# Ridgid R4513 table saw zero clearance or dado insert



## Woodster73 (Jun 16, 2015)

I have been pleased with the performance of the Ridgid R4513 since I picked it up at Christmas last year. My issue is the zero clearance insert or dado insert. Can't find one, Ridgid doesn't make one. The insert on this saw is metal and about 1/8 inch thick, riding on tabs with small screws in the tabs to adjust the height. It also has a small tab on the back side that holds the end in and magnets on the front that snap the insert down.

Anybody make one specifically for this saw, would love some suggestions.

Thanks


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## toolie (Mar 16, 2011)

Get some 1/4" mdf or plywood and make ZCIs. Just don't use your fence when cutting the blade slot in the ZCI.


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## Jon_H (Jun 21, 2016)

Maybe this would fit?

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/153117/ridgid-r4512-table-saw-zeroclearance-blade-insert.aspx

They also have a dado blank:

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/153118/ridgid-r4512-table-saw-zeroclearance-dado-insert.aspx

I used to own the 4510 followed by the 3650. I used Woodcraft ZCI blanks back then. Worked very well.


I have no affiliation with Woodcraft other than being a satisfied customer.


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## Woodster73 (Jun 16, 2015)

Jon,

Unfortunately those inserts for the previous Ridgid saw won't work, as Ridgid changed the shape of the insert to a rectangular one, so most of the current aftermarket including for the other Ridgid saws won't fit.


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## Woodster73 (Jun 16, 2015)

Actually I did find that Ridgid sells a dado insert, but not a zero clearance one.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

Make a few. Once you have a template making more is a breeze. Matthias Wadel on youtube has a great video as well as others.


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## Jon_H (Jun 21, 2016)

> Jon,
> 
> Unfortunately those inserts for the previous Ridgid saw won t work, as Ridgid changed the shape of the insert to a rectangular one, so most of the current aftermarket including for the other Ridgid saws won t fit.
> 
> - Woodster73


Boo to Ridgid!


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## ErichK (Aug 1, 2016)

Having to make it that thin out of wood (1/8"!) would scare me a bit, I'd be afraid that even 1/8" plywood or MDF wouldn't hold up.

Take a look at common plastics when making it. Things like HDPE end up working great for something like that! The best part with HDPE is that you can just buy a cheap cutting board and use that, ends up being much cheaper (HF has a 2 pack for like $10!).


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## maxwellllll (Nov 17, 2016)

Just curious what you ended up doing for this. I'm in the same boat with the R4513, and wondering if you have found an elegant solution for a ZCI for it.


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## pitttrack (Jan 10, 2017)

why not make one with a tracing router bit on the router table? I used that for another brand of saw and with some work they came out nice. I used corian scarps that I had laying around.


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

I find it annoying that several manufacturers of low and even medium ranked saws can't make a decent throat insert. They seem to have a pact, that if one has a crap design they all must have a crap design. There simply is no excuse for that "feature," except that somebody is too lazy or ignorant to do it right.

Woodcraft has the right idea, to make a thick insert with divots for the support tabs. If you should try to make your own, phenolic is an excellent material. The trouble with HDPE is that it is a little too flexible. Good quality plywood (i.e. with lots of laminations) would also work well.


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## Woodster73 (Jun 16, 2015)

Hey maxwell, I didnt make one yet, I spent most of the holiday season working on christmas gifts that involved a bunch of handwork so really didn't use the tablesaw much. I think I might start by trying runswithscissors' idea of a thicker material with recessed cutouts for the tabs, etc. I need to sit down with the current insert and a piece of drafting paper and brainstorm…


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## maxwellllll (Nov 17, 2016)

Gotcha. Well, please let me know what ends up working for you. I may end up futzing around a bit over the weekend to see what I can come up with using some scrap plywood or MDF. Since I'm still quite early on in my tool acquisition process, I don't yet have a router, so I may end up trying to just rough something out with a bandsaw (or maybe even the TS itself) and then going from there.


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## TomKelly (Sep 22, 2016)

I have a r4513 and i use blue tape on top, or a piece of thin rollup cutting board on the bottom stuck on with double sided tape.


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## PJKS (Dec 21, 2016)

You can fill your current insert with epoxy .. Wax paper and a flat caul to trap it …


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## cdsearcy (Jun 4, 2016)

I'm so glad I'm not the only one having this issue! I'm going to try making a thicker insert and cutting out divots where the the screw holes are.


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## Darrell70 (Jan 18, 2017)

I am new here-new to woodworking also. I have the Ridgid R4513 saw also, and found this dado throat plate:
Ridgid OEM 089290001183 at a couple of places. You might give it a look.

Darrell/Texas


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## maxwellllll (Nov 17, 2016)

> I m so glad I m not the only one having this issue! I m going to try making a thicker insert and cutting out divots where the the screw holes are.
> 
> - cdsearcy


That's kind of what I was thinking…


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## maxwellllll (Nov 17, 2016)

> I am new here-new to woodworking also. I have the Ridgid R4513 saw also, and found this dado throat plate:
> Ridgid OEM 089290001183 at a couple of places. You might give it a look.


You know…now that I think about it, wouldn't it be easy just to get this OEM dado plate and create an insert to completely fill the opening…? It would be really cool if one could devise a way to make multiple inserts to affix into to the dado throat plate for various blade angles, but I'm not sure if I'm clever enough to devise a way to attach such an insert that would hold securely but also be removable…


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## Lt_scout (Nov 1, 2016)

I have the same saw and discovered the same thing. I bought the dado insert but it isnt zero clearance and you cant make inserts for this saw.

It makes no sense to people here who haven't seen how Ridgid makes their inserts but making them would be extremely time consuming an so delicate that I haven't figured how.

One of the reasons I have decided to upgrade from this Job Site saw to a Hybrid


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## HouseAtreides (Oct 17, 2016)

Hey there… this is my first post, so please forgive any noob behavior.

I have at the Ridgid 4512 and and am keen on a zero clearance insert as well. I've seen the after market one mentioned above and may give it a try, but I've been thinking about this: How bad of an idea would it be to modify the existing metal throat plate to accept a strip of say 1/4 inch MDF underneath that's been rabbeted to fit flush with the surface? It would be a simple task of drilling and countering 4 or 6 holes in the metal plate. Nylon hardware could be used to attach the MDF strip. The insert-inserts (if you will) would be much easier to mill than a complete stand-alone insert. Thoughts?

Here's a quick sketch:


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## HouseAtreides (Oct 17, 2016)

Holy cow… just read more thoroughly above and see that the same idea came up just a few posts earlier… like I said - noob behavior. A simple tenoning jig would make these a breeze to mass produce.


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