I bought this Dado set on line from a woodworking supply outlet and when i recieved it i went to install it in my Dewalt DW744 contractor table saw. My saw has a 5/8`` arbour but European blades have a 30mm or 1-1/4`` bore, Dewalt overcomes this by supplying an outside blade washer with a 30mm protrusion which locks into the blade bore. I had two options when i bought this Dado set, i could have bought one with a 5/8'' bore or a 30mm bore. As all my table saw blades have a 30mm bore i assumed the Dado with the 30mm bore would fit my saw. Sadly it didn`t, the two outside blades went on fine but when i tried to install some chippers between them they just sat down on the blade arbour. The outside blade washer`s protrusion isn`t long enough to support the chippers, obviously i didn`t try to turn on the saw with this configuration. In my own defence this was my first Dado set so my knowledge of them is limited. Freud makes some assumptions with the instructions on this set, i just don't understand how a saw with a 5/8'' arbour can be fitted with a Dado set with a 30mm bore. I can't speak for other saws that are manufactured for the European market but i'm fairly sure that they all have 5/8'' arbours with outside blade washers with 30mm protrusions. Unless Freud are selling adaptors with a 5/8'' bore with a 30mm outside diameter, i don't understand why they are selling the 30mm bore Dado sets. This problem won't be an issue for Americans or Canadians as 5/8'' bore tablesaw blades and Dado sets are standard in those countries.
I had read the reviews of this product on Amazon and noticed that a lot of people have problems with fitting this set to their saws. I tried to install the inside blade, all the chippers and the outside blade. There just isn't enough room on the arbour, the only way i could get them to fit was to remove the inside blade washer. The inside blade washer is big, it takes up about 3/8'' on the arbour. Dewalt might have a slimmer inside blade washer on the market. With the entire Dado set on the arbour i tried turning the set by hand and noticed that the inside blade was rubbing against the blade shield. Obviously the inside washer should not be removed, a fairly slim inside washer is a must for this Dado set on a Dewalt DW744. I'll have to spend money on returning the Dado set and swapping it for the set with the 5/8'' bore. I'm sure this is a fine Dado set once it's compatible with your saw, Freud should include a list of compatible saws with the instructions. Colour coding the shims and chippers would be a great idea as well.
I'm updating the above, i went to my local Dewalt service centre and the technican told me that i'd have to buy seven 30mm to 15mm reducers or send the Dado set back which would cost me nearly as much in postage as the seven reducers. I bought the reducers, this still leaves the issue of the shims being unsupported on the arbour shaft because of their 30mm bores. I'll probably have to buy a set of shims with 15mm bores which will cost me more money. He said that Dewalt don't have a slim inside blade washer so i'll have to get it reduced in thickness in a machine shop if i want to get the full stack on the arbour. I'll have to turn the outside blade washer around so that the 30mm protrusion is on the outside against the lock nut. Sounds simple enough doesn't it!
I ended up sending back the dado set and had it replaced with one with a 15mm bore, i also got a refund for the seven reducers i bought. I tried to fit the entire stack on the arbour and it fitted. I had to remove the inside washer and replace it with the outside washer, the nut goes on the outside of the stack. I have yet to use the stack as i have had some problems with my table saw, i wouldn't be surprised if there was some wobble given that the stack is unsupported on the outside apart from the blade nut. A blade stabalizer might be a good buy, i think i might also purchase a set of Veritas slotted shims which are colour coded.Get more detail about Freud SD208 8-Inch Professional Dado.
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