Cutting dados... shaper vs tablesaw

[Jesse Busenitz]

Ok, so I'm starting this cabinet project and I'm finding myself changing blades from reg to dado way to often... it'd help if I had more experience and knew exactly what I needed to cut. Anyway I have a shaper so I'm wondering if I could set it up to cut dados and leave my saw alone. My max speed is 10,000 so I'm not sure that's fast enough.... My other option is to dig out my dads older craftsman and use it for dados, probably.... What say you?

[Peter Quinn]

Where are the dados located and what tooling do you have for the shaper? What width are the dados? A shaper can run in dados depending on location and tooling. 10K RPM's? Are you using a router collet?

[Jesse Busenitz]

I'm running a dado for the cabinet floors and also rabbiting for the backs. Mostly 23/32 or whatever 3/4 plywood is these days..... and yes I have a router collet on it.

[Mark Bolton]

We run all rabbets on the shaper, its much cleaner and faster but dados would be a waste of time.

The way to make it less painfull is to organize your work and mill piles and piles of parts so you don't have to swap back and forth. When I begin an entire kitchen its all milled at once. Panels are all broken down, rabbets are all run, dados are all run, and so on.

If you don't have the ability to run every operation once switching back and forth will be something you just have to live with.

[Peter Quinn]

It might work with a 3/4" plywood bit, but 10K rpm is much too slow for bit that size, so you have to reduce the feed rate to one which is basically painfully slow. Better to get a shaper cutter and make a tall fence, Amana makes a 3/4" note dado stack that is reasonable for small shapers. I have an adjustable groover that make fine dados, bit more pricey to go that way. You didn't mention what shaper you are using but 10K plus router collet limits the field. I'm with Mark. Bug cabinet job equals accurate layout and cut lists, batch cut all stock. If you have to go router bits, do it with a router and jig, comes out way better.

[Jesse Busenitz]

Yeah, it'd be the easiest if I could do it all at once .... I would use a router but I hate listening to it scream. It's a 3hp grizzly shaper, and I do have an actual spindle for it, but like was said I need to dial in for the plywood.

[Rod Sheridan]

Cutting rebates is what shapers are designed to do, purchase a rebate head and a stock feeder and you're ready to go.

Forget the router bits...............Rod.

[Prashun Patel]

The only issue with the shaper is if the cutter is not perfectly sized, you'd need to do multiple passes. This means you'd need an accurate way to adjust the fence. Do you have that? Also, do you have a sled for the shaper to carry unwieldy panels over it? Also, does your table have enough capacity to run the dado's further down the sides or are you only cutting near the edges?

Personally, I like a handheld router with a spiral bit/bushing for dados in shelf sides. Once you have the jig made (15 mins) it's quick to set up, easier to handle (especially if you're making any cabinets taller than 3-4 ft), and best of all repeatable.

[Peter Quinn]

http://www.toolstoday.com/p-6200-prestige-mighty-adjustable-super-fine-dado-groover-for-shaper-machines.aspx

[Ole Anderson]

I don't have a shaper, but I agree that you are best served with an adjustable dado stack on your TS. Much higher feed rate and you can easily adjust the width to fit your stock thickness. I use a Freud Dial-a-Width and it crosscuts ply very cleanly. If going back and forth is an issue, put the stack on your second TS if it will fit and it has enough hp to feed at a rate you are comfortable with.

[Peter Quinn]

I don't have a shaper, but I agree that you are best served with an adjustable dado stack on your TS. Much higher feed rate and you can easily adjust the width to fit your stock thickness. I use a Freud Dial-a-Width and it crosscuts ply very cleanly. If going back and forth is an issue, put the stack on your second TS if it will fit and it has enough hp to feed at a rate you are comfortable with.


Not sure where you are getting the feed rate info, but my calculations say the TS may be a bit slower, or in any event very similar for the same chip load. And they make dado tooling for shapers very similar to a TS, on some shapers you can just spin a TS dado blade bored up to the appropriate spindle, probably wouldn't try that on a 3HP grizzly with 3/4" spindle. But the Amana shaper dado I linked above can spin at 7K-10K rpm, that gives you a pretty stiff feed rate, and the cut quality on a shaper is at least as good as a TS. Main draw back is stock control. On the TS gravity is in your favor, on the shaper you have to stand the stock up to make the cuts he's talking about, can be done with proper fence and back fence support, not sure I'm personally that ambitious. On a large cabinet job my 3 shapers will be set up doing other things, like doors, moldings, etc. In my case I don't want to tie up the shaper making dados, TS is the more likely candidate. But the arguments of speed and cut quality are IMO not valid. Shaper is spinning a smaller blade faster with bigger bearings on a thicker arbor....odds for cut quality are in its favor.