: BTW, when you gang saw strips, what do you use for spacers between the
: blades?

If you have a dado set you probably have spacers in that which are used for separating the chipper blades. A lot of people rip a piece of 2x4 into a short 1/4 inch thick strip, then drill 5/8 holes for the saw arbor, and cut off a piece with a jig saw, roughly rounding the corners. You can do the same thing with pieces of 1/4 inch thick aluminum stock. A piece 1 1/2 or 2 inches wide is fine. You can drill aluminum with a drill bit for wood, just go slower. If you have a drill press and a 5/8 drill bit sharpened for drilling steel, make your spacers from mild steel bar stock. Other options are steel fender washers.

The wider your spacers the better they will grip the blade so it won't slip instead of cut. The wider the spacers the more they will stabilize the blades and keep them parallel without fluttering. But don't overdo it. A spacer bigger than 4 inches in diameter will limit you to cutting 3/4 inch stock for strips, and can put more strain on the saw motor, or force you to feed your stock slower.

PGJ