Dado set opinions

[Neil Gaskin]

We're in need of a new dado set. Currently we have an Amana set that served us well but after a few sharpening the bottoms are not flat and it leaves score marks.

Most important to me are clean flat bottoms and sides

i read a few reviews both Freud 508 and infinities dadonator rate well. Amana set was good to us but never super smooth.

Budget is not a concern. Smooth and flat is most important to me.

Thank you in advance. Neil

[Mel Fulks]

If you are sending out the complete set for sharpening ,and the set does not cut flat, I would get sharpening done by a different shop.

[Neil Gaskin]

I agree. Local options are limited. But the truth of the matter is this set is at the end of its road.

[scott spencer]

The Dadonator is the best set I've used. I've had it for a few years now, and still marvel at how good it is.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

My current set is a forrest dado king. Also, if you let them sharpen it when you are finished, you can be sure that it will be done correctly.

The Dado King does have "bat ears" on the outer cutters if that is an issue for you, however.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?188207-Forrest-Dado-King

The Freud set has high reviews on Amazon, but I have never used it. It is much cheaper than Forrest. A poster here on the forum said that it (SD208) does not leave the flattest bottoms. If you go with Freud, get the 508. I am told it is better, I did not ask why.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?225135-Dado-blade-recommendation

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?135304-Freud-vs-Oshlin-Dado-sets

Again, I like the Forrest.

[Mel Fulks]

Yeah,the Forrest sets are good. The best way to make the sets last is get rid of anyone who can't use them without clanking all the pieces together and store the sets in wood boxes vertically with wide dividers.

[Ben Rivel]

Another Forrest Dado King user here.

[Greg Hines, MD]

I have a Freud, and it has served me well.

Doc

[Wayne Jolly]

My first dado set was the Freud SD208 that I used on a Craftsman contractors saw. I was never too happy with the results until I discovered that if I wrapped a piece of packing tape around the saw arbor the same width as my dado, I got much better results with NEARLY flat bottoms. I cut a lot of dadoes with that set until I apparently hit a small piece of metal in one of my pieces and chipped a few teeth. I looked closely to try and find out what happened, but I ever did see anything that could account for the chipping. And yes, the blades were tight and did not contact any of the other chippers.

Next, I bought a used PM66 table saw and as I was going through a final check after loading it onto my trailer, the seller came out with a couple more goodies he decided to throw into the deal. One of the items was a very nearly new Freud SD508. The seller said he used it once, but it looked more like new. Clean, no scratches on any of the blades or chippers . . . just looked new. The dadoes I get with it are very good with crisp edges and bottoms that look perfectly flat except for those darned devil ears. I have been using that set ever since for my goto everyday dado set.

But. Shortly after I got the SD508 I had an opportunity to purchase a brand new 8" Forrest Dado King for $220. I figured I couldn't go too wrong at that price so I bought it. I have used it a few times and it is a fine set indeed. So although I use the Freud for my day-to-day dadoes, if I have a special piece of wood that needs a perfect dado, out comes the Forrest.

One thing about these sets. The next time you send your blades to them for sharpening, I'm sure you could ask them to regrind the outer blades to eliminate the devil ears. I have thought about doing so, but haven't because those ears are there for a reason. However, if I had a dado set that I was going to dedicate to cutting tenons, or some other operation where I did not want to see those devil ears, I think I would request it.

I have not had any experience with other brands of sets, but I don't think you can go wrong with either the Freud SD508 or the Forrest. Freud also has the SD608 dial-a-width set. It sounds good, but I have read that there are several saws that this set will not fit on because the arbor is too short. I think my PM66 (I think it's a 1996 model) might be one of those saws.


Wayne

[roger wiegand]

I have a Delta branded 6" set which served me OK for a long time, they were dramatically better after going to a good sharpening shop. Now have the 8" Forrest set, which seems amazing compared to the Delta. It does put a small groove in the corners, so not perfectly flat. I'd bet they could grind that out if you asked them to.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I have a Freud, and it has served me well.

Doc


Which one? The 208 or the 508? I assume th4e 508 (for no particular reason).

[Andrew Pitonyak]

The next time you send your blades to them for sharpening, I'm sure you could ask them to regrind the outer blades to eliminate the devil ears. I have thought about doing so, but haven't because those ears are there for a reason. However, if I had a dado set that I was going to dedicate to cutting tenons, or some other operation where I did not want to see those devil ears, I think I would request it.

The outer blades have an Alternate Top Bevel (ATB) grind. The bevel reduces tear out for cross grain and plywood cuts. So, if you do cross grain or plywood, you may want to keep those "devil ears". I have never tested without, so your results may vary.

[Rich Riddle]

Rod Sheridan brought me a set from Canada made by FS Tools last year; it's the best set I have ever used and doesn't have the infamous bat ears when using it. They sure charge a premium to import to the USA though. Here is a mild discussion of it:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?158610-Anyone-have-Hammer-(Felder)-dado-set

[Mike Walsh]

I've had the freud 508 set for a number of years - no complaints

[Tom M King]

I bought the Dewalt set on sale for less than a hundred bucks for stuff that I didn't want to put Forrest teeth into. It cuts so cleanly, with a perfectly flat bottom, that I could get by fine if it was the only set I had. It also comes in a well designed case to keep it well organized, and the teeth safe.

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW7670-8-Inch-24-Tooth-Stacked/dp/B0002ZU6X4

[Mike Ontko]

I have an Oshlun set that I got on sale from Rockler, I believe. Like some of the others mentioned here it has the bat ears as well, but I believe the purpose of that is for scoring the surface of whatever material your cutting through, in order to minimize any tearout. I haven't experienced any tearout and the bottom of the cuts come out nice and smooth.

[Robert Engel]

Budget is not a concern.

Love it.

I've only used Freud and have the same issues. Its not the brand its the sharpening service.

Amana served you well why change? Forrest is supposed to be the best, so spare no expense and so go for it.

Aman, CMT, Freud, Forrest - they will all cut flat -- until until you get them sharpened.
So unless you can find someone better, you'll be right back where you started then a $300 set won't matter.

So far I have not found a sharpening service around me that can get a dado set perfectly flat, but they are good enough for me because I generally clean them up with a router plane anyway.

[Greg Hines, MD]

Which one? The 208 or the 508? I assume th4e 508 (for no particular reason).


Mine is a 208M set.

[Jim Dwight]

I do not have anybody close to me that sharpens carbide blades so I send them to Ridge Carbide. I am very happy with the results. The blades come back better than original. They also make a dado set. I use the less expensive Freud and it makes flat bottom dados but when it needs sharpening it will go to Ridge. If I wanted to buy a "price is no object" set, I would at least seriously consider the Ridge. But I will probably never do that. I've always gotten good results from Freud blades and their prices are fair. I see no reason to spend roughly twice as much on other brands.

[Cary Falk]

I have the Delta 35-7670/Dewalt DW7670 and am very happy with it. I got mine for about $100.

[Rod Sheridan]

Neil, I have an FS Tool set, perfectly flat bottoms, looks like it was cut with a grooving cutter on the shaper except for the 2 very small score lines................Rod.

[glenn bradley]

What kind of material are you using it in? I have the DeWalt, a CMT that closely resembles the Freud SD-208 and I have the Freud SD-508. All leave bat ears but, the DeWalt and the Freud cut very clean at the edges of fray-prone materials and veneers. The CMT does pretty well and is relegated to materials that I don't want to use the 508 on.

If you want to avoid bat ears you have to go with flat top grind outer plates. I read that Forrest and Infinity claim flat bottom dados (so does Freud) yet, they still have specific outer plates for left and right which makes me believe they have a geometry that cuts a clean sidewall. I assume they employ a full height raker on the outer plates to avoid the bat ears(?). Maybe an owner could confirm. The bat ears on the SD-508 are so small as to be invisible once the joinery is complete. The DeWalt is darn near to that. The CMT is pretty obvious.

[scott spencer]

Every stacked dado set that utilizes bevel teeth on the outside cutters (which is all of them AFAIK) has bat ears to some degree. Those beveled teeth must protrude slightly above the raker teeth of the chippers in order to have any scoring effect. Some of the better sets minimize the depth of the bat ears by staggering some flat rakers between the top beveled teeth, but there's still a groove on each side of the cut. Claims of perfectly flat bottoms pertain only to flat top grinds like those found on box joint sets....but they will inherently have more tearout on cross grain cuts.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/Saw%20Blades/Dado_channels_zpskpbcsc0p.jpg

Bat ears (Oshlun set):
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/Saw%20Blades/oshlundadocut.jpg


This pic shows very small bat ears, but they are there (DW7670 set):
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/Saw%20Blades/Capture_zpslelazhyg.jpg