Shopsmith Forums

I agree with Ed. I have mostly Freud blades and a couple Amana blades but a lot of people like Forrest make excellent products. Bottom line for me is that all the high end blades work well and many are exceptional. Freuds 80 tooth cut off blade is amazing. The biggest item in saw blades is the guy who sharpens them. They all work well new but ultimately they all need sharpening and that is where the fun begins. A sharpener can ruin a blade in a matter of minutes and turn it into a frisbee. Best advice is buy good quality blades and when it is sharpening time go to a reputable cabinet shop and ask them who does their sharpening. They will know who is doing the best work. Cabinet shops live by the grace of their sharpeners.
Paul

I would add my support for the 6". For the above reasons of --seldom need a dado that deep -- the weight difference is significant --

Here is how I might approach it.
Do you have a project or projects in mind? Do any of them require any dado deeper than 1" let alone the 1 1/4" from a 6", (half laps on a 4x4 would still be possible). My guess is no. However, if that IS the case of deeper cuts, might you want to use a band saw to make the cuts instead?

If you would use a sled, the thickness of the base could be 1/2" and you could still get a 3/4" dado.

If you have the opportunity, get to a store that has inexpensive dado sets (Vermont American comes to mind since I have a 6" set that gets used for less "demanding" work aka hogging out material on 2x ). Compare the heft to the cheap versus expensive (more cutting surfaces add considerably to the weight). It is significant . Next, compare the expensive 6" to their 8". Now think of the motor (even if it is a PP) driving that even heavier 8" set! I personally think the PP is a significant leap in usable hp but I would not use mine with an 8" dado, just my opinion.

You will thoroughly enjoy the Dadonater no matter which size. However, unless you have a real need for the larger size, why put that added strain on the motor?

Just my two cents.


Be well,
Ben

I have an 8" Dadonator. Yes, it is a big, heavy beast. But, from experience, I can tell you that your standard issue 1-1/8 hp equipped Shopsmith will handle it just fine.

It comes up to speed virtually instantly -- even when the speed dial is set at "dado" speed and I am starting and stopping between cuts without bothering to dial back to "slow."

Now, I'm not a physicist or an engineer (Dennis and JPG and others can correct me on this if they think I am wrong), but I believe that if you were to set up a 6" and 8" Dadonator to make the same thickness and depth of cut in the same stock, the extra mass of the 8" Dadonator will act like a fly wheel and actually help the motor power through a difficult cut more easily as compared to the 6" Dadonator. The tips of the 8" blade are also moving at a faster speed as compared to a 6" blade at any given setting on the speed dial.

I'm sure you won't be disappointed with either the 6" or 8" Dadonator. The cuts truly are flat-bottomed, clean and without bat wings.

First, WHAT is this bat wing phenomenon of which y'all speak?

Yes the additional size of the 8" over the 6" will increase the mass and therefore exhibit an increased flywheel effect.

Now for the motor loading comments.

The load presented to the motor is a function of the amount of work being done(cutting/removal of material from the workpiece).

The power required to do so is also affected by the speed at which that is accomplished.

At a given rpm and feed rate the 8" indeed requires more power than a 6".

However reducing either the feed rate or the rpm by a factor of 6/8 will reduce the power required by an 8" to that of a 6".

For myself, I have an 8" and adjust the rpm/feed rate accordingly.

P.S. the material also affects the power required.

BTW 1 1/4" deep cutting creates a half lapped 4x4?????? I think that requires a 1 3/4" deep cut.

Bat wings/bat ears?

algale wrote:Bat wings/bat ears?

Ohhh. Them!

Thanks.

JPG wrote:
BTW 1 1/4" deep cutting creates a half lapped 4x4?????? I think that requires a 1 3/4" deep cut.

caught once again by the Master of Minutia (or Minutiae) and the Commander of Common Sense! Or was that the Duke of Detail??

I've not tried to cut half lapped joints in a 4x4 with a dado. The only time I can think of cutting them, I used a hand saw.

I be corrected Sir!

Be well,
Ben

benush26 wrote:

JPG wrote:
BTW 1 1/4" deep cutting creates a half lapped 4x4?????? I think that requires a 1 3/4" deep cut.

caught once again by the Master of Minutia (or Minutiae) and the Commander of Common Sense! Or was that the Duke of Detail??

I've not tried to cut half lapped joints in a 4x4 with a dado. The only time I can think of cutting them, I used a hand saw.

I be corrected Sir!

Be well,
Ben

The Picky S........!

He does try to 'understand' all that is posted, hence the 'sensitivity'.

paulrussell wrote:Bandsaw -- I'm starting to do some resawing, and also everyday smaller blade work, and have notices lots of brand names bandied about.

I recently bought some Timber Wolf resawing blades from http://timberwolfblades.com/ and I absolutely love them. Now all I need to do is get a general purpose blade.