Best Dado Blade setup

[Ross Kennedy]

I tried searching and did not find what I was looking for.
What is the Best Dado setup on the market today . For Quality, simple to setup, Quality of cut. I was looking at a Freud Dail-a-Width set. Thanks for looking.Ross

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

Forrest is the best I've used. As for ease of use, with a standard set, you bolt it on and cut. Never used something like the Freud you mentioned.
I use a 15 year old Freud Safety Dado, and it's been great for the money.

[Chris Padilla]

I use the CMT Precision Dado...quite happy with it.

[Jim O'Dell]

I think I will buy the Infinity Dadonater when the time comes to get a good dado blade set. They also just came out with a 6" version. Jim.

[Steve Milito]

I tried searching and did not find what I was looking for.
What is the Best Dado setup on the market today . For Quality, simple to setup, Quality of cut. I was looking at a Freud Dail-a-Width set. Thanks for looking.Ross


I've been very happy with the Freud dial-a-width. One test cut, one adjustment, and you're set.

[Darin Higginbotham]

+ one on the CMT has a guide for what shims,chippers, ect. ect. to what size you are needing to make.

[glenn bradley]

I run a Freud SD508 and it does an excellent job. Most high end dado stacks do but. I would go with the Dial-a-Width if I were to do it again.

[Joe Leigh]

Dadonator! It's an awesome package. Perfect flat bottom grooves and no tear out. Worth every penny.

[Van Huskey]

For Quality, simple to setup, Quality of cut. I was looking at a Freud Dail-a-Width set.

The Dial-A-Width has everyone beat on setup, period and I would get it (if your arbor length allows) if setup is a big factor, as it also gives great cuts as well. I prefer the Freud for pure quality of cut, but both the Freud 508 & DAW as well as the Dadonator are very close behind.

[Peter Quinn]

I'm not sure you can go wrong with amy major brand quality stacked dado set. I own a forrest, and use Freud at work, both are quite good. Most others are As far as simple? You put a pile of blades on your arbor, you make a test cut, you measure with a dial caliper, you add shims or not as needed, you make dados. A dial a width might be simpler, not sure. I have one for the shaper that work quite nicely.

[Paul McGaha]

I have a Freud Super Dado.

It's a Super Dado.

:)

PHM

[scott spencer]

Hi Ross - The Infinity Dadonator is pretty impressive, and is the best of the 4 good sets I've owned (Freud SD208, DeWalt/Delta 7670, Systimatic Superfine 42T/6T). There's nothing special about setting up the Dadonator, as it's just a standard stack of dado blades that goes on one blade at a time, but it's hard for me to imagine another set cutting any better.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Felder Hammer dado.
I've used a bunch of different dados and nothing compares.
I have driven mine through a 3/8" steel bolt that was buried & expertly hidden in some reclaimed lumber to no negative effect it still cuts smooth as silk. It did make a few sparklies though. The sparks were the only reason I knew something was up. The carbide inserts all have four faces for rotation when worn. Comes with hardened steel shims.
It ain't cheap though. I paid $450.00

[Kurt Cady]

How has nobody mentioned Oshlun? For the price, I don't think it can be beat!

[Dan Karachio]

I went through this apparent agony of a decision a while back and ended up picking up the Freud Super Dado on impulse - sale at Woodcraft. It works great. However, I hate nothing more than trying to match up to all the whacky plywood widths out there, so if someone says the dialing models work out, that might be something to consider.

[Rod Sheridan]

Felder Hammer dado.
I've used a bunch of different dados and nothing compares.
I have driven mine through a 3/8" steel bolt that was buried & expertly hidden in some reclaimed lumber to no negative effect it still cuts smooth as silk. It did make a few sparklies though. The sparks were the only reason I knew something was up. The carbide inserts all have four faces for rotation when worn. Comes with hardened steel shims.
It ain't cheap though. I paid $450.00

Hi Cliff, although I agree with your comments on the Felder dado cutter, I don't think the OP has a saw with a 30mm arbour.

I have an FS Tools dado, it works great.

regards, Rod.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I don't think the OP has a saw with a 30mm arbour.
Prolly not & prolly not the two anti rotation pin holes for the power brake either.

But it's still the best one I've seen anywhere at any price.



I have an FS Tools dado, it works great.

Works great enough to justify the purchase of a Felder or a Hammer saw.

Though I must admit I didn't buy my saw just to run the dado cutter (which they call a slot or grooving tool).

[Stuart Gardner]

I've been thinking about starting a thread on this topic but you beat me to it. I've been growing increasingly frustrated with my Freud Dado Set. The cut quality is excellent, but the set up is a real pain. It's not the Freud specifically, it's the shim system in general. I have a real problem with shims getting hung up on the arbor threads. They've done it since I bought them. It's not too bad getting them on, but getting them off the arbor is a real chore. At the time I bought the set, I think it was $200, and the Dial a Width was $270. I sure wish I had spent the extra $70. I'll probably buy one this year, because I've about had it with those shims. Unless somebody has some idea about what I'm doing wrong.

[Dave Houseal]

I've been thinking about starting a thread on this topic but you beat me to it. I've been growing increasingly frustrated with my Freud Dado Set. The cut quality is excellent, but the set up is a real pain. It's not the Freud specifically, it's the shim system in general. I have a real problem with shims getting hung up on the arbor threads. They've done it since I bought them. It's not too bad getting them on, but getting them off the arbor is a real chore. At the time I bought the set, I think it was $200, and the Dial a Width was $270. I sure wish I had spent the extra $70. I'll probably buy one this year, because I've about had it with those shims. Unless somebody has some idea about what I'm doing wrong.

My shims get caught too....especially the smaller ones. I find it helps if I hold them against the chipper they're facing and remove them with the chipper. It doesn't fix it...but it helps.

[Rod Sheridan]

Prolly not & prolly not the two anti rotation pin holes for the power brake either.

But it's still the best one I've seen anywhere at any price.




Works great enough to justify the purchase of a Felder or a Hammer saw.

Though I must admit I didn't buy my saw just to run the dado cutter (which they call a slot or grooving tool).

Hi Cliff, do you have the Hammer or the Felder dado cutter?

If the Hammer, how's the cut quality?

I looked at the Felder and it's too large to fit my Hammer B3.

Regards, Rod.

[Paul McGaha]

Stuart,

What materials are you cutting where you need to use the shims?

I usually use solid wood but I thought the Freud Super Dado set came with some odd size chippers for plywood. I know the set came with shims, and I bought a brass set of shims from Woodworkers Supply, but I've never used any of them.

PHM

[Mike Green]

I have the Freud 508 set. I also have a 6" Oshlun set that does a nice job except for the little devils ears it leaves in the corners. The shims are a pita on all sets, but then again my arbor washer is just as tight of a fit. Luckily my ZCI opening is fairly wide so the job isn't too bad.

[Brian Tymchak]

The Dial-A-Width has everyone beat on setup, period and I would get it (if your arbor length allows).... .

I learned the hard way (before I joined the Creek) that the Ridgid TS 3650 does not have the arbor length for the full SD608 stack... I think I can get ~9/16" stack on and still fully thread the nut. I don't know whether later Ridgid models have longer arbors or not.

The SD608 dials in/out ~.004" per click. It being my first dado set, I've never used a shimmed stack so I don't know if you can get finer adjustments with shims. Also in my experience, it's a bit of a judgement call to know whether you have the adjustment zeroed before readjusting. I do this by feel... And there is no gauge to tell you how many clicks adjustment you have in the stack. If Freud could somehow provide a gauge on that outer blade that told you all that, now that would be awesome!

Brian

[Alan Schwabacher]

Note to those who have a problem with shims getting caught in the arbor threads: try magnetic shims. They stay put on the blade, and don't slip into the threads. Grizzly has them.

[Frank Drew]

Dado shims don't have to fit the arbor tightly to do their job, so just use a rat tail file to enlarge the holes slightly.

I haven't used the Dial-a-Width dado set, but I never found my traditional stack set particularly difficult or time consuming to use. Is the DAW come available for different arbor sizes (1", 30mm...)?

[Stuart Gardner]

Stuart,

What materials are you cutting where you need to use the shims?

I usually use solid wood but I thought the Freud Super Dado set came with some odd size chippers for plywood. I know the set came with shims, and I bought a brass set of shims from Woodworkers Supply, but I've never used any of them.

PHM

Plywood - Right now I'm building cabinets for our kitchen using Alder and Alder Plywood. I'm using the Norm Abram method of full 3/4 plywood all the way around including the back. I cut three dados on the end panels (top bottom and back), and two on the back panel (top and bottom) so that all the pieces are glued and dadoed together. These cabinets should be around post-apocolypse along with the cockroaches. And just to make it more complicated, I laminate formica to the bottom shelf for a wearing surface, so it adds 1/32 plus the contact cement to that thickness. So I cut all the narrow dados (23/32 +/-) and then add thickness for the laminated pieces. I've been making three cabinets at a time to help minimize setup effort.

[scott spencer]

Stuart - I had similar problems with the shim stock on my Freud dado. The inside edge on the arbor holes got gauled and made the situation worse. The shims on my DeWalt shims were a bit thicker and less prone to that problem. The shim stock on my Dadonator set was plastic, which worked really well. Magnetic shims sound like a good idea, but I haven't tried them. The shim issues just add fuel to the argument in favor of getting a Freud Dial-a-width!

[Howard Acheson]

The Frued Dial A Width is a Freud Super Dado with the adjustable hub. Other than the hub, the dados are identical. Both cut great but the Dial A Width is easier and faster to set up.

[Karl Card]

When I first got my table saw I was asking a friend of mine about the adjustable dado blade. His reply was that he has tried 2 of them, not sure which brands, and they sounded downright awful... sounded like the table saw was going to rise and go through the ceiling. and alot of vibration.

I would like to hear feedback from others concerning this.

[Ed Hazel]

I am sure a Dial A width is the fasted set up out there but my system works well also.

I set up my Freud sd208 according to the chart and make a test cut I then use my dial clipers to measure the cut and compare that to the male piece I then add or remove shims that total the difference between the two. This usually hits it perfect in just one adjustment.

[Stuart Gardner]

When I first got my table saw I was asking a friend of mine about the adjustable dado blade. His reply was that he has tried 2 of them, not sure which brands, and they sounded downright awful... sounded like the table saw was going to rise and go through the ceiling. and alot of vibration.

More than likely he's talking about a wobble dado blade. Stay away from those like you would a rabid dog. They don't cut flat bottoms and chip out is beyond horrible. The dial a width is a stacked set, but instead of shims, you adjust the final width with a truly parallel screw adjustment.

[Gary Muto]

I ran a poll last fall asking for vote on the Forrest Dado King, Freud Super Dado and Freud Dial-a-Width Dado. The poll was pretty close as I remember, at least for the first two mentioned. In the end I chose the Super Dado. The guys at Rockler didn't recommend the Dial-a-width dado siting wobble issues. I was concerned about the durability (developing a wobble) so I went with the Freud Super Dado. I haven't had a problem with the shims but I haven't used it more than 3-4 times. The cut is superb.

[Karl Card]

I've been thinking about starting a thread on this topic but you beat me to it. I've been growing increasingly frustrated with my Freud Dado Set. The cut quality is excellent, but the set up is a real pain. It's not the Freud specifically, it's the shim system in general. I have a real problem with shims getting hung up on the arbor threads. They've done it since I bought them. It's not too bad getting them on, but getting them off the arbor is a real chore. At the time I bought the set, I think it was $200, and the Dial a Width was $270. I sure wish I had spent the extra $70. I'll probably buy one this year, because I've about had it with those shims. Unless somebody has some idea about what I'm doing wrong.


you know now that you mention it i have an avenger dado blade set and it cuts nice but yeah it sticks on the threads and the arbor itself... it is almost as if the manufacturer was scared to make a whole there. I guess I will try and smooth the whole out just to make it smooth then put just a little of that japanese oil on it. (oil comes in a clear bottle at woodcraft with japanese only writing on it)

[Stuart Gardner]

Note to those who have a problem with shims getting caught in the arbor threads: try magnetic shims. They stay put on the blade, and don't slip into the threads. Grizzly has them.

I was just looking through my Grizzly catalogue and saw the magnetic shims before I saw your post. I think I'll get them and give them a try. I also thought about enlarging the holes on the shims, or, what I just now thought of while typing this is I could cut the shims radially from the center out, then they would open up and maybe come off the thread easier. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Anybody ever try that?

[Neil Brooks]

With NOTHING to compare it to ... I bought the Forrest Dado King, and couldn't be happier with it.

My cuts are clean. The bottoms are flat. The widths are spot on.

My Bosch 4100 has NO trouble torquing the 6" set round and round, either.

Is it expensive ?

Sure.

Don't plan on ever buying another one, though :)

[Richard McComas]

How about a pair of Forrest dado Kings drilled to fit your shaper.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/Picture003Medium.jpg

[Greg Portland]

For my use I've found that I need/use 2 dado widths: "3/4" ply and "1/2" ply (both are not really those dimensions). I have a Freud SuperDado set and have the shims, chippers, and saws marked for each combination. Now that I have the parts marked it is very fast to go between the two settings.

[Steve Milito]

I ran a poll last fall asking for vote on the Forrest Dado King, Freud Super Dado and Freud Dial-a-Width Dado. The poll was pretty close as I remember, at least for the first two mentioned. In the end I chose the Super Dado. The guys at Rockler didn't recommend the Dial-a-width dado siting wobble issues. I was concerned about the durability (developing a wobble) so I went with the Freud Super Dado. I haven't had a problem with the shims but I haven't used it more than 3-4 times. The cut is superb.

I really don't know why the dial-a-width would develop a wobble. It's a stacked blade just like shim based dado blades. The adjustment is a flange on the the outer blade that has multiple settings that 'click' in. The arbor nut tightens down on the flange, so it's hard to image that it would change once it's in the saw.
Mine cuts flat and clean. You set it up just like any stacked set. The beauty is that if dado is too tight or too loose, it extremely easy to calculate how many 'clicks' you need to adjust the width, and can make the adjustment by just rotating the flange said number of clicks.

[Ross Kennedy]

Thanks for all the Great info. I called the Woodcrafter store and asked them what they were carrying. They asked what size blade I wanted I said I was not sure yet and the guy asked what size the Motor was on my sawand I said 1 1/2HP. He said that I would need a 6" blade set the 8" would be to much for my saw if I got into any real hardwood. I then called Infinity and the guy told me the same thing. I did not thik about posting the Motor size when I posted this. Thank for all the great insight. Ross

[Michael Peet]

How about a pair of Forrest dado Kings drilled to fit your shaper.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/Picture003Medium.jpg

I think I maimed myself just looking at that.

Mike

[Richard McComas]

I think I maimed myself just looking at that.

MikeIt's not my setup by the way. The picture came from the Felders's Owner Group. There are a few over there that use the Forrest King on their shapers. Of course when fully set up the blades are well projected so you don't maim yourself.

[Gary Muto]

I don't know for sure either. That comment got me concerned about wear in the adjsutment threads or bending/flexing between the blade and the hubs. It was probably more the case of misinformation and lack of direct experience.

[Jim Rimmer]

How has nobody mentioned Oshlun? For the price, I don't think it can be beat!
+1 - got one when somebody (Rockler?) had them on sale and really like it.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Had my Forrest set for quite a while. I think its great. Never had any reason to try something else.

The magnetic shims also work great - I haven't had any of the problems with them that I used to have with the other style - same issue re: geting jammed between the blades and the arbor.

[Mike Heidrick]

I own a 8" Forrest Dado King setup for the sawstop and a 10" Ridge Carbide set for the RAS. Both are awesome for me.

[Mark Woodmark]

+1 for the Forrest Dado King. Checked out the Felder and got a chance to use one, but felt it wasnt that much better than the Forrest for the extra cost

[Stuart Gardner]

I just got some of the magnetic shims from Grizzly. They're not Grizzly brand, but it's the only place I can find them. Even if you buy them on Amazon you get them from Grizzly. Anyway, they're beyond fantastic. Whoever thought the "normal" shims were a good idea ought to be taken ought and horse whipped. I threw out the original shims that came with the dado set.

[Larry Edgerton]

Whichever one I have is the best..........:)

Larry

[scott spencer]

Whichever one I have is the best..........:)

Larry

I sure hope I have the same one! :D

[Trevor Walsh]

I've only used Forrest at our school shop, but I'm very pleased with the cuts and ease of setup. I've also only used it for cutting tenons, so I don't know about their accuracy.