In Tricks of the Trade

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For many years, I set up my dado stack directly on my table saw. So if my test cut was not correct, it required the re- moval of a portion of the set to add or remove shims, or swap out one of the chippers until I was satisfied.

I thought, how great would it be if I could accurately measure the setup before it was mounted it on the saw’s arbor?

So I made an “Easy-Set Jig,” with a 3⁄4″-thick circle that’s smaller than the diameter of the dado blades, attached to a base with a through-bolt. After tightening the 5⁄8″ x 21⁄2″ bolt, the circle lifts the stack sufficiently to measure with calipers the full width of the teeth at any place along the circumference.

With this jig, I can test the setup before loading the dado stack onto the table saw.

I added a short bolt at the top to store my extra shims. –Dennis Snyder


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