Dado shims

[jeff oldham]

Has anyone ever used the dado shims that lee valley sells...they have cutouts on the side to slide on your arbor shaft...seems like they would be easier to get on and off rather than the conviental type

[Mark Hockenberg]

Hi Jeff,

I haven't seen these before, but just took a look. They look a great alternative to scraps of sandpaper and laminate. For $13.50, you can't go wrong.

Cheers,
Mark

[ChrisA Edwards]

I think trying to slide in plastic shims, while the dado blade set is still on the arbor would lead to lots of dropped shims into the cabinet, and being plastic, tough to get out as a long pick up magnet would be useless.

I have this magnetic dado shim stack from Ridge Carbibe.


https://ridgecarbidetool.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/97x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/5/1/51o_gzlxcgl.jpg
https://ridgecarbidetool.com/accessories/magnetic-dado-shim-set.html

[David Eisenhauer]

A set of the plastic shims with the cutout on them was included with my Forrest dado set many, many years ago and I have always used them with good effect. I reach my hand down into the hole, wiggle a little room between two plates and insert a shim as needed. I do have to pay attention to prevent rubbing/bumping against sharp carbide tips so as to prevent cuts, but I have been doing it a long time and am pretty used to the operation. Have I ever dropped a shim? Probably, I assume, but can't remember doing so. Certainly not a regular occurrence. I have seen the magnetic types offered for sale over the years and have always figured they would work too. I do like not having to pull part of the stack out to insert or remove a shim. At this stage, I mostly use a sample dado board that has many different dado widths created by various combinations of (different plate thicknesses) plates and shims to test fit a sample of the material I want to cut dados in and create the stack before it goes on the arbor. I do occasionally need to add or subtract a shim though for new material.

[Todd Bender]

+1. Love the magnetic shims.

[Bob Johnson2]

I got a set of plastic like them with my dado set years ago, work fine for me. I put them in the same as David does 2 posts up.

[michael dilday]

I think trying to slide in plastic shims, while the dado blade set is still on the arbor would lead to lots of dropped shims into the cabinet, and being plastic, tough to get out as a long pick up magnet would be useless.

I have this magnetic dado shim stack from Ridge Carbibe.


https://ridgecarbidetool.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/97x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/5/1/51o_gzlxcgl.jpg
https://ridgecarbidetool.com/accessories/magnetic-dado-shim-set.html

Wonder if the magnetic shims would interfere with a SawStop brake?

[Bill Dufour]

Pennington forceps are great for placing shims down into tight areas. You can buy some decent ones for about $5 delivered. Search for "piercing forceps". They make plastic ones that can be used around live wires.
Also useful to hold a scrap of rag to do touchup staining.
Bill D.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennington_clamp

https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Pennington-Forceps-Standard-Piercing/dp/B005XFVSAS

[Charles Lent]

I haven't used dado shims since buying the Freud dial a width dado stack. It stacks together like other dado blade sets, but then you make fine adjustments with the adjustment knob on the outermost blade. It has a detent feature that clicks as you turn the knob and each click adds 0.004" to the width of the stack. Just loosen the arbor nut, turn the knob the number of clicks that you want, and tighten the arbor nut.

https://www.amazon.com/Freud-Dial-Width-Stacked-SD608/dp/B000089H8P


Charley