A reader sent in the following question:
I had a wobble dado blade some time ago and used it on my Ryobi BT3000 and it destroyed the guides that keep the saw aligned during the up and down operation. When I took it in to the service center to be repaired they told me right off that I should not have been using the wobble blade on that saw. Perhaps there are other saws that are in the same boat so it may be a good idea to pass on the warning.Its no secret that I'm not a fan of wobble dado blades, particularly on small, shall we say, inexpensive table saws. The vibration caused by these blades can cause considerable damage to the motor and drive mechanism of these saws.
A better choice would be a stacked dado blade set. While they're a bit more expensive, they perform much better and don't vibrate and stress the saw the way that a wobble dado blade does.
In these articles, learn more tips on How to Cut a Dado, plus How to Select the Proper Saw Blade for the various tasks in your woodworking projects.
(c) 2010 Chris Baylor licensed to About.com, Inc.
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Comments
I’m an amateur carpenter. I’m thinking of buying a “cheaper” table saw. To save money I may have bought a wobble blade and end up wrecking the saw. I’ll be sure to buy a stacked blade instead.
Thanks for the info!
I have had the BT3000 for about ten years. The warning was not to use molding heads. ect on the saw. I have never done so, and have never done any real heavy work on it. My thoughts are that this is a fine machine to do furniture and medium cuts on. Made out off aluminum, I figured that it best not to do the real heavy work on it. Mine has only needed to be realigned 1 time in the ten year period, and always makes precise cuts, I am Very pleased w/mine!!
I have had the BT3000 for about ten years. The warning was not to use molding heads. ect on the saw. I have never done so, and have never done any real heavy work on it. My thoughts are that this is a fine machine to do furniture and medium cuts on. Made out off aluminum, I figured that it best not to do the real heavy work on it. Mine has only needed to be realigned 1 time in the ten year period, and always makes precise cuts, I am Very pleased w/mine!!
I have used a wobble dado blade on my radial arm saw for about 25 years with no significant results to the saw, I don’t use it very often maybe twice a year.
I used a wobble dado blade on my BT3000 and after I made the cut wondered what all the fuss was about? It cut a real clean and straight bottom and my saw acted like it was cutting through butter.
No vibration difference or sound change, nothin’.
What was really nice is that I just adjusted it to the cut I wanted without having to deal with spacers and placing chippers and what have you.
It was simple and easy to do. What is all the fuss?
I will choose a wobble over any stack for pure convenience. Less parts to deal with real simple to operate.