Dados

[Darcy Warner]

I like to dado on one of my RAS.

[Phillip Gregory]

I like to dado on one of my RAS.

I agree, I much prefer to do dados on my RAS if possible. It's easier to do dados when you can see the work directly vs. having the cutting happen invisibly underneath the workpiece. My RAS is a real joy to use for dadoing, but it also is an extremely powerful, heavy duty saw (7 1/2 hp medium arm DeWalt GE) with a very nice dado stack (12" 36 tooth Freud Super Dado) that cost more than the saw did. But I only spent about as much on my RAS + dado head as the OP is considering spending on a new tablesaw. That is another data point that supports waiting to find a good used piece of equipment rather than getting new, unless you are willing to spend a lot to buy a very nice new piece of equipment.

[Darcy Warner]

I may or may not have 5 or 6 RAS. Dewalt, wadkn, Danckeart.

[Larry Foster]

What is RAS?

[Bill Adamsen]

Radial Arm Saw ... which do provide good visibility of the work, but typically have less depth accuracy than a router.

[Larry Foster]

Thanks, Bill.
After I asked, I thought that may be it.

I have one that I was given to me.

I saw it on the local Freecycle site
Turns out that it belonged to Habitat For Humanity.
They got rid of it because it was too heavy to move around.

It is heavy.
Haven't even turned it on because I'm trying to get my shop together and it's tucked back in a corner

[Phillip Gregory]

Radial Arm Saw ... which do provide good visibility of the work, but typically have less depth accuracy than a router.

Depends on the particular radial arm saw in question. A poorly aligned saw with a cheap sheet metal and plastic arm and column, and a flimsy table (such as the typical later-'60s and on Sears saws) will have sag and wiggle, leading to poor consistency of dado depth. A properly aligned saw with a solid, heavy cast iron arm and column and a sturdy table (such as an industrial sized DeWalt, Original Saw Co. or OMGA unit) will be very accurate.

[Kevin Perez]

I think industrial size is the key as far as RASs go for doing dadoes. I have a nice 1950s DeWalt MBF (8/9") that is excellent for crosscutting, but I'm not sure it would give you dadoes that are truly precise in depth (i.e., within about 1/32" to 1/64" or so along the length of a log dado) because of minute flex in the cast iron arm if you exert varying downward pressure during the cut. This likely wouldn't matter in many applications, but could leave a gap in a visible joint.

[Larry Foster]

Mine is a Craftsman 10".
Can't find a specific model

[richard b miller]

when using a dado blade on a TS, do you use an insert? do you buy/make an insert for the max width of the dado blades?

[Kevin Perez]

when using a dado blade on a TS, do you use an insert? do you buy/make an insert for the max width of the dado blades?

Absolutely. I use a zero clearance insert. You'll need to clamp it down to the table with a board and slowly raise the blade up into it to cut the slot. It works great.

[richard b miller]

Larry, thats about all i had when i first started building my tool inventory. One of the things i have not seen mentioned is your power availability. I wound up getting a Grizzly G0715P, from craigs list, for $450. It was used and actually an older one (~10yo). The top was rusty and a few other problems but after i got it cleaned and aligned, its a great machine. That being said, I had to run a 20 amp circuit from my main box just to run it. My options with the 0715 were (because its switchable) 110v 20a or 220v. My thought process was that all 110v tools can run in that receptacle, so i made the saw 110v. Do you have standard 110v 15a outlets only? Will you need to run another circuit? Check the saws your looking at, for their power requirements.

[Edwin Santos]

I could not live without my stacked dado set. It's worth spending the money on a good one which will have smaller "bat ears" and minimize tear-out on sheet products like plywood and melamine. The good news is that like so many things, they seem less expensive and better than when I bought mine 20 years ago. Here are some of the things I find a good dado set/shims indispensable for:

Cutting drawer joints quickly (groove and rabbet)
All forms of rabbeting, especially carcase component rebates for back material
lap joints
grooves, especially on long(er) workpieces.
tongue/groove doors and frames
I built a dado sled which has gotten a surprising amount of use. It has a replaceable fence that rides on t bolts/jig knobs, can be moved precisely. With a key, I can cut interval dadoes very accurately. Same concept for box joints. Just made a bank of 8 drawers this way. The sled allows safe dado cutting on small workpieces too
Google "Incredible L Fence" and you'll see a simple jig that allows you to use your table saw fence for rabetting without a sacrificial board and the ability to adjust the rabbet dimensions in seconds
For me dust collection is far superior at my table saw than using a handheld router. Plowing large dadoes/grooves will create a lot of dust. I don't find the router table to be optimal for long workpieces
I'm not a fan of taking big bites with a router, so I feel that a dado set in an adequately powered saw will do in one pass what might take multiple passes with a router

One thing the dado set is not good for is stopped dadoes and grooves. It all really depends on what you intend to build. There are multiple ways to build everything so I am not suggesting at all that the dado set is the only way to do any of the things listed. It does surprise me a little, when people say they've never used theirs, or haven't touched it in years.

[Larry Foster]

Thank you for your input, Richard and Edwin.

I have 60 amps running to the garage but only 40 I can give to the shop.
I know that's light but the chickens and goats need 20A during the winter

I don't plan to run more than one tool at a time.

I finally broke down yesterday and got a saw.
It was almost eeny-meent-miney-mo.

A late entry was a Bosch and I, briefly, considered a Hitachi.

But ended up with the Dewalt.
Assembled it today but didn't cut anything.
Tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who offered advice and suggestions.
I'm learning a lot here

[Martin Wasner]

Absolutely. I use a zero clearance insert. You'll need to clamp it down to the table with a board and slowly raise the blade up into it to cut the slot. It works great.

Put the fence over the insert. Way easier.