Thread: Zero clearance dado insert for Laguna fusion

Not to come across as condescending or rude (i'm new to all of this and naturally inquisitive), but why would one need a ZCI for a dado set?

From what i've read, I thought that a dado set was basically used to cut a trench in timber (a dado), and a ZCI was to stop thin strips of cut offs from getting caught in the Clearance insert... So if you're cutting a trench 1/3 of the way through a piece of wood, you wouldn't have a cutoff that could get stuck... Unless of course there are other uses for Dado sets that i haven't seen yet (which is highly likely, i don't have a table saw yet!).

Again, apologies if it comes across as rude, not my intention at all.

ZCI also reduce chipout something that plywood is particularly prone to doing.

Originally Posted by tonzeyd

ZCI also reduce chipout something that plywood is particularly prone to doing.

Oh right, fair enough. I didn't know that.

I'm saving the pennies to get myself a Dewalt benchtop TS (don't have the space for anything bigger unfortunately) and I'd imagine i'll be using a fair bit of ply for some of the work that needs doing around the house, so i'll keep that in mind.

Cheers

Using ZCi is bit of a catch 22, where on one hand you're getting a better quality cut, but on the other hand you reduce dust collection efficiency.

I generally try and avoid using them for the latter reason and only use them when cut quality is essential.

Yes, they definitely give a better quality cut with little tear out but like on a router table doing dados, the dust spews out. I use a guard with overhead dust collection on my TS and that really helps with normal cuts and I'm hoping it will on dado cuts. There are obviously going to be times when I cant use the guard. I'll then have to be creative on where I put my DC hoses. In one of the woodmagazines ( http://woodtechtooling.com/FreudTool...doShowdown.pdf ) they had a brilliant article comparing 8" dado sets from many manufacturers. They mentioned on the Freud SD508, for example, that without a ZCI they rated the quality of the cut as much worse than using a ZCI for crosscutting oak.

It was this article and many reviews that I decided on the SD 508 dado set compared to CMT and others.

Speaking of dust spewing out on a router table doing dados, many suggest using the smallest ring for ZCI and yet I use the largest as I have a downdraft dust collection box which collects about 80% to 90% when dadoing. If I turn off the DC then I get dust all over my garage. That large ring makes a difference to dust but not the quality of the cut but on a TS the ZCI makes a big difference to the quality of the cut as mentioned in that article.

Originally Posted by barri

Yes, they definitely give a better quality cut with little tear out but like on a router table doing dados, the dust spews out. I use a guard with overhead dust collection on my TS and that really helps with normal cuts and I'm hoping it will on dado cuts. There are obviously going to be times when I cant use the guard. I'll then have to be creative on where I put my DC hoses. In one of the woodmagazines ( http://woodtechtooling.com/FreudTool...doShowdown.pdf ) they had a brilliant article comparing 8" dado sets from many manufacturers. They mentioned on the Freud SD508, for example, that without a ZCI they rated the quality of the cut as much worse than using a ZCI for crosscutting oak.

It was this article and many reviews that I decided on the SD 508 dado set compared to CMT and others.

Speaking of dust spewing out on a router table doing dados, many suggest using the smallest ring for ZCI and yet I use the largest as I have a downdraft dust collection box which collects about 80% to 90% when dadoing. If I turn off the DC then I get dust all over my garage. That large ring makes a difference to dust but not the quality of the cut but on a TS the ZCI makes a big difference to the quality of the cut as mentioned in that article.

Something to consider regarding dust control for a TS.

At this point in time i'm not planning on setting up a router table in my shed, but i'm sure i'll come across a bargain at some point and won't be able to help myself (provided the wife doesn't get wind of my plans beforehand).