Shopsmith Forums

I was recently cleaning out a box of stuff from my Dad's workshop that has sat down in my shop for the past 10 years...much to my surprise I discovered an unused SS stacked dado set in there. It must date from the late 70's as that's when he bought his 500. I'm not sure how I never noticed it before and not sure why he never used it. It is different than the dado set shop smith sells now - it has the two-tooth chippers. Also interested to note it has a 5/8" arbor instead of the 1-1/4" arbor- is this typical for a SS dado set? Any tips on using this thing? I typically cut dados on my router table so not a lot of experience using a stacked set like this. It includes paper spacers - are these to fine tune the width?

Here's a photo of the dado set:

Yes, that is what SS used to sell. I have one here I bought sometime in the '90's. They all had a 5/8" bore presumably due to the small blade diameter. The SS moulder/dado arbor has a 5/8" shaft. The paper spacers are used to fine tune the width.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... oarbor.htm

That it's what I inherited with my first 10ER. Works great and I use it often. (Probably because I don't know any better LOL)

rjent wrote:That it's what I inherited with my first 10ER. Works great and I use it often. (Probably because I don't know any better LOL)

I have used mine a lot over the years also and it has worked very well for me too.

Great - thanks. I'll give it a spin.

I have the same set. If the paper shims do not give you enough adjustment, Shopsmith sell a set of shims that will give you increased ability to adjust your cut. You can also make more paper shims.

chapmanruss wrote:I have the same set. If the paper shims do not give you enough adjustment, Shopsmith sell a set of shims that will give you increased ability to adjust your cut. You can also make more paper shims.

Okay - thanks for the tip. Sounds like some trial and error on scrap to get the width just right.

Being a cheap old bastard, I've gone the route of buying used and/or cheap cutting tools, dado sets included.
Take it from me, it's cheaper (and safer!) in the long run to buy the best you can afford the first time.
There's nothing wrong with a good adjustable dado or wobble blade, as long as it produces what you want. But a decent (Infinity, Tenryu, Freud)
Won't cost much more than a good adjustable dado blade.
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dgale wrote:

chapmanruss wrote:I have the same set. If the paper shims do not give you enough adjustment, Shopsmith sell a set of shims that will give you increased ability to adjust your cut. You can also make more paper shims.

Okay - thanks for the tip. Sounds like some trial and error on scrap to get the width just right.

There's an easy way to reduce the trial and error.

[*] Set up the dado blade as close as possilbe to the width you want with all the paper shims installed.
[*] Make a test cut
[*] Insert the piece that is supposed fit in your final dado into the test dado. The piece will either fit perfectly, or more likely will be a little loose.
[*] Take the shims out of the dado set and use as many as necessary to get the fit you want with your test dado
[*] Put the shims you didn't use to fine tune the fit back into the dado set and your next cut will be perfect.