DADO blades for dummies

allen levine

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Having overcome most of my fear of power tools, and having knocked out 10 out of the 12 chairs I needed to make, I decided its time to unwrap the dado blades and see if I can figure them out.
After reading extensively, the instructions, which were almost non existant, I had to find the ryobi table saw booklet and figure out how to attach them.
Easy for you guys, not easy for someone who is mechanically challenged, and is working on the fear of machinery with blades.
I didnt know there were 2 spacers on the arbor of the ts.
I actually installed them easily enough, and decided I want to get working next week on some drawers for my work area, cause I cant take the hand tools constantly in my way, all over the bench. I figured one large drawer under the work bench will hold all the wrenchs, screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, etc...and a few pull out drawers in the cabinets will be very helpful in organizing my hardware.

I tried my best to make the easiest fingerjoint jig known to mankind.
Ofcourse, within 2 minutes, while using my little trim saw, I gave myself a nice hit.
It woke me up, and I was a bit more careful.(it was nothing compared to when I cleaned the varnish brushes later on and spilled some thinner into the cut)
Grabbed some scrap plywood not even the same size exactly, and decided to give it a shot, one adjustment on the height of the blade and I was satisfied with the result.

I dont know how I lived for so long with a TS and didnt use a set of dado blades.
I just have to remember the jig allows the blade to pass through it and theres an open blade near my hands......almost didnt realize this the first pass through.

Thought I take a picture of the cut, just for fun.

If anyone has a better idea for a finger joint jig that they think I can handle, point me in the right direction.
btw, Id love to use a zero clearance for the dado set, but the plate is only liek1/16th of ainch thick where it attaches to the saw,, and I cant find any for the ryobi ts, is there a material 1/16th that I might be able to cut?
 

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alot of my enthusiasm stems from reading this board.
I just read about dado's and how helpful and easy they are, and it convinced me.
Same with a router table.

I wont be turning pens anytime soon, but each new item I buy just makes my life that much easier, and opens up alot of new paths for me to try new things.

Im sorry if my posting of such simple things wastes space, its very exciting for me, an old man in my 50s, to actually get excited over a tool or a new set of blades.
 
Allen,

Make your own zero clearance insert for your table saw. DO IT NOW!

I'm serious. You must do it. Do not make another cut without an insert, and with a dado blade mounted. Those things are scary enough with an insert, without one, they're deadly.

I promise to look for finger joint jig plans, but ONLY if you promise to make that insert. You're too promising a woodworker to have you losing fingers.

Seriously!

Thanks,

Bill
 
Allen,

http://www.ptreeusa.com/zero_clearance.htm

It looks like the ryobi is the same as the ridgid:

http://www.amazon.com/ACC-RIDGID-DADO-INSERT-RYOBI-RIDGID/dp/B000P8LKBU , but it's cheaper and better at peachtree. or...

You can use your existing one as a model:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8AQVx8M50E

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-plans/tablesaw/zero-clearance-insert/

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip020419sn.html

Do NOT put this off. I walked away from my last table saw over exactly this issue, and was just plain lucky I didn't walk away spurting blood!

Thanks,

Bill
 
just spent 2 hours cleaning up everything, shutting down the shop and letting it become a garage again till sometime late next week.
Im going to go measure the blade insert, and order 2, one for the regular blade, and one for the dado set.
The plate I have now is sheet metal/steel? very thin, and it mounts at very thin points.
Ill give it a go before I start making finger joints for the drawers.
 
Allen,
another idea, which you might want to consider, if you can't make/fit an insert to fit the saw, would be a sacrificial table/cover for your saw. Take a sheet of hardboard and clamp or tape it down with double sided tape, raise blade through it and you've got a ZCI that covers that gap. Trim the board so your miter guage would fit.

darn, the more I think of it, the more I agree you need to make a ZCI that mounts where your stock unit goes. :doh:
 
ryobi is closed already, I just called.
They make a dado plate, but I might as well go for both zero clearance with both dado and single blade.its ryobi BTS20R-1

I just cant seem to find anywhere that has a plate 1/16th thickness.

I cant run my shopvac that I use to collect dust, and without the plate, the sawdust is ridiculous.
 

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Allen,

Take heed of Bill's warning! I was lucky - I still have my fingers, though two are not quite in OEM condition.
I was making picture frames from some rock hard maple - making the final pass on depth, last piece. Luckily I was letting off pressure to grab a push stick when the wood shattered and dropped into the gap with my hand following into the blade. Got the ring and middle finger.
Unfortunately, it was preventable and a stupid mistake. Ned's suggestion is a good one if you can't find an appropriate insert.

Otherwise, have fun with the new capabilities!
Good luck,
Wes
 
I cant calibrate it, I dont own anything that precise, but its either 2 or 3 /32nd, thick, and Ive only found one 3/32 that fits a different machine, but if I can get some of that material, I can attempt to cut it down to size.

Im thinking I could pick up some polymer of plastic 1/16th thick somewhere, maybe a sheet of a lucite type, or something stronger, and figure out a way to trim it down. I dont have a router table, but Ill find someone who might be able to help me.
If it was just a 1/4inch thick, it would make life easy.

Ive grown attached to my fingers, or should I say they have grown attached to me, and Id prefer to keep all of them.
 
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How are you measuring the clearance you need for the ZCI? If you don't have one already, it might be time to invest in a digital caliper. Alternatively, offering a machinist friend some of their favorite adult beverage to come over and help you figure this out would work too. Said machinist friend will likely be able to show you a whole range of ways to use a caliper that will come in very handy.

Looking at that naked dado blade with no insert at all looks scarier to me than some of the stuff I do on my RAS that turns Ned's face pale!
 
ryobi has a dado plate made for my model number. I cant seem to find a ZC that thin.
Either I live with the single blade plate that came with the machine, or Ill have to buy a sheet of 1/16th inch and somehow cut it down to size.
I ordered the dado plate since it is a rather large gap.
It was a 99 dollar machine, the extra expense was the wheels it came on.
Seems ryobi doesnt put much stock into their machine, maybe I shouldnt count on it lasting too long either.I got my mileage out of it, Ive used it continously for almost 3 years, 2.5 years.
 
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How are you measuring the clearance you need for the ZCI? If you don't have one already, it might be time to invest in a digital caliper. Alternatively, offering a machinist friend some of their favorite adult beverage to come over and help you figure this out would work too. Said machinist friend will likely be able to show you a whole range of ways to use a caliper that will come in very handy.

Looking at that naked dado blade with no insert at all looks scarier to me than some of the stuff I do on my RAS that turns Ned's face pale!

hey now, I stay in the building at least.
 
Ned and I have a common friend who helped me install a folding stairs to the attic. At one point I needed to cut some studs to size on the RAS - he literally went home to the other side of town while I did this. :rofl:

Allen, I think someone else was trying to tell you that even if you only have a 1/16" (if you haven't already, please confirm this with a caliper - a tape measure is not accurate for this application) space for the lip you can use a thicker base and rout down to the 1/16" thickness where needed.

The following may be wrong - I know nothing about tablesaws!

If you really need / want to use 1/16" thick material for the whole plate, would it work to use some aluminum sheet material? If so, you could start with an aluminum sign blank and cut it to size on the bandsaw (or use a jigsaw carefully). Aluminum sign blank is sold by the thickness and can be found at a welding supply shop among other places. 1/16" is 0.0625" and 3/32" is 0.09375"; 0.080" is a very common thickness for sheet aluminum - again, getting an accurate decimal reading with a caliper is important - you can't see a small difference with your eye on a tape measure that will be felt with your hand and could cause snags in use.

Good luck and be safe!
 
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there are alot of plastic polymers(right word?) that are very strong and smooth. First I have to get a piece without spending the ridiculous amounts they ask online for shipping, then I have to find someone with a router table and use my plate as a template.
Id just bring the metal plate and show the plastic guy the thickness and get the same.(I will have a dado plate, maybe not zero clearance, but at least it will be alot safer, and I have my plate for the single blade)
 
Allen,
Get enough material to do a number of plates and just cut the blanks. That way you'll have them on hand for the next project and all you'll need to do is cut the slot.
Oh, I did have the stock dado plate on my saw when I had my accident - but not a zero clearance plate.

Wes
 
for under 10 bucks, I purchased a piece of 3/32 lexan polymer.
Not the most rigid plastic on earth, but I figured if I need to, I can always attach a piece of wood somehow underneath, (gorilla glue)although I dont know if the support is necessary.
I noticed all the sheet metal goods and plastic were all 3/32 inch thick.
I laid it out next to my throat plate, it felt a slight thicker, but the lexan still had a sheet of paper on each side to protect it, and when I laid it on the tablesaw into the groove where the metal plate was, it seemed flush with the paper on, so I believe the thickness will be fine.

Ok bill, quick questions I hope you get to by sometime monday.(my next shop time)
if you notice the blade guard/anti kick apparatus attaches right underneath the mounting screws for the plate. Attaching a piece of wood to the lexan even if I route out the edges will not work. The blade guard mounting is directly underneath the screws. (I could glue something under the lexan in the middle but I dont know if it will actually add support or add nothing)
The goal is to prevent anything from going in, and I believe the lexan is strong enough.a fterall, Im not going to be putting much pressure on it.
Now do I just screw the plate down, and slowly raise the blade, and if so, how do I only cut out enough in the top part of the plate to allow the blade guard assembly to attach. Does it have to be so perfect, or can I just cut out a section with the jigsaw for the blade guard assembly to attach.(I prefer to always have that, I rip alot, and wood never kicks back with the teeth that hold it down)the blade guard assemble aligns perfect with a single blade.
I took a pic close up of the mounting spots with the blade guard assemblymount, the mount is right under the plate
Any help would be appreciated as always.*yeah, I did it right away because I have a horrible fear of power tools with blades and you guys arent making it any better.
 

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Allen, here the way I've cut my zero clearance plates...

1. Install the blade you want to use, and lower it all the way down.

2. Install the uncut ZCI into place, and do any leveling necessary to get it flush with the top.

3. Find a piece of scrap lumber, as wide or wider than the ZCI and long enough to reach both the front and back edges of the saw table. A 30" (or so) 1 x 4 works great.

4. Clamp the scrap board to the table top, front and back, so it's covering the ZCI.

5. Turn on the saw and slowly raise the spinning blade into the ZCI and the clamped board. As always, stand out of the line of fire, just in case anything goes awry. (And it shouldn't, if you've properly clamped the scrap wood.)

Once you've done that, I'd suggest figuring out the minimum amount of a notch you need in the end to fit your blade guard, and cut it out with a jigsaw. (Off the tablesaw, of course.)

Keep in mind that for dado cuts, you won't be able to use your splitter (and thus, probably not your blade guard, either). Personally, I dislike the blade guards I've used, so other than trying it once, mine has been stored away since I got the saw. I feel safer without them, since I'm not trying to work around them. This is especially the case when I'm ripping thin strips of wood. I use a splitter and a push block (the Grrripper) instead. That said, I'm in no way trying to talk you out of using yours. You should definitely use whatever you're most comfortable with.
 
You do want that throat plate you are making. I also have some suggestions for your box joint jig.

First, put a bottom on it, so it becomes a sled that covers the throat plate. This also allows you to glue down the spacing pin, which is very useful. In my experience, if you have a large run of box joints, the pin of the standard type jig you show tends to loosen up after a while and your accuracy goes to pot. But if you simply have a sheet of plywood flat on the top of your table, with the fence with spacer glued to the sheet, it makes the jig much more stable. I'm not as experienced as many, but I once made a run of 6 boxes, each with 11" high 1/4" box joints, and the last one fit perfectly, just like the first. Actually, mine is a double runner sled that does not use the miter gauge. That way I can leave it set up for next use.

The second suggestion is to paint a red stripe on your jig a couple inches from the blade line on each side. Don't touch the jig within the red area while cutting.
 
thanx, Ill give it a shot monday.
I know I cant use the guard with dados, but Im going to see what the dado plate I ordered looks like, as long as there isnt much room between blade and plate, Ill use it.

as far as guard goes, I rip so much lumber, basically all I use the saw for, now and then a sheet of plywood, but its mainly to rip, and I feel safe knowing nothing can kick back if I just push with a stick, dont have to worry so much about other end, its always held down, and sometimes I run 250 feet a time just let the boards fall to the floor and keep running them.
PT tends to lift alot off the surface, this way I dont have to hold two ends down with sticks.

Ill cut 2 more plates, maybe even make a dado plate so I can make a drawer or two on my jig.(alan, can you show me a pic of that jig bottom so I can catch on)
 
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