Ridgid TS 3650 and Freud SD608

[Philip Florio]

Ridgid recommends that when using a dado stack to have the arbor protrude from the nut.

My situation is this, my dado stack is about 11/16" and I can only get the nut on half way. I'm wondering if in the real world this would be okay.

Phil

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Philip, is that with the outside arbour flange removed?

I wouldn't mind if the nut were fully threaded on, even if there were no threads projecting outside of the nut, however I wouldn't go with a nut that's only partially threaded on.

Regards, Rod.

[Rick Huelsbeck]

Ridgid recommends that when using a dado stack to have the arbor protrude from the nut.

My situation is this, my dado stack is about 11/16" and I can only get the nut on half way. I'm wondering if in the real world this would be okay.

Phil

Having worked as a mechanic in the past (way past), it's never ok to run with only a half nut contact. I've always been taught to have at least 2 threads out the end of a nut to call it secure. Just what I've always gone by.

[Geoff Potter]

Phillip, Forgive me but in the "real world" you might have a spinning saw blade shoot out at you. Remove the outer flange and get that nut tight!

[Tom Hargrove]

If I understand your question correctly, the arbor nut won't fully engage the arbor with the dado stack in place.

For safety reasons, I would not use the saw if the arbor does not fully engage the nut. I have a 3650, and once used a 3/4" dado stack with just the arbor nut but without the arbor washer. Clearly, some will disagree with this practice. However, I did this for a limited number of shallow cuts in plywood, and was uncomfortable with the process. I would be be very leary of taking a deep cut, or making more than a very few cuts without the washer in place.

In my opinion, I don't think the 3650 has enough power, or that the arbor is substantial enough to do more than minimal cuts with a dado stack that is over 1/2". If you push it too hard, you will either tempt the kickback monster or harm the saw. In either situation, you could get seriously hurt. The idea of a loose saw blade flying around at 4000 rpm scares me.

[Dave Sweeney]

I believe that the Freud SD600 Series dado sets are not recommended for use with the 3650 and many other similar TS's due to the lengths of the arbors on those saws.

[Philip Florio]

I'm not using the flange. Yes, with a 11/16" dado I can only get the half the threads to the nut on to the arbor.

Phil

[James Reichman]

I would not use the full dado set. I have no experience with that saw. I know there is a RIDGID site with a woodworkers page and a search feature.
I'm kinda cheap so I buy the Freud Box Joint set. I make all my dado cuts with it, nice and flat bottoms and half the price. My point being the my "dado" set only cuts 1/4 or 3/8 with so I just make a few passes to fine tune it to a nice snug fit. When you set your SD608 to 1/4 you might have enough room on the arbor for the flange and the nut.

James

[Mike Parzych]

I just did that with a 3650 2 days ago - with no problems. The flange wouldn't leave enough for the nut with a 3/4" stack.

[Mike Schmalzer]

I regularly use a 3/4 dado set on my 3650 and have yet to have a issue. I remember the older 3650's had a shorter arbor and they made them longer in the later years. Ridgid recommends removing the washer if necessary to get the nut on all the way. It is in the operators manual.

Also I feel that the saw has plenty of power for running dado's in plywood. Maybe not in Bubinga or Jatoba but plywood for sure.

[Jason White]

My manual says not to use the washer with the nut when using a full dado stack.

JW

Ridgid recommends that when using a dado stack to have the arbor protrude from the nut.

My situation is this, my dado stack is about 11/16" and I can only get the nut on half way. I'm wondering if in the real world this would be okay.

Phil

[Dave Sweeney]

............I remember the older 3650's had a shorter arbor and they made them longer in the later years. .

Solely for the sake of clarity, I'm going to say that that is not the case. RIDGID did have an issue with their arbor years back but the solution was not to lengthen the arbor.

[scott spencer]

IIRC, the SD608 is the Dial-A-Width set that has hub for width adjustments and takes up more arbor space than standard sets. It's safe and recommended to not use the washer, but it's not safe to not have the arbor nut fully seated. I'd only run the set as wide as it will allow a fully seated nut.

The issue with older 3650's was an error in the way the threads were cut on the arbor that caused uneven cuts from a dado.

[Philip Florio]

I'll play it safe and max out at 1/2". Just bought this table saw less than 2 years ago. Maybe in a few years I'll go to a cabinet saw.

Phil