Looking to purchase a dado set.

[Bart Leetch]

Does anyone have any experience with purchasing from Right-tool .com?

I am looking at purchasing a Freud Dado set from them either a SD506 $145.95 or SD 508 $165.95 to be used on my Craftsman contractor saw. Other than the difference being a larger diameter & more teeth on the 8” is there anything I should know about this Dado set as seen here.

http://www.right-tool.com/freudchipdad.html

Also does anyone know anything about the Dado set that Woodcraft has as seen here.

http://shop.woodcraft.com/Woodcraft/product_family.asp?family%5Fid=4601&gift=False&0=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D10000%26Tree%3D%2CDepar tments&1=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D1040%26menu%5Fid%3D%26T ree%3D0%2CSaws&2=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D2126%26menu%5Fid%3D%26T ree%3D1%2CCircular%20Saw%20Blades&Gift=False&mscssid=956ECCFD7A62406187623AE6F4C1FA77

[Mike Evertsen]

I bought the dado set from woodcraft,,I set it up to do a 3/4 dado according to the directions and from using dado sets I put on an outside blade 4 inside chippers and a outside blade the width came out to just ovr 5/8,,,I called teh they said it was bad set so I took it back but they didn't have another one so I took a refund went to rocklers they wee doing a demo on the same set except it the 6"
I told the guy what I what happened so he measured the dado he just made instead on 3/8 it was 5/16,,,the manager came over said what do you expect for 50.00 you need to play with shims to get the right width I told I expected it to be better quality from rockler or woodcraft,,,
any way I bought the 8" freund SD 208,,and been very happy with it,,,,

[Jim Becker]

The SD506/508 are excellent dado sets--only the Forrest DadoKing typically "tests" better. The 6" version will be easier on your saw, but it should have a problem with the 8" version if you choose that. The nice thing about the SD5-x series (and the new SD608 shimless) is the four-tooth chippers which provide a cleaner cut on the bottoms and presumably longer life between sharpenings. I'm not familiar with the vendor you cite, but the prices don't look too bad considering these are Freuds top-of-the-line dado sets. (other than the new SD608 mentioned above)

[Ray Johnson]

Last year I bought a set from Woodcraft. I put it on my Craftsman 10" table saw. The bottom of the cut was uneven. One or more of the chippers left deeper cuts than the outside blades. I ended up taking it back.

I don't think the dado set was the problem. I think the problem is in the arbor on my table saw. The treads are not flat like on some saws so the chippers tend to drop down in between the treads. I believe the same thing would happen with the Freud dado set. I need to replace the arbor. I read something a few years ago that older Craftsman saws had this problem. I bought mine in 1979. If I had the arbor replaced, I would have no problems in buying the Woodcraft dado again. As I said, I believe the problem was in the arbor.

[Jim Becker]

Last year I bought a set from Woodcraft. I put it on my Craftsman 10" table saw. The bottom of the cut was uneven. One or more of the chippers left deeper cuts than the outside blades....I don't think the dado set was the problem. I think the problem is in the arbor on my table saw. The treads are not flat like on some saws so the chippers tend to drop down in between the treads. I believe the same thing would happen with the Freud dado set.

This is a known issue with many Craftsman table saws and will affect ANY stacked dado set. Some folks fill the offending groove with epoxy after carefully cleaning it. Others end up using their routers for dados and rebates. Replacing the arbor may or may no fix the issue...the replacement could be manufactured the same way, depending on the saw.

[Tom Peterson]

Two years ago, I bought mine from Amazon for $170 for the 508 four wing chipper that Jim is talking about. Save your money until you fix that saw. I have the same problem with my Craftsman. If you search the archive, someone posted the part number for the Rigid arbor that corrects this problem which I guess must fit. I have been now looking at saws but have not decided. Pretty well convinved from advice on this board that putting any money in the saw is not worth it.

[Tom Peterson]

Amazon is selling the set for $159.99 with free shipping, I bought a finish nailer two month ago and opened an Amazon charge account an received an additional $25 off. Good Luck

[Byron Trantham]

Bart, I owned the Craftsman TS and a Forrest Dato King 8" set. As Jim Becker pointed out, you can't get there from here.... I did fix the flat bottom problem by using J&B Weld epoxy. I cleaned the arbor and used a popsicle stick to apply the weld, getting it as close to smooth as possible (tough to do in such a confined space). Allowed it to cure for 24 hours. I used emery cloth wrapped around the shaft and turned on the saw. I kept sanding it until the blade passed over "the fix". Result? flat bottoms. It used that fix for over three years without having to do it again. Bought a Delta in the mean time. ;)

BTW, the Forrest dato set isn't 3/4" or 1/2" or anything standard. It's a little short of the dimension. Why? Is your 3/4" plywood, 3/4"? More often than not, mine isn't. The blades are set up to accommodate the thiner material sold today as 3/4" or what ever. If the blades are set up for 3/4" you will have a joint that is sloppy. If the material is 3/4", just add the provided shims to get the full width. I hope this is clear. :confused:

[Jim Becker]

BTW, the Forrest dato set isn't 3/4" or 1/2" or anything standard. It's a little short of the dimension. Why? Is your 3/4" plywood, 3/4"? More often than not, mine isn't. The blades are set up to accommodate the thiner material sold today as 3/4" or what ever.

Good point. I actually have found that the Forrest DadoKing without shims almost exactly matches the "undersized" birch plywood I've been buying from HD...throw it on the saw and cut. The recent review of dado sets by WOOD Magazine talked about the variations in width of the different dado sets they tested. It was interesting to see such a wide range in differences. The approach by the new Freud SD608 is interesting with the adjustable hub on one outer blade to eliminate the need for shims altogether.

[Byron Trantham]

Good point. I actually have found that the Forrest DadoKing without shims almost exactly matches the "undersized" birch plywood I've been buying from HD...throw it on the saw and cut.
Yea, that's my point exactly. You can widen it but you can't make it narrower. The only time I use the shims is if I am using stock I milled or the plywood just happens to be correct. BTW, I use one of the dial calipers that measure in fractions. Love that thing! :D

[Jim Becker]

BTW, I use one of the dial calipers that measure in fractions. Love that thing!

Me, too. I generally keep it at the lathe, but it gets used a LOT at the planer and for setting up the dado set. The thirty bucks was a good investment since everything else in the shop is in fractions...if we did things like the rest of the world and used metric, things would be a lot easier, but that seems to have been put on the back burner long ago. But to the point, using even the most inexpensive caliper (no markings necessary) is the best way to match a dado to a specific thickness of material...just pinch the material and then work with your test cuts until the groove matches exactly.