I have an old stacked dado set (bought new) made by Oldham that I don’t use very often. The problem I am encountering is that whenever I do use the set I find the arbor nut very difficult to thread up to the blade when I put my regular blade back on the saw. It is difficult enough that I can’t thread it on with my fingers and using a wrench results in turning the arbor. It’s as if the dado set damages the threads on the arbor. This seems puzzling because I would think the steel in the arbor is hard enough to resist any such damage. The saw is a Powermatic 66.
Any comments appreciated.
Replies
After using the dado set, does the stack still look evenly spaced around the shaft or does it look like it has shifted? If the shaft is spinning inside the dado stack enough it might be damaging the threads. It's probably tough to get close enough to check out the threads with a magnifying glass. I always get the nut as tight as I can with a long wrench and a piece of wood blocking the dado stack when I am installing the dado. The problem is that you don't want to be experimenting with this if it means you might be ruining the arbor. Good luck.
Dado Blade Problems
Thanks for your reply Swenson. I did not notice if the stack had shifted any when I took it off but your comment certainly makes sense. When I installed the set I used the same technique you described with a wrench and block of wood. I think I will retire the dado set rather than risk further damage. Only hope the nut will begin to turn a little easier as I change blades.
Another thought... the nut on my arbor always turns very tightly, it was designed to do that I think. It is smooth though, but it tends to turn the arbor as I thread it on. Does yours feel too tight right from the end of the arbor, or just when you get it down to the threads that have come in contact with the stack?
Dado Blade Problem
Swenson... The tightness begins about where the threads came in contact with the stack. After threading the nut on several times, I can now thread on by hand up to the blade. Under normal conditions, I have always been able to thread the nut on with my fingers.
Odd problem...
Hard to say why the dado set would damage the arbor, are any of the chippers thin enough to drop into the threads? As to the arbor they are turned out of mild steel and aren't hardened afterward, they can be easily damaged.
Dado Blade Problem
JohnWW.... Thanks for your comments on my problem. No, the chippers are not so thin that they slip into the threads. Rather than risk further damage to the arbor shaft, I think I will confine my use of the set to a 1/4" which will sit on the smooth part of the shaft. I rarely use this set, which was a gift when I retired. It produces a cut that is too ragged and the bottom of the dado is too uneven. The recent problem arose when a friend used it on my saw.
a friend used it on my saw
It could be that when your friend put the set on the arbor they were crooked and he forced them scross the threads.
friends
I think it was Ben Franklin who said, "Never a tool borrower, nor a tool lender be." ;-)
Franklin
I think I knew Ben. I'm sure old enough, but my.......................... uh....................memory... is getting bad.
positive thinking
The plus side is that by today, we've forgotten about the things we didn't remember yesterday. ;-)
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