectioned!!! do i need a saw that a dado set can be used on? do i need a saw at all? i could just by the stuff i want to make, but wheres the sense of achievement in that. as i said in my first post i'm used to portable tools, makeshift if not dangerously unsteady worktables. the whole reason for me to have a tablesaw is to have a firm fixed base to cut on. i'm glad i found this site, i'm much more aware of the possible dangers associated with not only dado sets, but any type of moving blade. I'd like to a see more people directed to a site such as this when they buy a power tool of any type, we buy them, we use them, no training, nothing and yet all this info is freely available. going to write to some of the major tool manufacturers and suppliers, what do you all think?

Ok I use a dado blade in my Unisaw and my honest answer is no you don't need a dado you will be able to do 95% of all your cutting without one!

Now if you get to a stage when you need to cut alot of rebates then the dado is a good way to do this but if times not a problem then a router will do the same job!