# Dado set



## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

Dado cutters are frowned upon in the UK and not as far as I know no longer sold. Importing from the states costs more in postage than the set themselves. So I wonder anyone travelling over that could carry a set in (the cargo bay) and them post to me inside the UK. I have a number of machines I could use them on. Any ideas welcomed.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Not sure how you'd get them through security? Someone woudl surely notice them. Is that ban an EU rule? No electric toasters or teapots!


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## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

have to go in cargo bay luggage I guess not the carry on. EU rules as far as I know, just as every tablesaw MUST have a riving knife etc it has just become a nanny state. I was brought up when elf and safety meant you had the common sense not to stick your fingers in sharp revolving objects. No idea about toasters and teapots don't use either of them I still like a toasting fork in front of an open fire and lashings of coffee, strong black no sugar please.
My father was in the Desert Rats before he joined the Chindits, surely you are not that old?


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I salute your father being a Desertrat and a Chindit both is an extraordinary accomplishment, I remember both.

Dados are a very handy attachment,and now with the carbide tips is more of a pleasure to use. The old style wobblers scared me to death tho.
Herb


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I'm not sure that the dado cutters would be banned, perhaps just the machines they run on must have short arbors so that they can not be used according to something Phil P said a few years ago. I believe that the issue is the time it takes for the arbor to stop spinning and with the extra mass of the dado stack it won't stop in the allotted time. If I'm wrong please correct me.

My dad was also a desert rat with the 45th Thunderbird Division. He used to laugh that at 4:00 it was tea time for the Brits, even if they being shelled at the time.


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## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

my old saw is not braked and has a long arbor, as does the Coronet saw bench, and of course the Dewalt radial arm saw is designed to take them as well. Don't dare mention Spindle molders without limiters like the one on the Coronet over here either. Thankfully I have no one to answer to and despite being around all of these whirly twirly sharp things all of my life I still have all of my fingers, toes and two eyes.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> I'm not sure that the dado cutters would be banned, perhaps just the machines they run on must have short arbors so that they can not be used according to something Phil P said a few years ago. I believe that the issue is the time it takes for the arbor to stop spinning and with the extra mass of the dado stack it won't stop in the allotted time. If I'm wrong please correct me.
> 
> My dad was also a desert rat with the 45th Thunderbird Division. He used to laugh that at 4:00 it was tea time for the Brits, even if they being shelled at the time.


I am not sure what you are talking about Chuck, Is there a specified time that a motor is supposed to stop? All my motors stop when they feel like it,and my Bosch 4100 is the newest saw I have and it doesn't have a brake or anything on it. Infact I use a full 8" dado on it quite often and it doesn't appear dangerous.
Chop saws are the only saws I see with brakes,not sure why, my RA saw doesn't have a brake. 

Is the box joint cutter banned too,Rodger,It is a 1/4"-3/8" dado and I use it for rabbeting all the time and could cut dados in two passes if I wanted to.
Herb


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

It was something Phil mentioned in a thread about SawStop and that it wasn't likely to be used in Europe because it wouldn't be effective enough on blades larger than 10" because of the extra mass and inertia of the larger blade. Maybe Roger can comment on whether machines must have electric braking.

Roger I don't know that posting it after getting to the UK would be much cheaper. The rates in the US for posting are some of the cheapest there is. Canada's rate would most likely be prohibitive. You can find out for yourself by going to the USPS web site and type in the info. Priority mail has certainly gotten much more expensive from there but 1st class isn't too bad. The one thing I can't afford in most cases is courier charges. The actual cost of moving the item isn't that bad but they charge a $40-50 customs forms processing fee and in most cases when it goes by mail I don't need one and Canada Customs also doesn't bother with a fee (or inspection). I'm not sure what is customary there.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Roger; I'm a little confused(?) (hey; no comments from the peanut gallery!); DIMAR makes a really nice dado set, and they're German. Seems like you ought to be able to get one from them, over there, rather than all the way from this side of the pond...
DIMAR Cutting Tools Ltd.
http://dimar-canada.com/pdf/DadoSets8.pdf

Send them an e-mail, Roger. This may hopefully be simpler than it appears; in theory you can bring stuff over from other EU countries without interference. Coming from our side of the pond is going to involve Customs. 
DIMAR Ltd | Contact


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

Wildman692 said:


> have to go in cargo bay luggage I guess not the carry on. EU rules as far as I know, just as every tablesaw MUST have a riving knife etc it has just become a nanny state. I was brought up when elf and safety meant you had the common sense not to stick your fingers in sharp revolving objects. No idea about toasters and teapots don't use either of them I still like a toasting fork in front of an open fire and lashings of coffee, strong black no sugar please.
> My father was in the Desert Rats before he joined the Chindits, surely you are not that old?


Here's one that is cheaper for postage.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Roger - have you considered using a router to cut your dadoes? An exact width dado jig would make it possible.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

vindaloo said:


> Here's one that is cheaper for postage.


Angie, thats the one I have and it is a dandy, sharp as a whistle.
Herb


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## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

as far as I know all modern tablesaw sold Europe must now be braked and have a riving knife the spindle is kept short to prevent dado heads and spindle molding blocks from being used (although my 1950's coronet tablesaw is designed for both). I currently use a wobble saw to make various width box joints but it does take a while to get it spot on to work with the jig. A dado set would thus make it easier. I had not thought of trying to adapt a router maybe that is worth looking at. My Coronet uses a "junta jointer" but only cuts one piece at a time, I wish to make a boxjoint jig to use on the table saw to speed things up.
As to postage cost maybe it is the import duty that pushes the price up. Will have a look at the german set but do note the website is Canada not Germany, hell is Germany even talking to us Brexiters at the moment, ha ha.


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## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

Herb Stoops said:


> Is the box joint cutter banned too,Rodger,It is a 1/4"-3/8" dado and I use it for rabbeting all the time and could cut dados in two passes if I wanted to.
> Herb


No sure I have ever seen one 1/4 and 3/8 would suit me.


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## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

from the horses mouth.

This comes courtesy of The Axminster Review, a customer magazine of Axminster Power Tools - February 2004. 

Q. An Axminster customer with a BTS10P tablesaw, who watches a lot of Norm Abram, wants to know why Axminster don't sell dado head cutters. 

A. To comply with CE regulations our saw tables have a motor-brake to stop run-on of the blade when you push the stop button. The weight of a dado head cutter is such that the inertia that it creates would overcome the motor brake and allow the blade to run-on, exceeding the stopping time laid down in the regulations. 

You will also find that most saw spindles are now too short to accomodate the width of the full dado blade and cutter assembler. So even if you bought one from the USA you would not be able to fit it to your saw. 

However, for the most part, you will find that a router will be more efficient and give you a better finish on those jobs that might otherwise employ a dado head cutter."


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

Wildman692 said:


> Herb Stoops said:
> 
> 
> > Is the box joint cutter banned too,Rodger,It is a 1/4"-3/8" dado and I use it for rabbeting all the time and could cut dados in two passes if I wanted to.
> ...


My dewalt jobsite saw manual (my only table saw) says not to use a dado blade. I'm not sure why, maybe underpowered motor. I got the 10" box joint blade like you've described and it works great. My saw uses 12" blades but I figured the 10" is less mass than a 12" version, so if it is a motor issue then the smaller blade would be better. I haven't used more than 1/2" of the blade anyway.


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## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

I think I'll just have to stack saw blades as a cheaper option.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Everend if your saw is 12" it will drive a dado set. I have 2 sets, one old cheap Sears 6" and a newer much better quality 8" set. I used the 6" set on an old Sears 1hp direct drive saw and it probably wouldn't have powered an 8" set. It would have been too much torque for it which was why there are 6" sets I think. 

Roger here is the box cutter set. https://www.amazon.ca/Freud-SBOX8-Cutter-4-Inch-Grooves/dp/B000ASGV1E The router does work but one of the issues with using a router is the tendency for tearout. With the table saw all the force is straight back so with a table saw jig all you need is a backing plate to stop that. As long as the slot in the backing plate exactly matches the slot the blade is making tearout shouldn't be a problem. With a router you can get tearout going in and coming out. If you are using a router table the bit will be exiting the left front side facing towards you so that side will want to tearout. So you need a sacrificial board across the front as well as the back to protect both faces. It has always seemed to me to be much simpler to cut them on a saw and with a good quality dado set you get pretty good results.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Stacking blades will work but you should probably get some spacer shims to separate the blades and stagger the teeth like we do with the chippers on a dado set.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

"It would have been too much torque for it which was why there are 6" sets I think. "
-Charles

I get your meaning, and I think you're probably spot on, but wouldn't '*not enough* torque' (for the 8" set) be more accurate(?)...
Not sure what the correct term for describing too much of a load for the motor to handle would be (resistance?).


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## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Stacking blades will work but you should probably get some spacer shims to separate the blades and stagger the teeth like we do with the chippers on a dado set.


 I have done exactly that in the past.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Wildman692 said:


> I think I'll just have to stack saw blades as a cheaper option.


I did that exact thing on my small DeWalt compact table saw. I was building drawers and used it to cut the dadoes for the drawer bottoms...all 23 drawers worth.

I use two 7 1/4 inch circular saw blades with a shim or two so the 1/4 inch plywood would fit easily. The blades were cheap rip style bought at Lowe's.

Note: My saw has a short arbor so I wouldn't be able to go any wider because there aren't enough threads to safely attach the washer and nut. See pics below of my set up.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

There is always the labor intensive approach of multiple passes through the TS with marginal offsets and finishing wiht a sharp chisle.


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

I think I got ignored. My first post - Router Forums - View Single Post - Dado set

And there's also a set on sale in the UK from Martins although you'd be better off buying the first one from the US.


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

This is EU and HSE guidance for companies and factories, not the hobbyist.

First the saw must stop in 10 seconds, if it doesn't disappear into a recess after the cut, either by DC injection or manual (and that doesn't mean grabbing it with your hand).

Second, a riving knife must be fitted for RIPPING.

Third, dado sets can be used with certain stipulations.

See this HSE webpage for info.

and this for further information.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Thanks Angie. I wasn't sure about the link to Amazon.ca. My cookies automatically want to take me there even if I wanted to go to Amazon.com in the US. Same goes for Sears. According to your link the Amazon.ca price is less than half what you pay.

Our governments, and I say that unilaterally, want to try and idiot proof as much of the workplace as they can. I have a saying for that and it is if you think you can make something idiot proof then you obviously have yet to meet every idiot. I and others, particularly Neville from Oz, maintain that time would be better spent trying to teach how to be safe rather than trying to make machines idiot proof. Apprenticing once took care of that. Unfortunately, the nanny state mentality has subverted that and we tend to send workers with no training at all into situations where they can get hurt. I'll step back off my soapbox now.


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## Bushwhacker (Jun 16, 2009)

What size is your Arbor?


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## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

vindaloo said:


> I think I got ignored. My first post - Router Forums - View Single Post - Dado set
> 
> And there's also a set on sale in the UK from Martins although you'd be better off buying the first one from the US.


When I saw the cost of posting I thought it was a joke. Only hobbyist use so was looking for secondhand sets that come up now and again, I have a tool and cutter grinder so could refurb if needed.



Bushwhacker said:


> What size is your Arbor?


5/8", I assume the question was for me. Larger would be fine as I can turn my own bushing if required.


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## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

JFPNCM said:


> There is always the labor intensive approach of multiple passes through the TS with marginal offsets and finishing wiht a sharp chisle.


Thats a lot of work when making a dozen or so boxes at a time.


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

Wildman692 said:


> When I saw the cost of posting I thought it was a joke. Only hobbyist use so was looking for secondhand sets that come up now and again, I have a tool and cutter grinder so could refurb if needed..............


I bought an Incra precision marking t-square from the US via amazon. The postage and import fees charged is a 'guide'. You pay it all, and once the company find out how much it actually is, you get any money they don't pay refunded. This may be some or none, but I did get some back and the purchase was a lot cheaper than buying the item from the UK, go figure.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Post from Canada (from my location in the far west) for a package 30 x 30 x 2 cm x 1 kg snail mail = C$43.46. 
Post from US first class international for 2 lbs and about $100 value = US$ 22.50


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Wildman692 said:


> No sure I have ever seen one 1/4 and 3/8 would suit me.


I have this and it is terrific, much easier to use for quick dados . Mark the width of the dado and cut to the marks. You can always use a rabbit plane to flatten the bottom. I have a gadget called a Dado Wiz, which makes really tight fitting exact width dados. Easy to use and shouldn't be a legal problem. It fits so tight that you might want to slip a piece of paper in while fitting it, to allow room for glue.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

DesertRatTom said:


> I have this and it is terrific, much easier to use for quick dados . Mark the width of the dado and cut to the marks. You can always use a rabbit plane to flatten the bottom. I have a gadget called a Dado Wiz, which makes really tight fitting exact width dados. Easy to use and shouldn't be a legal problem. It fits so tight that you might want to slip a piece of paper in while fitting it, to allow room for glue.


Never seen one of those before , slick looking setup. Thanks for posting.
http://www.ptreeusa.com/PDF/dadowiz_instructions.pdf

Herb


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## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

vindaloo said:


> Here's one that is cheaper for postage.


I'm sorry Angie I misread it, it is indeed exactly what I need and price not that bad either. Cheers have a great Christmas.


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

Fe$tool is coming out with a new trak saw that will accept a dado blade and is used in conjunction with its' track guides. It will only be available in Europe (for now?). I will try and find the link and post it here.






Festool HK 85


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

After you watch the above video...then watch this one.

This will open your eyes to how Fe$tools are made and the real quality to price advantage; for you Fe$tool owners I apologize for bursting your bubbles.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Ouch! (You just gave Rick a cardiac, Bill)


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

For some reason when I think of Festool I think of Rick. They seem to go together somehow.
Herb


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Woop, there it is...Woop there it is...

...that was cold...but not as cold as Rick's garage...


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

*Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!*



DaninVan said:


> Ouch! (You just gave Rick a cardiac, Bill)


Huh! I have no idea what you are talking about, Dan. I wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt Rick! 

Oh, wait, are you referring to his penchant to buy expensive tools? After all, we all know that the more you pay the better the item, right?>>>


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

*Stop Picking On Rick*

You guys need to back off...you know that Rick is not well and can't help himself. Cut him some slack.:surprise:


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

I think you guys are all jealous - Rick's got no one to answer to, and he works hard for his money. He just buys himself any gift he wants, whenever he wants. Otherwise he'll just leave his money to the government. Just no insulation!!


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

vchiarelli said:


> I think you guys are all jealous - Rick's got no one to answer to, and he works hard for his money. He just buys himself any gift he wants, whenever he wants. Otherwise he'll just leave his money to the government. Just no insulation!!


You got a good point there, Vince, hadn't thought of it that way. I just use the excuse that I am spending the kids inheritance.
Herb


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## Wildman692 (Dec 12, 2016)

thanks everyone the more I look into dado sets the more despondent I become. I was offered a set in the UK made by MIBRO, looked great in a nice case price reasonable, but reviews awful so I have decided that in the end for use with the boxjoint jig stacked sawblades is the answer for me, cheaper to buy and easy to replace using fine teeth outside and course on the inside. I generally use a router for dados and have always used ganged sawblades with a spacer for tenons thus ensuring a 100% consistent width.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

schnewj said:


> After you watch the above video...then watch this one.
> 
> This will open your eyes to how Fe$tools are made and the real quality to price advantage; for you Fe$tool owners I apologize for bursting your bubbles.
> 
> https://youtu.be/oezp-_DcUgg


Bill I seen the video before . Kind of a shame they cut corners like that . I don't get a lot of use out of my tools anyways , as it's usually too cold in my garage to do anything lol.

For the most part I'm pretty impressed with Festool , at least so far. There price is certainly not justified , but I'm sure liking there dust extraction and accuracy


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

schnewj said:


> After you watch the above video...then watch this one.
> 
> This will open your eyes to how Fe$tools are made and the real quality to price advantage; for you Fe$tool owners I apologize for bursting your bubbles.


This was funny, I was entertained by his colorful use of English.


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