Sorry, I think that my original post was unclear.

The saw that I got has the original steel (no carbide) Craftsman blade on
it. It also came with a Craftsman wobble dado blade. As I have no more money
(and won't for a very long time), getting a better blade (Forrest, Freud or
other) or any other dado set isn't gonna happen.

So, the only way that I would be able to do a rabbet or dado would be to use
the wobble (that everyone tells me is unsafe and not to mention looking at
it a PITA for accuracy and no flat bottom cuts) or make multiple passes with
the regular blade (again difficult to be accurate and time-consuming).

As I have not yet tried either, I am probably completely wrong of course. I
hope so as it is now too late to do anything about it.

Of course, if money were no object, I would get a Forrest Dado King or a
Freud SD608 or something better, but are wobbles really as bad (unsafe) as I
have heard? Looking at where the setting gets dialed in, hitting 23/32"
would be nearly impossible.

Even if I could come up with a better blade (I thought about stealing the
DeWalt crosscut blade out of my miter saw which has to be better the
Craftsman blade in the table saw now), is making rabbets/dadoes using a
standard blade as big of a PITA as it sounds?

Anyway, it seems to me that using a circular saw to do a rough-cut and then
easing up on the final dimension using a router and straight bit (or
straight edge and a flush-trim bit) would be easier than the options that I
stated above.

Please feel free to correct me. That's why I am here.


codepath



"Bay Area Dave" wrote in message
...
I can't recall hearing a practicing woodworker say he makes do with a
router table but NOT a table saw. The TS is the heart of a WW shop.
You can rabbet and dado to your hearts content on it. With the right
blade you don't need to "finish" up on the router table, anyway. I get
glass smooth cuts with a Freud or Forrest blade. Granted the Forrest is
about $100, but the Freuds are excellent for much less dinero. Pick up
a book devoted to the table saw and you may reconsider your "problem" as
a blessing.

dave

wrote:

I am having doubts about my recent table saw purchase. Well, not
actually
about the saw. I got a great (gloat-worthy) deal. But, about the
decision to
get a table saw in the first place.

You see, I am a newbie. I asked around and most advice given was that
the
table saw is the major workhorse in woodworking. So, I got one as my
xmas
gift.

Problem is that I spent every cent I had to get a good one (well, the
best I
could get for the money that I had). And, although it came with a wobble
dado blade (yeah, I know "you'll put your eye out kid"), I now (and for
the
foreseeable future with a new kid coming soon) cannot afford a good
blade
for a good dado set.

So I am thinking that I should have gotten a really good router combo
and a
bit set with the money instead. At least then I could rough cut with my
circular saw and finish with the router. Plus, then I could do rabbets,
dadoes, etc.

Agree, disagree, head up my ass, other opinions?

codepath