Arbor bushing(s) for stacked dado blade?

[Todd Burch]

I have a 12" RAS and have purchased a 12" stacked dado for it. Arbor size is 5/8, but stack dado holes are 1".

What would you use for a variable-width arbor bushing? Sometimes I might want a 1/4" dado, other times, I might want 13/16ths.

(Actually, I got an extra set of chippers, so, theoretically… … … , I could stack as wide as 24/16ths, or 1.5" wide. I think my arbor is long enough too! :eek: )

Todd

[Mike Schuch]

Return or sell the 12" set and purchase a set with a proper 5/8" arbor. You could get a bunch of 5/8" to 1" bushings but you will have a hard time getting the blade pack balanced and cutting a smooth dado.

[Earl McLain]

+1 on that. Unless you're planning on cutting dados more than 3" deep, an 8" set will be plenty deep. And it'll be available with a 5/8" arbor. Spinning up a 12" stack would take just a wee bit of juice too, i'd think!!
earl

[Todd Burch]

Ain't no returning it. ebay purchase.

[Larry Edgerton]

Todd

I have a Minimax saw with a 1" arbor, but to use the dado blade I thread on a sleave that is 1 1/4", and my dado is bored to this size. Then some bushings slide over the sleave and a left hand bolt with reverse threads threads into the inside of this sleave with a heavy washer that pushes on the spacers and so the blade.

Confused?

Anyway, some sort of arrangement like this would allow you to run whatever blades you need without worries of a spacer not being just where it should be.

All 12" sets come with a 1" bore so you are probably screwed there. I had Forrest make this set up for this saw. You can find a 10" with 5/8"bore, or have someone make you a custom set.

I actually like the setup on the Minimax because I can take the whole dado set off at once still on its own hollow arbor and set it off to the side for future work at the same setting, shims and all.

Larry

[Chris Padilla]

12" dado blade spinning at you!!! :eek:

Time to visit a machinist buddy to whip up a plethora of bushings for you. ;)

[Kent A Bathurst]

Ain't no returning it. ebay purchase.

You done gone and screwed up, pal. Its not personal. It is simply a fact. As a wise man told me long ago: When you are digging a hole for yourself, the most important thing to do is throw the shovel away.

By the time you have made the necessary corrections to be able to use this set, you will be upside-down on the cost of doing it correctly from the get-go.

Sell it on ebay - even at a loss - and then get what you need. In the grand scale of things, it won't make the list of your top 100 WW mistakes. ;)

FWIW - 12" saws most commonly have 1" arbors, AFIAK. 12" blades w/ 5/8" are not rare, but they tend not to be the typical "standard".

[Larry Edgerton]

Kent, you are such a wet blanket!

I was trying to turn this in to an engineering project and you have to go and start talking common sense. My wife is gone for the night and I needed something to ponder.......

I have a 14"radial arm saw with a 1" arbor, but I have never wanted to use a dado blade in it. Just don't like the idea.........

[Kent A Bathurst]

........ you have to go and start talking common sense.........

Larry, my snow-bound friend --

You cannot conceive of how many times, over how many years, on how many disparate topics, I had screwed the pooch and kept going - completely convinced that I could "engineer" my way out of the problem and make it right.

Sometimes I could. Sometimes I could not.

I never - never ever - came out ahead in that ego-driven game, win or lose.

I just got tired of my own schtick over the years, threw in the towel, and tried "rational" as a school of thought...............has actually worked out pretty doggone well, to be honest. ;)

[Larry Edgerton]

I am much the same way, but its because I am cheap. Currently I am aghast at the price of an Aigner fence and am contemplating buying a milling machine so I can makee one, only better.......

Oh, and I have never figured that out, the reason thing. Now there is something I can ponder!

Later Buddy..........

[Peter Quinn]

Its an easy fix, they sell press in bushings for saw blades, you bush each cuter in the set, stack it as you wish.


http://www.amanatool.com/products/saw-blades/saw-blade-accessories/saw-blade-reducing-bushings.html


Biggest problem is....I only know a few 12" RAS with 5/8" arbors...and none of them have enough balls to push a fully stacked 12" dado, so proceed with caution!

[Todd Burch]

I have two RAS's. This Rockwell/Delta "10 plus" 12" saw (5/8" arbor), and a Red Star 16". It will be a while before I rebuild the Red Star. I think (I'm not certain) the 16" Red Star has a 1" arbor (I would hope, at least). Being able to use this dado on the Rockwell would be a +. I was thinking a series of 1" to 5/8" reducing bushings, which varied in length from 1/4" on up to max width would work, but that's a lot of bushings to manage. I think the Amana option posted by Peter would be a good solution for now.

I too would be cautious about spinning a fully stacked 12" dado on a 12" saw with a 5/8" shaft, but there must have been a reason they made the arbor so long… But to me, if you are going to have a RAS that you will mount a dado on - might as well go for broke, eh? (and stand to the side…)

[Todd Burch]

BTW, I paid $150 for the 12" dado set which included the extra set of chippers.

[Peter Quinn]

BTW, I paid $150 for the 12" dado set which included the extra set of chippers.

Fine deal, hard to beat, I figured it was a delta/Rockwell saw because I use one at work and had to track down a 12" blade with 5/8" arbor a while back, not that many options. 12" is a lot of plate for that size motor to spin if the stack gets large. The arbor is long enough to spin a molding head, which used to be more popular, they had a different guard available, let it work sort of like a shaper, though imo the rpm's are a bit slow for that sort of work, but I've never honestly tried it. So be cautious, and worst case you can sell it to me! Or one of the myriad of other creekers who have bigger RAS'S......or keep it until your 16" saw is finished. Point is you can't go wrong.

[Bradley Gray]

Todd

I have a 14" turret saw with a 1" arbor. If all this rigging is too much and you wish to bail send me a PM and I'll buy it from you.

[Mark Wooden]

I'm familiar with the 'Plus10" saw and I believe that's a 1-1/2 hp saw. Ok with a 12" single blade, but use it with caution if you're trying to spin a 12" dado and don't try to cut more than 3/4" deep, if that. Not enough power, it will climb over the stock, wreck the saw- or worse- if you're not extremely careful.
I have a 40B,, 1" arbor, 2hp and I very rarely dado with the 10" set I have for it. Too white knuckle.

[Rick Lizek]

Freud, Amana sell bushings designed for this. No big deal. Whoever said you will have balance problem is totally wrong. Been using bushings like your situation for 35 years. 90% of Internet advice is wrong.

[Chris Padilla]

...and 87% of all statistics are made up on the spot, Rick. ;) :D

[Mike Schuch]

I have two RAS's. This Rockwell/Delta "10 plus" 12" saw (5/8" arbor), and a Red Star 16". It will be a while before I rebuild the Red Star. I think (I'm not certain) the 16" Red Star has a 1" arbor (I would hope, at least). Being able to use this dado on the Rockwell would be a +. I was thinking a series of 1" to 5/8" reducing bushings, which varied in length from 1/4" on up to max width would work, but that's a lot of bushings to manage. I think the Amana option posted by Peter would be a good solution for now.

I too would be cautious about spinning a fully stacked 12" dado on a 12" saw with a 5/8" shaft, but there must have been a reason they made the arbor so long… But to me, if you are going to have a RAS that you will mount a dado on - might as well go for broke, eh? (and stand to the side…)


I use my 12" dado set on my Redstar model 50 16" saw all the time. It works beautifully! Why wouldn't you want to use your dados on your Redstar? When I use my 12" dados it does blow up quite a storm... you can hear and feel the wind it produces but it works beautifully without any issues! A model 50 should have plenty of grunt to spin a pack even with the extra chippers in it. My model 50 is 7.5hp 3ph but I blieve they made a 5hp 1ph verson.


Does your Redstar have a sliding table on it? I love that feature on mine! If it is a model 50 it does have a 1" arbor. I don't know if the model 40 was a 1" or 3/4" arbor but I do not believe a model 40 is a 16" saw.