Stack Dado Preferences

[Mickey Elam]

I'm sure this has been beaten to death, but what are your preferences for stack dado sets for a table saw? I'm definitely a bottom-feeder, so I don't want to spend a lot of money. I'm strictly a hobbyist and don't do production work but am looking for something that produces very littile chip-out in cabinet grade plywood. I've got a 1 1/2 hp contractor table saw if that makes a difference.

Thanks,

Mickey

[Andrew Ault]

Hi Mickey,

I've got the Freud 8" Professional Dado set. It works well and is relatively inexpensive. I've seen them at the Orange BORG lately for less than $100.00. The Freud set comes with a holder and a set of shims. You really need shims because just about every dado needs to be fine tuned for the width required.

The Freud set I have cuts pretty cleanly in plywood and solid wood. I'm sure that more expensive sets offer an incremental improvement, but I'm pleased with the performance I've seen.

I've found that it is necessary to follow the workpiece with a piece of scrap to prevent tearout. I think that this may be the nature of the beast with dado sets.

I do not see much of a disadvantage with going with a 6" set. Dado depth is usually fairly shallow.

- Andy

[John Hemenway]

I've got the Freud SuperDado set. Flat bottom, very little chipout but lots of $$$$. The set is $200+ so not exactly bottom feeding territory. I've heard good things about the less expensive Freud set (Pro) at <$100.

[Frank Pellow]

Mickey, have you thought about using a different way of cutting your dados. Using a router with a guide rail could save you money and, in my experience, cuts better dados.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Mickey, I bought the Avenger 6" stacked dado set because, like you, money was an issue, and it seemed to be the least expensive good one I could find. (There are some even cheaper, but they were typically wobble blades, and I knew that would not be satisfactory for my needs.) I've used the Avenger set quite a bit and have been very happy with the results. Clean cuts, flat bottoms, and consistent results on maple, regular ply, and BB ply.

Hope this help -

- Vaughn

[Mike Vermeil]

Mickey, only you can answer this one. If you're a perfectionist, and no tearout on venered plywoods, melamine hardboard, etc. will be acceptable, then spend the money now on the Forrest Dado King, Frued Super Dado or the like. In my experience, all of the slightly cheaper blades will give at least a small amount of tearout.

And be careful with this one. I bought the Frued Safety Dado years ago thinking I could tolerate the slight amount of tearout it left, but it drove me crazy every time I used it. When I finally dropped one of the blades recently and broke off a few teeth, I jumped at the chance to buy a Forret Dado King, and I absolutely love it! Quite simply, it is worth every penny - but that's just my 2 cents.

[Gary McKown]

Most of the replies have touted Top of the Line stuff. I also tend to troll the bottom, so I have the HF 8" dado set, the one with 42-tooth blades and 6-tooth chippers. A 100% knockoff, if not from the same production line, as an Avenger model. Definitely a good buy when half-off the regular price, i.e., $30, which happens frequently. It cuts cleanly with practically no tearout - my only gripe is that the minimum width is slightly over ¼-inch because all those teeth on the outer blades cannot be offset unless I use a spacer or two.

Do not confuse this one with the cheaper, two-tooth chipper HF model, which is "regularly" priced around $30. That one may be O.K., but I have no experience with it.

[Jim Becker]

I own and use the Forrest Dado King and love it. I'd also not complain about the Freud SD50x products if they were in my shop instead...both company's dado sets are great.

[Mickey Elam]

I think Frank asked why I don't consider using a router to cut my dados? That's my current system and I'm just tired of dealing with the abominable dust and chip collection that my router provides for. I also use my router in my table, especially when doing rabbets, and that works ok, due to the better chip/dust collection. For one or two cuts, I think the router works fine, but for a shop full of cabinets, I want something that has more power and better containment.

Thanks,

Mickey