Thread: Stacked Dado Head or Router?

With a good table saw, the stacked dado will cut much, much quicker than a router. Not quite as clean, but with sharp blades it will be very nice.

A router can start and stop with greater precision, and a straight shoulder, so stopped dados I do with a router bit.

Tex

The other consideration is that the router makes a lot of mess; if you have a wide-kerfed crosscut sled for your table saw, cutting the dadoes in a cabinet side is very quick and accurate. Also, you can use the dado set for cutting tenons in a single pass with a table-saw tenoning jig.

Rocker

Thanks Tex and Rocker to help me clear that up. Much appreciated.

Cheers

Good question. I agree with above and would also probably say that the advantage of a stacked Dado is the ability to make multiple crosscut grooves/dados.

For example dentil moulding on a cabinet appears to be much easier with a stacked dado than on a router set-up (not having one though I could be corrected).

Some one more experienced in using both might like to comment on this though???

The other dado advantage is that the dado can be shimmed to get exact widths, whereas you only have a finite number of router bit widths, and so to get an exact match you would need to do 2 passes with the router.
So this is another speed advantage of the dado.

The disadvantage is that a router and straight cutter is about 10% the cost of a table saw and dado set!

John there are dado sets nowdays that dont need shims for fine adjustments.(Freud)

Brett, yes it would be easy with a dado set providing you want a gap between the teeth no less than approx 6mm, just make up a indexing jig very simular to a box joint jig for the table saw.

I am not a big fan of crosscutting on table saws as I have seen many accidents from it especially with longer stock. Also depending on the dado blade set you have most of the ones I have seen do tend to run out of balance so you need a reasonable quality TS as you will be stressing bearings/trunion assembly. Dado blades leave an untidy 'sawtooth' finish on the bottom of the dado. 99% of the time you will be cutting dado's to the common thicknesses of timber of which router bits are availiable for. On the odd occasion when you do need an unusual size just do the 2 pass trick. Routers cut a neater dado and are more versatile. Downside of router is noise, dust. But then again isn't that what we are trying to do .... make dust.

"Dado blades leave an untidy 'sawtooth' finish on the bottom of the dado. do tend to run out of balance"
Mine doesnt, buy a cheap set and thats what you'll get.

"99% of the time you will be cutting dado's to the common thicknesses of timber of which router bits are availiable for."
99% of the time I dont use my dado set to cut dado's

Obviously you dont cross cut long lenghts on a table saw... if you do its at your own risk.

Tell me what the risk is Harry...of crosscutting on the table saw.

Provided the workpiece is supported properly, what's the risk?

Originally Posted by Harry72

"Dado blades leave an untidy 'sawtooth' finish on the bottom of the dado. do tend to run out of balance"
Mine doesnt, buy a cheap set and thats what you'll get.

"99% of the time you will be cutting dado's to the common thicknesses of timber of which router bits are availiable for."
99% of the time I dont use my dado set to cut dado's

Obviously you dont cross cut long lenghts on a table saw... if you do its at your own risk.

If you dont use your stacked dado set for cuttung dados', what do you use it for? In 30 years of experience in machining I have never come across a dado blade set used on a ras or a rip saw saw that does cut a clean dado. RAS, drop saws are for cross cutting. I am still yet to see a trade quality saw bench with a mitre guide slot in it. There might just be a reason they dont put them in trade quality machinery. The mitre slot is reasonably safe for shorter pieces but I find that a lot of inexperienced ppl use it for longer lengths than they should, just because they can.

I know that the yanks are realy keen on dado blades on table saws.... but..... the europeans won't have anything to do with them.

I'm not surprised the posibility of accidents and the severity of that accident is greatly multiplied with a dado blade.... tink of the size chunk that could rip out of you.

I stick with the router thanks.

cheers

"Tell me what the risk is Harry...of crosscutting on the table saw.

Provided the workpiece is supported properly, what's the risk?"
Please read what I wrote... " Obviously you dont cross cut long lenghts on a table saw"
There's nothing wrong with cross cutting on the TS with short piece's... but tell me how do you support a 10' long plank while xcutting?
You dont because it wont stay square to the blade.(unless you have a panel saw with a large outrigger)


"If you dont use your stacked dado set for cuttung dados', what do you use it for?"
Rebates halflaps tennons... even picture/door frame mouldings.

"In 30 years of experience in machining I have never come across a dado blade set used on a ras or a rip saw saw that does cut a clean dado."
If you been machining wood for 30 years and never seen a decent cut from a dado set its about time to have a look at whats around nowdays
Most quality sets now cut clean... a router dado is only slightly neater.

As you can see very flat and smooth, the scoring in the corners is less than .5mm deep!

"I am still yet to see a trade quality saw bench with a mitre guide slot in it."
Felder Hammer Format4 Powermatic and JET, just to name a few.