SawStopBRAKE CARTRIDGE, 8" DADO BLADE (BLUE)

Having almost lost a thumb to dado blades I wasn’t excited to go back. But, saves a lot of time on cabinets. These cartridges are a turn key change. And combining them with the Cmt dado blades is a safe and fast way to cut grooves, dados and rabbets in minutes. Does this work, dunno, but you need it and so far it’s been a quick turn or a key, swap and I’m back and cutting.

This cartridge is for the 8" Dado blades for use on your Stopsaw. If you have a Stopsaw you'll want and need these brake cartridges for the internal safety brake system. There are plenty of videos out there to show you all the right reasons for using this saw. This cartridge is the muscle behind the safety system. Easy to install and changeout depending on the blades you are using. You just need to pay attention to detail the first few times and make sure you adjust the blade clearance accordingly. I keep a spare for my normal blades and this one for when I make dado cuts. If you are fortunate you'll not need to replace them. If you're not that fortunate you're fortunate to actually have to replace it meaning it saved you from a serious injury. I can't say enough about the value in this system but I did see the results of not having this safety system in my Father-in-Law's left hand. He cut across 4 of his fingers many years ago and was fortunate that micro surgery was able to repair the damage allowing him to regain use of his fingers. While it wasn't pretty and there was plenty of pain, he was able to use his hand again. This system, if used properly, like not bypassing it, will save you from this type of injury. You still need to use good judgement, safe proper procedures, and common sense but should something go wrong you're lucky to only have to replace the cartridge and maybe your blade. Cost, far less than a trip to the emergency room, and the pain is a few $$. I can live with that. Enough said.

Works great - it protected me from cutting that scrap 2x4 with the aluminum tape on the side that I didn't see - BANG! and you are buying a replacement before you know it.It's all good though - it could have been my finger and not a piece of aluminum tape that was saved.

This is an essential item for the SawStop saw when using a dado head. Check carefully, though, before opening the package. Amazon sent me the cartridge for a 10” blade (TSBC-10R2) labeled as if it’s the cartridge for the 8” dado. Since they’re not at all compatible, it’s going back...As an aside, SawStop support told me that a number of dado sets are slightly larger than 8” and are incompatible with this cartridge. If you own or are buying a dado set, make sure that it’ll work. Personally, I purchased the Freud SD208S, which is specifically labeled as being SawStop compatible. There are others that are, but quite a few that aren’t.

One day I did something stupid and jammed my thumb into the spinning blade of my table saw I expected 3/4 inch of the end of my thumb to be gone, blood all over the place, and a $10,000 trip to the hospital.Fortunately that spinning blade was on a SawStop saw and I received only a tiny nick. Just down to the pink, no bleeding. I put a band aid on it and sat in the corner until my heart rate slowed to normal.The brake cartridge and blade were toast but less than $200 to replace.If I'd cut off my finger it would have been my fault, no question. But since we all eventually do something careless this system is worth every penny. Besides, it is a great saw.

Anything that keeps your fingers on is worth the money.

Works as advertised, luckily I haven't had to see if it works and hope I never do. Sawstop in my mind is top of the line in safety and design. I have used my professional cabinet saw for many years without a problem.When using a dado blade more than 1/4 inches you have to take th spacer behind the nut off. This makes tightening the blade really difficult, I use a block of wood against the teeth of the blade to keep it from turning. My old Delta unisaw was the same way.

I have a Sawstop table saw in my cabinetmaking shop so I needed this dado brake cartridge in order to use my dado stack. The good news is that it works but the not so good news is that when you are replacing the standard saw blade and brake with the dado stack and this dado brake you must readjust the brake so that it is the proper distance from the blade. Might not sound like a big deal but it must be adjusted by quite a bit and the adjustment screw gets bound up before you reach the right adjustment. Seems like it would be easy to design the two brakes so that adjustment is not needed or, at least, it doesn't require such a large adjustment. BTW, I'm using a high quality 8" dado stack and I checked and it's exactly 8" diameter so the dado stack is not at fault. The brake is also quite expensive IMHO.

It’s nice to be able to use my sawstop cabinet saw for cutting dados and grooves now. The cartridge swaps out easily when changing to the smaller diameter dado stack, and the saw’s electronics accept it so it must be fine. I haven’t set off the break at all, so I can’t verify how well it works in that respect. I think I’ll keep it that way.

Perfect fit