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Dado Cutting
Commonly used in furniture joinery, a dado is a straight
channel cut in the face of the workpiece. Dadoes are
"non-through" cuts that can be made with a dado blade or
a standard saw blade. Figure 49 shows a cutaway view of
a dado cut being made with a dado blade.
The included dado table insert must be installed and used
when a dado blade is installed—unless a zero clearance
table insert is used instead.
Dado Blade Installation
1. DISCONNECT SAW FROM POWER!
2. Remove the standard 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
4. Install the dado table insert.
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Figure 49. Illustration of a dado cut.
DO NOT make through cuts with a dado
blade. Dado blades are only intended
for non-through cuts. Failure to heed
this warning could result in serious
injury.
Dado blades have a higher risk of kickback than
normal blades because their larger 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.
Cutting Dados with a Dado Blade
Because dado blades are much wider than standard
blades, they place a greater amount of force against the
workpiece when cutting. This additional force increases
the risk of kickback, requiring the operator to take
additional steps when cutting to keep their injury risk at
an acceptable level.
Figure 50 demonstrates the sequential process of making
multiple, light cuts that get progressively deeper. The
actual number of cuts used should be determined by
workpiece hardness, total dado depth, and feed rate. In
general, if you hear the motor slow down during the cut,
you are cutting too deep or feeding too fast.
Dado Blade
Workpiece
Fence
Cut 1
Figure 50. Example of cutting a dado with
multiple light cuts, instead of one deep
cut.
Workpiece
Fence
Cut 2
Workpiece
Fence
Cut 3
Finished
Dado Cut
Workpiece
Fence