Matt King
02-03-2006, 7:34 PM
Here's several pictures of some rather rudimentary test cuts using the Dewalt stacked dado set (DW7670) and 50 tooth combo blade (DW7640) that I picked up at the Atlanta Woodworking Show last weekend. Please forgive the quality (or lack thereof!) here - these were snapped in a hurry, and the cuts were certainly nothing elegant. All I had handy was a scrap of white pine, a piece of red oak laminate flooring, and a strip of 3/8 pine plywood. The varying depth of the dados is definately my technique, not a result of the dado set! Please note - as you can see in one of the pictures, I used a distinctly NON-zero clearance insert for this quick and dirty test! I really need to get around to making a few ZCI pieces for the ole table saw....
Personally, I think both the combo blade ($45) and the dado ($91) are WELL worth the money and will give me quite a bit of very satisfactory service. I'm sure a Forrest Dado King or a Freud Super Dado would cut a bit more smoothly, and my trusty Woodworker I does indeed leave a more burnished cut. Are either of them worth double (or more!) the money for general purpose use? For me, no.
Granted, I have no personal cutting experience with the the Freud products of commensurate price, so the following statements are just my opinions and/or gut feelings. I think the DW7640 50 tooth blade is every bit as good as any Freud available in the BORG's or any of the chain WW stores. It rips plenty well enough to go straight to glue-up, and the crosscut is virtually tearout free, just not burnished like a Forrest WW I/II type blade would be. The dado set is, in my opinion, a better buy than the entry (and possibly mid level - I'm not as familiar with that one) Freud sets, based on the design of the case, the extra, varying sized chippers, and plentiful, well marked, steel shims that come with the set.
Well, this is my two cents' worth!
Take care, y'all,
Matt
Personally, I think both the combo blade ($45) and the dado ($91) are WELL worth the money and will give me quite a bit of very satisfactory service. I'm sure a Forrest Dado King or a Freud Super Dado would cut a bit more smoothly, and my trusty Woodworker I does indeed leave a more burnished cut. Are either of them worth double (or more!) the money for general purpose use? For me, no.
Granted, I have no personal cutting experience with the the Freud products of commensurate price, so the following statements are just my opinions and/or gut feelings. I think the DW7640 50 tooth blade is every bit as good as any Freud available in the BORG's or any of the chain WW stores. It rips plenty well enough to go straight to glue-up, and the crosscut is virtually tearout free, just not burnished like a Forrest WW I/II type blade would be. The dado set is, in my opinion, a better buy than the entry (and possibly mid level - I'm not as familiar with that one) Freud sets, based on the design of the case, the extra, varying sized chippers, and plentiful, well marked, steel shims that come with the set.
Well, this is my two cents' worth!
Take care, y'all,
Matt