Replies

1. 
   rosie712 | Nov 02, 2020 07:13pm | #1

   I do not believe that that saw is "aware" of which blade you are using. So the override feature just turns off the brake. The brake for a dado blade just has a much wider aluminum brake piece to capture the entire width of a dado stack.

2. 
   stantheman | Nov 02, 2020 07:21pm | #2

   Call SS and ask or chat on-line, if you want to know what they say. https://www.sawstop.com/support/ask-service

3. 
   Beasley7 | Nov 02, 2020 07:56pm | #3

   No, it cannot. If you look at the back of the brake you will see a connector like the one used to connect old computer monitors. Without that plugged in, the saw should not function.

4. 
   _mj_ | Nov 02, 2020 08:26pm | #4

   You might get away with it using a 10" dado stack, but why try to go around something safe that you spent big bucks to put in Place.

   The sawstop needs to be "in the green" before you can use the bypass key to override the safety tech.

5. 
   rosie712 | Nov 03, 2020 10:57am | #5

   I do not believe that that saw is "aware" of which blade you are using. So the override feature just turns off the brake. The brake for a dado blade just has a much wider aluminum brake piece to capture the entire width of a dado stack.

   Addendum - I reread your post. The brake must be in place to use the saw. You could use it with the non-dado brake. It is just that the brake if triggered would not offer the full protection of a dado brake - the aluminum on the single blade brake is at least half as wide as the dado brake . So you could run it like that but not get the full protection, or leave single blade brake in place and throw the saw into override mode with no protection. Also it is worth noting the dado brake is for 8" stacks only - so it is likely taller. As a result the gap between the dado stack and the single blade brake would be greater than spec.

6. 
   _mj_ | Nov 03, 2020 11:37am | #6

   The Sawstop IS "aware" of what's mounted on the arbor. The saw will not go into green without the proper sized blade in place, and you cannot use the override key until the saw is in the green. You cannot use the saw with the 10" brake and an 8" blade. Also, you cannot get the saw into green with a single 8" blade and the dado stack brake... I've tried. I had a pile of 8" blades I used to use on my old saw that I had to give away.

7. 
   john_c2 | Nov 03, 2020 12:24pm | #7

   I'm still learning about Sawstops. Thinking about taking the plunge.

   So you can't run a blade, at all, without a brake? And the dado brake must be on to use any kind of dado?

8. 
   _mj_ | Nov 03, 2020 02:19pm | #8

   JC2; I have the 3HP PCS sitting on the industrial mobile base.

   The saw will not function w/o the brake in place...period. On powerup it runs a self-check sequence that must check out before you can start the saw with the large paddle on/off switch.

   There is an adjustment to get the blade within specs of the brake and the saw senses this as well. The dado brake cartridge is for an 8" dado set. The net result is that for one or two dados I nibble them, but I'll swap out the cartridge and blades for a longer dado session.

   Once you get the hang of it the swap is no big deal, call it another 2 minutes to get from blade to dado or dado to blade.

   You'll want to keep an extra 10" brake cartridge in the shop in case you trigger it. If you do trigger it (I've done it twice in 4-5 years) you'll be back up and running with a new blade in 10 min.

9. 
   john_c2 | Nov 03, 2020 02:33pm | #9

   I dislike changing to a dado blade at all. I'm thinking about keeping my current saw, taking off the wings, etc, and using it as a dedicated dado saw/outfeed table.

10. 
    _mj_ | Nov 03, 2020 05:15pm | #10

    I wish I had that kind of space!

11. 
    ral3wood | Nov 03, 2020 10:32pm | #11

    Think the short answer is that you need a brake cartridge in order for the saw to be able to run - obviously a safety issue. I have never tried using a single 8" blade with the dado cartridge in, but you can certainly use a stack dado with just two blades = 1/4" width.

    With either cartridge you can use the key and turn the cartridge off in order to use with something like wet wood which can inadvertently set it off, so not sure why you would ever want to use it without a cartridge.

    Today I had to switch back and forth between regular and dado stacks multiple times - a pain to swap blades, but switching the cartridges really not much of an extra impediment.

    I cannot afford to be without the tables for any extended periods I always keep an extra regular blade brake cartridge on hand. Less of an issue if I flip the dado cartridge so I don't keep an extra of that.