How to Use a Dado Set
Woodworkers have a lot of options for creating grooves in wood products. A dado blade set is one of those options, and a dado blade set can make a groove in wood that is 1/4-inch to 7/8-inch wide. Dado blades are mounted to table saws only. It is unsafe to mount them to radial arm saws, circular saws or miter saws. Many manufacturers make dado blade sets, so there is a good chance that your favorite woodworking tool manufacturer has a dado blade set available. Look for them in stores and online. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Determine the width of the groove that you need. The width of the groove is determined by the number of blades used from the dado blade set. The easiest way to do this is to measure the thickness of the material that will be installed in the groove.
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2
Stack the number of blades required to remove the needed amount of wood. For example, if the thickness of the material that will be installed in the groove you create is 1/2-inch thick, you will need the two side blades and two chopping blades.
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3
Remove the blade currently installed on your table saw according to the directions provided by the table saw manufacturer and stack the dado blades in the following order: side blade, chopper, chopper and side blade. Thread the nut onto the blade drive shaft and tighten it securely.
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4
Remove the blade cover from the table saw and install the dado blade cover securely. Raise the dado blade assembly to the required height (the height of the dado blade will determine the depth of the groove in the wood). Make a few practice cuts in scrap wood to fine tune the blade setting.
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Make the groove cuts that you need for your project. Because dado blades remove so much wood at once, feed the material into the dado blade slowly, so it will have a chance to remove the wood safely and effectively.
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Tips & Warnings
Dado blades can be used to create dado joints and rabbet joints.
