dado set

[Jim Colombo]

What should I look for in a dado set? I'll probably be using it mostly for rabbits and grooves (no more than 3/4").

Thanks,
Jim

[Van Huskey]

Whats your budget?

[Nick Decker]

Also, what brand saw? (SawStop has some possible restrictions.)

[anne watson]

My opinion. Don't buy the one that you turn part of the unit to adjust the width. You will end up taking it all loose to make the adjustment.
Buy the one with separate blades. the blades come In different widths and can be adjusted with paper/cardboard shims, usually before mounting
on saw. Buy carbide if you intend to use it a lot.

I have the feeling they are custom made as sets as sets and may fit better

[Mike Henderson]

A bit off subject, but I have a dado set and rarely use it. I use a router to make dados. The problem with a dado set is that if your panel has any warp - and you don't put a lot of downward pressure on it when cutting - the dado will not be of equal depth along the cut. A router will follow any warp and make a consistent depth dado.

Mike

[Jim Andrew]

I use both a router and table saw with dado blade, and find it is simpler to use the router table with a 3/4" cutter, and then just sand the parts till they will fit in the groove. I make my boards 13/16 thick, glue up panels, then use the wide belt to bring smooth, first with a 60 grit, then a 120 belt.

[Cary Falk]

I have the Delta/DeWalt
7670. It has 4 tooth chippers and a nice case. It won't break the bank at $125. I am happy with it.

[Rod Sheridan]

Jim, for me the 2 most important things are lack of chip out and a very flat bottom.

I have an FS Tools set, it is ground as an assembly so it produces a perfectly flat bottom.

I also have a shaper type adjustable groover that I use, it produces perfectly flat bottoms and edges.

My saw has a solid 30mm arbour with no threads so I don't have an issue with different height blades or chippers, which can happen on some machines with threaded arbours.

regards, Rod.

[Frederick Skelly]

Don't know how much saw you have, but another caution is to check your saw's manual. I was just about to pull the trigger on an expensive 8" set for my old Delta Contractor Saw. Then I read the manual and it recommended using only a 6" set. (I'm suspect that's tied to the lower HP of my contractor saw.) YMMV.

Fred

[Jim Colombo]

Also, what brand saw? (SawStop has some possible restrictions.)

sawstop budget around $150

[Jim Colombo]

A bit off subject, but I have a dado set and rarely use it. I use a router to make dados. The problem with a dado set is that if your panel has any warp - and you don't put a lot of downward pressure on it when cutting - the dado will not be of equal depth along the cut. A router will follow any warp and make a consistent depth dado.

Mike

Mike;
That's how I started out but after a lengthy period of time where I was having problems with the router I finally figured out that the collet wasn't holding the bit (no mater how hard I tightened the nut). I've since ordered a new collet hoping that is really the problem and not the router. I have a DeWalt router.
I would prefer using the router also but I'm under the gun to get this project done quickly.

Jim

[Mel Fulks]

Jim, sometimes the problem is just from allowing the bit to bottom out ,it should be about an 1/8 th from the bottom.

[Nick Decker]

sawstop budget around $150

Jim,

I recently did some research into buying a dado set for my SawStop. Ended up buying the Forrest Dado King set, which would be more than you want to spend. While I haven't used the Dewalt set, it seems to get good reviews in its price range.

A few SawStop considerations, in case you're not aware of them.

SawStop recommends against dados that use full sized blades for the chippers, because their weight will slow down the brake cartridge's stopping time.

Some of the Freud sets apparently aren't a true 8" dimension, but I believe they do now offer some that are. Again, possible brake problems.

SawStop says don't use a "wobble" dado set, although they need not have told me that. In my mind, the terms "table saw" and "wobble" don't go together.

I'm new to the dado world myself, so others may be able to offer better advice.

[Mike Gresham]

My opinion. Don't buy the one that you turn part of the unit to adjust the width. You will end up taking it all loose to make the adjustment.




Unless you simply back the arbor nut off half a turn, click as desired and tighten the nut. Works for me.

[phil harold]

CMT makes a good dado set
If you are going to use your dado on plywood get a negative rake one to reduce ply wood

I just refurbished an old 8”sears zip code saw to be a dedicated dado saw so I bought this set last month
Love it!!

https://aboloxtools.com/cmt-orange-tools-230-520-06-precision-dado-6x20x5-8?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInZ6Qspec3AIVTb7ACh31fAFeEAQYAS ABEgJ7MfD_BwE

[Corey Pelton]

I've used the DeWalt stack with great success. It does leave a slightly raised cut from the chippers, but it cuts very well.

Freud works with the Sawstop, but I've noticed when touching the blade, the constructiveness of the blade doesn't register on the Sawstop indicator as fast as other blades. I think it's their non-stick coating. Maybe I'm just imagining it, but I'd rather not take the chance that the brake might fire a few milliseconds slower.

[Nick Decker]

That's interesting about the Freud blades. Are/were you touching the teeth when you noticed this?

[jack forsberg]

here is a video i did on the differences about the dado stacks


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl5NOx_vwD0

[Joseph Quattro]

I have used a Freud 8” stacked set (SD208) for some time now. Works fine, no complaints, and within your budget. Don’t have much experience with other sets though.

[Mike Henderson]

I've used the DeWalt stack with great success. It does leave a slightly raised cut from the chippers, but it cuts very well.

Freud works with the Sawstop, but I've noticed when touching the blade, the constructiveness of the blade doesn't register on the Sawstop indicator as fast as other blades. I think it's their non-stick coating. Maybe I'm just imagining it, but I'd rather not take the chance that the brake might fire a few milliseconds slower.

You need to touch the tips of the blades to determine how quickly the system detects you finger. If your finger came in contact with the side of the blade while it was running, it wouldn't much hurt you.

Mike

[Van Huskey]

Given the budget, I would get a Dewalt set.

[Johnny Barr]

CMT makes a good dado set



Not recommended to use with a sawstop

I would firstly contact Sawstop. They sent me a list of acceptable dado sets. All of the Freud sets are not recommended except the SD208S

So the Dewalt and the SD208S would be a good choice given your budget.

I originally bought Freud's SD508 set and it was brilliant but ended up selling it because of what Sawstop said. I bought the Dewalt and it works well.

[Peter Christensen]

Would you be so kind as to post that list? I asked them a while back and didn’t get a response. I have a Freud chip limited set and will either sell them or have a saw sharpening shop grind them off. That would however leave the possibility of the Chrome chipping.

[Johnny Barr]

I lost the email but I got this off "lumberjacks' web site

•Forrest Dado King DK0824XXX (5/8” arbor)
•DeWalt DW7670 8” Dado Stack
•Freud SD208S 8” Dado Stack (NEW, March 2017)
•Tenryu GMD-20340
•King Canada KSC-8000
•Amana 658040

[Mike Henderson]

Not recommended to use with a sawstop

I would firstly contact Sawstop. They sent me a list of acceptable dado sets. All of the Freud sets are not recommended except the SD208S

So the Dewalt and the SD208S would be a good choice given your budget.

I originally bought Freud's SD508 set and it was brilliant but ended up selling it because of what Sawstop said. I bought the Dewalt and it works well.

Any idea why certain dado stacks are not recommended by SawStop? Do they not fit well? Or not stop well with the brake? Or what?

Mike

[Van Huskey]

Any idea why certain dado stacks are not recommended by SawStop? Do they not fit well? Or not stop well with the brake? Or what?

Mike

I don't know all the reasons but two are solid chipper plates end up with too much mass and depth limiting shoulders reduce the bite of the blade into the aluminum block.

[Peter Christensen]

I lost the email but I got this off "lumberjacks' web site

•Forrest Dado King DK0824XXX (5/8” arbor)
•DeWalt DW7670 8” Dado Stack
•Freud SD208S 8” Dado Stack (NEW, March 2017)
•Tenryu GMD-20340
•King Canada KSC-8000
•Amana 658040

Thank you Johnny. Mine is a Freud SD208 (older without the "S"). Looks like I'll have to replace it or have it modified to take off the chip limiters.

[Phillip Gregory]

What should I look for in a dado set? I'll probably be using it mostly for rabbits and grooves (no more than 3/4").

Thanks,
Jim

I like to use 7/8 ounce of #6s through a modified choke from a 20 gauge for rabbits.

I exclusively use my shaper for rabbets and use it for most grooving. I use Freeborn's brazed carbide PC series cutterheads and they work very well. A decent shaper makes a MUCH better tool for rabbeting and grooving than a saw with a stack blade setup. The wobble blades are complete crap, you're far better off dadoing by making multiple passes with any single blade you have as even an ATB blade will leave a flatter bottom to the dado than a wobble blade will.

I do have a dado stack for cutting dados. You want a GOOD dado stack, else you'll get chipout and ragged bottoms of cuts. I have a Freud SD512 for my radial arm saw, which is what I use to cut nearly all of my dados with. It's a good, high quality dado set and cuts a clean, flat-bottomed dado. It wasn't cheap but it was worth the several hundred dollars I paid for it a few years ago. I have a crappy madeinchina 8" stack dado for my cabinet saw and it cuts considerably more roughly since the cutters aren't as finely jointed to cut a flat bottom. It is also much noisier and has notably more chip-out. I use this set for working with nasty stuff such as cutting notches and half-laps in sappy pine and pressure-treated pine and leave the shaper and SD512 for cabinetry work.

[scott spencer]

For that saw and your budget, it'll be tough to beat the Delta/DW 7670. It's the best performer near the price range, and gives a taste of the best sets for near half the price.