Almost every table saw owners own a stacked dado blade, as it is a popular accessory. For many people, cutting precision dados, rabbets, and grooves is a painstaking task as there is barely a good way to perform the task. With that said, stacked dado sets come up with no or a few setup instructions. This is a big problem since people get confused about setting up accurately.
In fact, if you are new to this accessory, you will never be able to set it up on your own. There is a risk of an accident if you set it up in the wrong way. However, in this article, we will show explain the most effective ways to install a stacked dado blade on a table saw. So, read the piece carefully and learn the best way.
What is a Stacked Dado Blade?
Typically, a stacked dado blade is a set of designed saw blades that are made with special care. These blades are installed onto the arbor of a table saw or radial arm saw. They are used to make partial depth cuts of a multitude of widths for dadoes and rabbets. These blades consist of two full matched saw blades with a series of chippers. These blades will fit between the outer blades straight.
How to Install a Stacked Dado Blade on Your Table Saw?
Now, if you want to install a stacked dado blade on a table saw, you have to follow a systematic process. The entire installation process is explained below:
First, you need to detach the saw from power. Then you would raise the blade to the highest point. Now, you will take out the throat plate, which shields the wide opening in the saw table. After that, you will use the saw’s wrenches to eliminate the arbor nut and washer.
In the next step, you will have to remove the current saw blade and keep it aside in a blade drawer. Keep in mind that the carbides of the blade must not be damaged.
Almost all stacked dado blade sets are equipped with a carrying case. This carrying case will hold and store the outer blades and chippers in one place. At this moment, you will open up the case and take out the two outer blades. You will see that every outer blade will likely be equipped with a direction indicator on one side of the blade. Now, you have to take a grip of the two blades in a vertical position.
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At the same time, you will also hold a carbide-cutting tooth with the blades. Remember that the carbide-cutting tooth must face just before the top edge of all blades. In case you notice the outside edge, which is visible on every blade, you will see the arrow pointing in the similar direction as the cutting edge of the teeth. If everything is set properly, then the outer blades are preoccupied in a perfect position.
If the saw arbor needs sliding the blade on the right side of the arbor to remove it, then you will slide the left sided saw blade from the stacked set. Bear in mind that you will need to place the reversed outer blade onto the arbor last. Simultaneously, the arrow side of the blade will face the washer and nut (it will be installed last) of the arbor.
In the next phase, you will have to find out your chippers. There are four full-sized (meaning 1/8-inch wide) and one half-sized chipper in your set. With that said, the number of chippers will define the width of the dado. You will observe that every chipper possesses a few numbers of teeth.
These teeth’s will definitely have a carbide cutting face, which should be facing you while holding the chipper in a vertical position. In any case, you want to create a cut wider than 1/4-inch, you will need to slide a few chippers onto the arbor.
When you have installed the required number of chippers, you will just place the second outer blade onto the arbor. It will follow the arbor washer and nut. Now, you will need to tighten the arbor nut along with the wrenches. After that, just lower the blade trunnion of the saw and then install a zero-clearance insert as safety measures.
Conclusion
To conclude, the installation process of a stacked dado on radial-arm saw is quite similar to the above process. However, there is a differing point between these two installation processes. This differing point is that you have to remove the saw blade guard and use a specialty guard while installing stacked dado on a radial-arm saw. Other than this, every other step is similar.