Festool Table saw.....dado stack

[Jiggy Joiner]

From what I’ve read, I can’t see how they are illegal over here, and even if they were, how would they police it?

Wel, depending on the brand (pretty sure a Hammer K3/B3 would be fine), I guess they can't (police it). However, if you run into some type of accident maybe the insurance could stir-up some issues?

As a business and employer, I obviously cannot take the risk mate but, there doesn’t seem to be anything stopping me doing so.
Occasionally, we get a visit from health and safety, and if I change insurance brokers, they may well pay a visit.
Public are only allowed by appointment, so it’s not like many, apart from colleagues and delivery drivers see inside the workshop.

I’m happy cutting trench cuts (dado) with the router and spindle moulder but, I can see how handy a dado stack is.

 

[Chris Cianci]

I started this post and appreciate all of the responses. I’m a novice and happy to hear anything that helps me . Maybe I just need to be more creative in my use of a router in a table or a router on a track.
Thanks again Fog members

 

[bertv]

Is that right? Dadoes not used/not legal in Europe?

Why is that?

To be honest, I don't know exactly. But they are totally not used here and dado blades are not sold. I don't know if they're illegal or not, but no one sells them and there are no saws on which they fit.

I'd guess they figure we do dados with a router, and we do. Or the approach with a table saw were you make multiple cuts a tiny little bit side by side.

Per EU-regulation saw blades have to come to a complete stand still within a certain time after hitting the stop button. Dado-blades have too much mass to be able to reach that limit.
BTW Dado-stacks are used on pro-saws, mostly special order models, but often limited to 19,5 mm width (3/4 inch). For example: Hammer and Felder offer them. My guess is that these machine have blade braking tech on board that makes them fall within the limits.

Here’s a link to a Felder dado-stack:https://de.feldershop.com/Saegen/Sc...nutfraeser-fuer-Kreissaegeeinsatz-WPL-HW.html

 

[jeh]

Or you can just attack it from a different angle:

Multi-cutter MF 26 cc

 

[AlexThePalex]

[quote author=Alex] But they are totally not used here and dado blades are not sold. I don't know if they're illegal or not, but no one sells them and there are no saws on which they fit.

Was just mention this, since you strongly stated DADO's are not used/sold in Europe...
[/quote]

I didn't mean to give an all-inclusive list of every professional tool used out there. I just never see them in the stores where I go, I don't see the dados and I don't see any saws that can take them. And I see a lot of professional tool stores, everywhere.

In the USA, dados are open for any consumer to get. If that were the same here, I surely would have seen them and most probably bought them.

Of course, Felder is in the big machine PRO-league. They have their own chanels.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

If you watch this video about 1.50 minutes in, it shows the blade guard removed, and cutting a dado/trench, albeit with a single blade.

At least three tool shops I use have these in stock, and I can buy one and use it legally.
So the stack seems to be the issue, as you can see the blade guard lowered or removed.
The video was almost certainly shot in Germany but, sold in Europe with European law, and also N.A

Mafell Erika 85CE

 

[MikkelF]

I just ordered my Hammer K3 with the Dado prep. All felder/hammer machines do break down the dado stacks in few seconds, so maybe that's why they are allowed to sell it?

[member=5277]Alex[/member]: A K3 is not a lot more expensive than the FT TS80 (full kit) or the Erica saw's, so it's not just for the PRO's IMO - at least I'm not a pro

 

[AlexThePalex]

[member=5277]Alex[/member]: A K3 is not a lot more expensive than the FT TS80 (full kit) or the Erica saw's, so it's not just for the PRO's IMO - at least I'm not a pro

As a private person you can buy any professional tool you want. It is just that most hobbyists are not enthousiast enough to spend  Festool / Mafell / Felder money on their equipment.

 

[demographic]

Dado stack illegal in the UK?
Hell, one place I worked at had a wobble saw.

 

[Pete-DE]

Though I've been a keen user of various Festool tools for over a decade now, I'm new to the forum (I only just found out there is one) so am new to this topic also. I had independently asked Sautershop, one of my favoured suppliers here in Germany, if their advertised dado blades could be used with the TKS 80, and as I expected was advised today that no, they can't. Rough translation:
1. You'll have a problem with the length of the spindle.
2. The manufacturer of the tablesaw advises strongly against their use as due to the weight of the blades the motor brake could suffer damage.
So I assume from that that they are not so much illegal (for private use) as impractical and a possible risk to user and/or machine.

Pete

 

[Birdhunter]

The OP asked about SawStop technology re Dado stacks.

I have a SawStop saw (not Euro version) and use a Dado stack. It is a pain to switch from a saw blade to a Dado.

The brake cartridge for the Dado is different than that for a saw blade so must be switched out. The manual says to adjust clearance between blade and brake. The blade throat has to be switched from regular to one specifically for the Dado. There is a defined process for opening up the throat for the Dado. Again, fussy.

Also, the Dado set must be within SawStop specification. I had to buy a new Dado stack when I went from a Unisaw to the SawStop.

I usually just use my router table.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

As I understand it, the issue is the European safety standard that requires the blade to come to a complete stop within 4 seconds of pushing the stop switch. I would guess that it has to do with whatever braking system they use and how hard (or costly) it might be to meet that requirement with a big dado stack.
So, they use a shorter arbor to discourage people from trying it.
Saws built for the American market just coast down when the power is shut off. It can take quite a while for the blade to stop.
The Laguna Slider that we have at the shop does this. It has a 12" (300mm) blade with a 30mm arbor. It stops so quick to almost be startling.