Best way to cut dados, tablesaw or router?

[john elliott]

I've never cut dados with a table saw, most of the saws in Europe can't be fitted with dado blades anyway (legal requirement for safety reasons). Having never seen a dado cut with a table saw, is there any breakout when cutting plywood etc, seems to me there would be, due to the cutting action
John

[Michael Gabbay]

John - I prefer to use the table saw over a router. I feel that the TS gives me better control. Some of the better dado sets do a great job without any tearout.


Mike

[Tom Saurer]

I've never used a router to cut a dado, only my tablesaw. I've never had any complaints with my cuts. A table saw does have several advantages, angled cuts and a wider range of widths.

[John Hemenway]

I use TS all the time. Zero Clearance Insert (ZCI) for the dado set. I like that I can customize the width of dado with shims (seems like ply is never the same thickness) to get an exact fit. I make my own ZCI and have several versions for different "3/4 in" ply.

With a good dado set and well tuned saw there is little tearout. None on with-the- grain cuts and a very small amount cross-grain. Once you get the dado blades set right it's really fast to cut many feet of dados. Also I like the dust collection better!

[Dan Oliphant]

John,
I use both methods, the project will dictate the method needed. Example, a large panel (6 feet or more) should have dados cut with a router, smaller panels can be plowed out on the table saw. As others have said, a high quality dado set will give a very clean cut.

[Jim Becker]

I have cut them with both methods, but use the TS most of the time. For a dado blade on the table saw, the blade design and quality has a lot of effect on the quality of the cut, including in plywood. Bad blade...bad cut. But how you use hold-downs can also affect quality, even when you are using the "bestest" blade set available.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I think you should learn both ways. Most smaller items work well on the TS and I like it because of the dust collection I have. But with the proper router guide, a router does a very nice job albeit a little messier in my shop. (O.K. Jim this is where you suggest Festool. I do like the control I feel with the router method but as I said you need to do both to see what fits the particular application. Alan in Md.

[Jim Becker]

Alan, with the MFT setup, it's very likely...no, almost assured...that I'll be doing dados in panels with the guided router setup. It just makes sense to do so for both function and safety. But I still like doing rebates along an edge with the saw and fence, or long grooves in "rip" orientation. It's nice having multiple choices!

[Jay Knepper]

I use the router for stopped dados, and the table saw for all others. I've personally never cut a dado too long to be handled on the table saw.

I would guess that the TS is ten times faster than the router and quality is nearly equal.

[Robert Ziegler]

Done it both ways - a table saw with stacked dado and a router with a guide or jig. ( I refuse to use my wobble dado blade as I consider it unsafe. my conscience prevents me from giving it away)

I say learn both ways - you may have a favorite, but the other technique will come in handy some day.
Why restrict yourself to learning only one way to do things? (unless the government says one way is against the law)

For that matter, why don't you use a handheld router plane?

Now we've got three methods.

[Dino Makropoulos]

I've never cut dados with a table saw, most of the saws in Europe can't be fitted with dado blades anyway (legal requirement for safety reasons). Having never seen a dado cut with a table saw, is there any breakout when cutting plywood etc, seems to me there would be, due to the cutting action
John

Today's routers and guide rails with Router kits make routing dados
safer-easier and better than the tablesaw.
Here is a link from ..EZ Dado.
Without resetting the guide rail or moving the wood (Dead Wood Concept)
you can even do gang dados.
http://www.eurekazone.com/images/gal...rgallery1.html
Today I help a friend to make some carpet samples.
I have to make stop dados 3"x 30" on a piece of 3/4" oak ply.1/4"deep.
Nothing to it. Pictures next week.
Using a router with a guide rail and the SRK (smart router kit) with traverse movement is like using a "manual" CNC.
Thanks.
YCF Ez Dino

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Cutting dados is what a well tuned and reliable radial arm saw does best. This statement may open another can of worms. Let's not debate the whole RAS issue again.

[Dino Makropoulos]

And here is few more pictures.
Straight and tapered dados
http://www.eurekazone.com/images/pro...nockoutbig.jpg

Inlay dados 20' long.

http://www.eurekazone.com/images/pro...k/deck1big.jpg
http://www.eurekazone.com/images/pro...k/deck2big.jpg
http://www.eurekazone.com/images/pro...k/deck3big.jpg
http://www.eurekazone.com/images/pro...k/deck4big.jpg

Enjoy.
And please. Don't try this with your tablesaw.

[Jason Tuinstra]

John, with Jim, I'm pretty excited to use the FESTOOL MFT to cut dados. For simple operations, I'll stick with the table saw, but for sliding dovetails and matched dados for carcase sides, the MFT is the way to go.

[Ray Thompson]

I used to do dado's on the TS but have gone exclusively to the router. Infinitely faster to set up and much more accurate when done with a router and jig.

Ray