Another Dado question

[Steve Southwood]

Is it safe to run the dado without the outside washer? I think I read somewhere it was OK. I ask because my R4511 doesn't have enough shaft to tighten the bolt down correct, while doing a 3/4 dado.

Thanks and sorry for all the questions. Should have stuck with the router for daods. :p

[Tom Hintz]

When the arbor is too short for the washer AND the full width of the nut, the nut wins. Most say that you need to have at least one thread of the shaft coming out of the nut. The outer plates on most good dado sets are very ridgid so they act like a kind of washer, sort of.

[glenn bradley]

I agree and have read input from Freud and others on this. The washer can be skipped, the nut must FULLY engage the arbor (threads all the way through and at least flush with the exit point).