Freud vs. Oshlin Dado sets

[Ken Kirkley]

So I have the Oshlin dado set that Rockler had on sale recently http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17335&filter=oshlin%20dado but haven't used it yet. Today I found the Freud dado set http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10502&filter=freud%20dado for $50. Wondering if the Freud is better and should I swap out the Oshlin or keep it. I was told by a Rockler employee that the Oshlin was actually better because of the chipper blades. Any advice?

[Paul Ryan]

Ken,

I owned the smaller 6" freud set. I replaced it with a Ohslun because I bought a sawstop and that requires an 8" set. I think the ohslun set is better than the jet in a couple of ways. It cuts cleaner in melamine and thin vaneer plywood. It also leaves flatter bottoms. The freud set I had left flat bottoms some of the time, but other times it did not. If the chippers wern't set just right I got ridges. The oshlun set is more forgiving, and in my mind worth double even maybe triple. But that was base on the 6" freud set, I don't think the 8" would be much different.

[Mikail Khan]

I've never used the Freud. From the photo the Freud outside blades have 12 teeth vs. 42 for the Oshlun. The Freud chippers have 2 teeth vs 12 for the Oshlun chippers.

I would expect cleaner cuts from the Oshlun. Maybe someone who has used both can comment.

MK

[Van Huskey]

I am a bigger fan of the Freud 208, I have had better luck with it.

[scott spencer]

If all else is equal, more teeth typically equates to a cleaner cut. With single blades there are issues with friction and burning associated with more teeth that don't seem to apply to dado sets. The Oshlun and Freud SD208 are far from being similar designs, however both seem to be made with sufficient precision that theoretically the Oshlun should have the upper hand overall.

I owned the SD208 for ~ 4 years and thought it was very good. I replaced it with a DeWalt 7670 set that had twice as many teeth as the SD208, and thought 7670 made cleaner cuts (less striping on the bottom and less tearout at exit). I later replaced the DW7670 with a Systimatic S42Fine Superfine set with 42T cutters and 6T chippers....the Oshlun set is nearly a direct copy of this set. The S42Fine was cleaner cutting than the 7670, but not by a significant margin.

FWIW, I now own a 24T/6T Infinity Dadonator that's exceptional, and sheds some light to the significance of more teeth vs other parameters....more teeth will only go so far to improve a cut. Tooth geometry, configuration, overall design, and sharpening level are significant factors too. The Oshlun and the Systimatic have a fairly steep hook angle as dado sets go. That aspect helps the sets feed with lower pressure, but it can also cause more tearout at exit. The SD208 clearly has a tooth count disadvantage...a big one at that, but it uses closer to a zero hook angle to offset some of that disadvantage vs the Oshlun set, and it could have a slight precision advantage too.

I do own a 40T Oshlun blade that's an excellent value @ ~ $25, cuts well, and is surprisingly well made, but I can't make the claim that it'll hang with the 40T WWII or other premium GP blades in that league. I can only speculate that the Oshlun dado set probably isn't quite as well made as the $300 American made Systimatic set, but I'd guess that it's well enough made to not be a significant disadvantage vs the SD208. Most of the comments I've read from users of both the SD208 and the Oshlun set seem to favor the Oshlun.

[John Thompson]

I would personally keep the Oshlun set with more teeth. It has more teeth on the outiside cutters and more teeth on the chippers as stated. That relates to cleaner cuts. The Freud chippers with two teeth are basically punching wood out and not severing it. A case where more is better both from the point of clean cut and safety as the punchers are more likely to throw a piece back at you if they encounter a knot.

[Dave Cav]

I have the Oshlun and a very similar if not identical Freud set. The Freud is OK, but I really like the Oshlun a LOT. Generelly heavier and more solid and it cuts great dadoes.

[Tony Shea]

Agreed that the Oshlun should, on paper, be a cleaner cutting dado set. Scott seems to know dado sets well and is one of the reasons I bought the Dadonator by Infinity. I have come to the conclusion that more teeth usually equates to a cleaner cut. But as scott pointed out the hook angle is just as important if not more important. Although with all things equal the higher teeth count should give better results.

My experience with the Freud SD208 was much worse performance than I expected. I got terrible chip out when cutting plywood therefore would have to cut stock larger and trim it down after the dado cut. I would def keep the Oshlun. And when you decide you need a great quality Dado set I would highly recomend the Infinity Dadonator!

[Rob Price]

Me too on the Oshlun. I haven't tried the Freud, but can't find anything wrong with the Oshlun set, I bought because of more teeth as well. I like the over and undersized chippers as well, makes fine tuning a breeze.

[Bill Pitz]

Just got the Oshlun yesterday, based in part on my reading here at SMC. It's replacing a Freud SD208 set that got pretty banged up in the course of moving. The Freud made perfectly good grooves, but the Oshlun blows it out of the water. For 72 bucks at Amazon, I'm a happy guy. Reviews on the Oshlun indicate that some sets may be better than others QC-wise, so be sure to buy from someone with a reasonable return policy.

[scott spencer]

Just got the Oshlun yesterday, based in part on my reading here at SMC. It's replacing a Freud SD208 set that got pretty banged up in the course of moving. The Freud made perfectly good grooves, but the Oshlun blows it out of the water. For 72 bucks at Amazon, I'm a happy guy. Reviews on the Oshlun indicate that some sets may be better than others QC-wise, so be sure to buy from someone with a reasonable return policy.

It's good to hear some field results vs theoretical. Thanks for posting your comments.

[Scott Pagington]

I recently purchased the Oshluns from Rockler. It was my first dado set, so I don't have any experience with the Freud. But, I was very impressed with the quality of the cut. And for the price it seems like a great deal.

[Nick Mastropietro]

My first was the Freud 8" but just recently bought the Oshlin at a really good price, I figured while one is soaking in the cleaner or out getting sharpened I could use the other. The Freud is #1 the Oshlin was a good inexpensive backup.