Adjustable dado blade won't fit in my saw

[navank]

Hi,

I realize this is an old thread.. and might not exactly fit what I want to ask.. but anyway

I have had a BT3000 for a few months now, and picked up an adjustable dado blade (Craftsman) from a fellow woodworker when buying some other things from him.

Now I have a project that I need the dado blade for, and when I tried to put it on my BT3000, I realized I couldn't get it on. The sheet metal dust collection shroud thing under the motor shaft hits the blade and wouldn't let me put it on. I could wiggle it and basically brute force it in somehow, but it doesn't feel right for sure, and the blade doesn't sit well with or without the spacers. Without the spacer, the blade's dial-a-width adjuster hits the front face of the motor housing at times (didn't run the motor with the blade).

With the small spacer, the blade doesn't match the dado throat plate opening (maybe I should run the saw without the throat plate, or make my own zero clearance dado throat plate?)

I wanted to check with you all to see if I am overlooking something obvious, other than to go get a new Oshlun blade.

BTW, I saw them on sale at Amazon for $58+tax shipped. Seems like a good deal, but don't want to spend it if I could live with my current blade somehow for the kind of projects I am working on.

Thanks!
-Ganesh

[1woodbutcher]

Raise the blade to the very top.

To use the Craftsman adjustable dado blade. Raise the saw to the very, very top position. Remove the arbor nut, the two blade holders and the spacers.

Adjust the craftsman to the smallest dado position ( 1/4"). Tilt the bottom of the dado between the arbor and the "dust pan". Once the blades are between the arbor and the "dust pan" move the blade as far back as possible until the entire blade drops into the "dust pan". THEN, gently slide the rear blade holder between the saw arbor and the hole in the blade. Pop the front blade holder on the arbor and start the arbor nut.

Next, adjust the dado size to the needed size and completely tighten the arbor nut. Remember that this dado blade DOES NOT USE THE 2 BLADE SPACERS.

Gently, Lower the blade adjustment wheel to the bottom and the raise to the needed height. BE VERY OBSERVANT HERE, AT 1 INCH BLADE HEIGHT, THERE IS JUST OVER 1/8" CLEARENCE AT THE BACK OF THE BLADE. DO NOT USE THIS BLADE ABOVE A HEIGHT OF 1 INCH AS IT WILL BIND.

This seems a stange way to put a dado blade on, but it is the only way it will work. I thought it was an impossible fit until a guy that used to work for Ryobi showed me this procedure.

[Uncle Cracker]

Yeah, these are the very same clearance issues that exist with an 8" stacked dado set. If I were you, I'd just get a good 6" stacked set, and put that wretched wobble dado on Craigslist. The 6" stack will give you cleaner and more repeatable dados, with all the depth you'll probably ever need, and your clearance issues will be a thing of the past.

[LCHIEN]

Yeah, these are the very same clearance issues that exist with an 8" stacked dado set. If I were you, I'd just get a good 6" stacked set, and put that wretched wobble dado on Craigslist. The 6" stack will give you cleaner and more repeatable dados, with all the depth you'll probably ever need, and your clearance issues will be a thing of the past.

Actually, UC, the adjustable dado generates a whole new set of problems as well as some of the ones that exist with the 8" stack.

With the 8" stack, at least the central hub is solid so there's no issues of plates hanging on the threads cutting different heights and messing up the bottom. The clearance issue is also resolved by leaving off the blade washers as Woodbutcher suggested - that alows leaving on the 1/4" spacer and clearing the housing and still getting the arbor nut on.

The new problem relates to getting the longish hub on while clearing the arbor and the shroud. I know I did it a few times and can probably do it again and it involves dropping the unit below the arbor and coming in from the bottom as Woodbutcher explained. but its very, Very contortionist.

I had a very nice excalibur twin-blade wobble dado but i retired it because it was too much trouble to put on.

[dbhost]

Lose the wobble Dado, grab a good 6" dado stack instead. I have the Oshlun and it works exactly as it is supposed to...

[navank]

Thanks all!

I haven't had a chance to try the technique 1woodbutcher has explained. I thought I had already tried something very similar, although not as elegantly as described I think I took the spacers out, and left just the inner blade holder, blade, outer blade holder, and arbor nut. This still didn't seem to work as the adjustment dial wouldn't sit uniformly on the motor housing (the blade holder wasn't thick enough to offset the wobble in the blade).

But given the shape of the blade, and everyone's recommendation I think I might just cop out and order a 6" stacked set, and let someone with a more "traditional saw" take the wobble dado.

Cheers!