Dado Cutting
Dadoing is cutting a wide groove into a workpiece or
cutting a rabbet along the edge of a workpiece.
Commonly used in furniture joinery, a dado is a straight
channel cut in the face of the workpiece. Dadoes can be
cut using either a dedicated dado blade or a standard
saw blade. Figure 39 shows a cutaway view of a dado
cut being made with a dado blade.
The table saw motor is pushed to its limits when making
a dado cut with a dado blade. If the motor starts to bog
down, slow down your feed rate, reduce the depth of cut
and make multiple shallow passes
Figure 39:
Example Of A Dado Cut With A Dado Blade
CAUTION
:
Do Not Use The Standard
Table Insert For Dadoing Operations.
Most dado head sets are made up of two outside blades
and four or five inside cutters, as shown in Figure 40. .
Various combination of saws and cutters are used to cut
grooves from 1/8‖ to 13/16‖ for use in shelving, m
aking
joints, tenoning, grooving, ect. The cutters are heavily
swaged and must be arranged so that this heavy portion
falls in the gullet of the outside blades.
Figure 40:
Sample
Dado Blade
Installing A Dado Blade
1.. DISCONNECT THE SAW FROM POWER!
2. Remove the table insert, the blade guard
assembly or riving knife, and the saw blade.
3. Attach and adjust the dado blade system
according to the dado blade manufacturer‘s
instructions (See Figure 41)
4. Install the dado insert.
Figure 41:
Dado Blade Installed
WARNING
:
DO NOT make a through-cut with a
dado blade. Dado blades are not designed for
through cuts Failure to follow this warning
could result in serious personal injury.
WARNING
:
Dado Blades Have A Higher Risk Of Kickback
Than Normal Blades Because Their Large Size
Applies Stronger Forces To The Workpiece.
This Risk Increases Relative To The Depth And
Width Of The Cut. To Minimize Your Risk of
Serious Personal Injury, Ensure That Stock Is
Flat and Straight, And Make Multiple Light Cuts
(Rather Than One Deep Cut) To Achieve The
Desired Cutting Depth.