I have the dewalt DWE4971RS tablesaw. It’s awesome. I want to use Dado blades, the official dado throat plate is plastic and has poor reviews: is there somewhere to order an aftermarket one, or a 3D printed one?
Also, this tablesaw takes a 10” blade, but I can’t find 10” stacks, just 8’s. What do I buy?
Regarding dado plates - I would recommend making your own, either from materials on hand, or (if you are feeling "spendy") by ordering a blank throat plate from a company like Rockler already cut for your table saw.
Here's a good "How To" on making your own throat plates:
https://www.rockler.com/learn/how-to-make-zero-clearance-throat-plate-inserts-for-table-sawsNOTE: Most woodworkers want several throat plates: a zero-clearance for their everyday blade, and then for each commonly used dado width (e.g. I have one for 3/4", one for 1/2" and one for 1/4"), and often one for 45º cuts. I made mine from scrap 1/2" Baltic plywood. Each one took me about 20 minutes to cut and sand down for a precise fit (I didn't have a band-saw when I did this, so it was all with the table saw + router + orbital sander). After I made two I figured out I could just use one as a template and employ my router with a flush-trim bit to rapidly cut out a few more. live and learn...
Regarding dado-stacks and 6" vs 8" vs 10": Dado blades are not like normal saw blades. Chances are you will NEVER have to cut entirely through a 2" thick piece of lumber with a dado blade. I mean... why the hell would you? Most dados and rabbets are at most 3/4" deep, many will be 3/8" or even 1/4" deep (recommendation is to go no more than 1/2 the thickness of your material, so cutting dados in 3/4" plywood would mean you are cutting 3/8" deep). 10" blades DO exist (I've even seen 12" stacks), but they are expensive and typically only used on saws >3hp due to weight (which are all 220v... so not your saw).
THEREFOR - a 10" dado blade is way overkill, and on most saws (including yours) they are so heavy that it taxes the motor. The larger the diameter, the harder it is to turn. Which leaves you with the choice between 6" and 8" dado stacks. Honestly, I went with a 6" dado stack for cost-savings and I've never regretted it. Even a 6" stack can be raised high enough to cut >1" on my TS, and in my entire woodworking career I've never needed to or known anyone who's needed deeper dados. I'm sure someone, somewhere has needed to cut really, really thick dados... but that's rare. I'm not sure I know anyone who's ever needed the full depth of an 8" Dado.
There is one reason to favor an 8" stack over a 6", and that's simply that there's more teeth which (in theory) will last longer between sharpening. But the cost difference between the two will pay for a full sharpening, and unless you are cutting dozens of Dados every weekend it's unlikely you'll even notice.
tl;dr - 6" dados are easier on the motor (important for your 120v saw); 8" dados will last slightly longer between sharpening
Here's a rundown of the two from the very excellent Wood Whisperer (aka Mark Spagnolo)
https://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/6-vs-8-dado-stacks/Hope that helps.
