Freud 8" safety dado

[Mike Hoyt]

Hey guys Im a bit of a newbie and Im in the market for a new dado. I have been looking around for some time and I thought I was all set on the Freud 208 but I came across several of these 8" Freud Safety Dado Set's and I was wondering if anybody had any experience with them. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Guys

[keith ouellette]

My first dado set was an off brand that worked poorly so i brought it back and bought a freud that used shims and it cut great but the shims were a pain. After breaking a couple of teeth on one main cutter I bought the dial a dado from freud. If you make a lot of dados you will love it. My shims were so hard to get off the arbor with the other set. The dial a dado is worth the extra money if you ask me.

[glenn bradley]

I love the SD508. My arbor would accept the SD608 but I could only get limited width before I ran out of threads so the SD508 was the alternative. I am very happy with it.

[Bill Keppel]

I love the SD508. My arbor would accept the SD608 but I could only get limited width before I ran out of threads so the SD508 was the alternative. I am very happy with it.

You wouldn't happen to have a CM 22124 TS like me would you?

[Dave Laird in NM]

The SD-208 is the Safety Dado and has a positive hook on the teeth of all the blades. The chipper blades are only two teeth. You will get tear-out with this blade on plywood, chipping on melamine, and tear-out on crosscutting solid wood.:(

The SD-508 is the Super Dado and it has a negative hook on the teeth of all the blades. The chippers have four teeth and will not give you tear-out or chipping on any dado cut (as long as it is sharp).

The Dial-a-With is limited in its width by the arbor on some saws. If you buy this one make sure that you check the length of your arbor and the thickness of your nut before you buy it.:eek:

I have the Super Dado:D and have cut many dados with it in the past 8 years. I have had it sharpened once in that time. I would highly recommend it over the Safety Dado.

[Vernon Taylor]

I have the Dial-aWidth which I am very satisfied with,running on 3hp unisaw. I have seen several reviews on the SD208 which is rated as a good value at or about $100 or less.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I own several dado sets. A cheapie from HF for pressure treated wood, a two blade wobble from Sears ( originally made be DMT), a Freud SD-208, a Freud Safety Dado, and a Forrest Dado King. I picked the Safety Dado, and the Dado King at local flea market. Paid $65, and $135 respectively for them. The SD-208 sees the most use. It does everything I ask of it. DeWalt also makes a dado set that is about the same price as the SD-208. Most offer a guarentee of satisfaction, so you might want to try either the SD-208, or the DeWalt. Both are a little less than $100.

[Mike Hoyt]

Thanks for the replies guys. I have a Delta 36-982 and if i measured right it will take most of the stacked dado's on the market. As with anything in life you going to get what you pay for, so Ill just bite the bullet and buy a good one. It sure beats poor results and frustration. Thanks again

[Charles McCracken]

Dave,

Thanks for posting this. I would to make a couple of clarifications:


The SD-208 is the Safety Dado and has a positive hook on the teeth of all the blades. The chipper blades are only two teeth. You will get tear-out with this blade on plywood, chipping on melamine, and tear-out on crosscutting solid wood.:(

Actually, the SD308 is the Safety Dado but you are correct that the chippers are two wing and the hook angle is positive. The hook angle makes it slightly inferior to the SD508 in materials like veneered plywood and melamine/laminates but it is ideal for cross grain in solid wood.

[Ed Peters]

Either get a set of magnetic shims or be sure to keep your nonmagnetic shims between the first blade and the first chipper. This will keep them on the solid part of the shaft so they do not drop down into the threads. When they drop down into the threads you stand a chance of running a stack that is not fully tightened and this could damage some of the teeth.

By all means, steer clear of the wobble blades and hold out for a set with chippers of 4 or more teeth.

Ed

[Greg Narozniak]

I have the Freud SD208 and have run a lot of veneered Ply through it and it has always been great in my book.

[Harry Niemann]

Just a thot re 8" blades, make sure you are not overloading the motor with this size blade. The larger the diameter, the more load it places on the motor. If you have a smaller size saw I would consider a 6" blade set.

[Greg Funk]

Just a thot re 8" blades, make sure you are not overloading the motor with this size blade. The larger the diameter, the more load it places on the motor. If you have a smaller size saw I would consider a 6" blade set.
This is a common misconception. For manual feed the load on the motor is determined by how quickly you push the material past the blade not by the size of the blade. If you have a 3HP+ saw you might be able to feed the work a little faster with an 8" blade but in my experience I am seldom concerned with maximizing the feed rate.

On the other hand an 8" blade will give you an extra 1" of cutting depth which may be useful if you are using a sled.

Greg

[Greg Sznajdruk]

In regard to shims, don't know where I saw this idea but it works for me. I've cut out a pie shaped wedge out of my shims, large enough to slip onto the arbor shaft. I have a pair of forceps that are used to slip in or remove the shims. I just loosen the nut enough to move the blades apart. It quick and easy.

Greg

[Charles McCracken]

This is a common misconception. For manual feed the load on the motor is determined by how quickly you push the material past the blade not by the size of the blade. If you have a 3HP+ saw you might be able to feed the work a little faster with an 8" blade but in my experience I am seldom concerned with maximizing the feed rate.

On the other hand an 8" blade will give you an extra 1" of cutting depth which may be useful if you are using a sled.

Greg

On the contrary, an 8" dado (or saw blade) requires app. 33% more torque than a 6". If you think of each tooth as a lever and the arbor as the fulcrum, the lever for the 8" is 33% longer than the lever of the 6". The saw has to push the lever through the wood to cut. The first step in deciding the diameter to choose is to consult the user's manual for the saw. The manufacturer may limit you to 6". If an 8" can be mounted the strength of the saw's motor becomes a factor. Agreed that the extra 1" depth of cut could be handy.

[Greg Funk]

On the contrary, an 8" dado (or saw blade) requires app. 33% more torque than a 6". If you think of each tooth as a lever and the arbor as the fulcrum, the lever for the 8" is 33% longer than the lever of the 6".
Charles,

That is only true if each tooth is cutting the same amount. An 8" saw will be moving faster hence the teeth don't need to cut as much on each rotation.

In any case the operator controls the load on the motor. If it starts to strain don't push as hard.

Greg

[glenn bradley]

You wouldn't happen to have a CM 22124 TS like me would you?

Yes and what's wrong with making the arbor another 3/8" long???:cool: I can get full use of the 508 at least. Since most of my work is in solid woods where I control the thickness, I haven't even unbagged the shims yet.

[Charles McCracken]

Charles,

That is only true if each tooth is cutting the same amount. An 8" saw will be moving faster hence the teeth don't need to cut as much on each rotation.

In any case the operator controls the load on the motor. If it starts to strain don't push as hard.

Greg

Greg,

The tip velocity of the 8" is higher but the RPMs are the same and the number of teeth on each is close to the same so the number of chips per revolution is comparable. If the chip load is too low there is a risk of burning and decreased cutter life so it should be kept consistent whether using a 6" or a 12" diameter cutter. This is where the operator controlling the feed is important. If the operator is slowing the feed to reduce motor load the cutter is likely not matched to the job and the machine.

[Greg Funk]

Greg,

The tip velocity of the 8" is higher but the RPMs are the same and the number of teeth on each is close to the same so the number of chips per revolution is comparable. If the chip load is too low there is a risk of burning and decreased cutter life so it should be kept consistent whether using a 6" or a 12" diameter cutter. This is where the operator controlling the feed is important. If the operator is slowing the feed to reduce motor load the cutter is likely not matched to the job and the machine.
That may be but personally when I am pushing wood through a dado I seldom hear the motor straining so I suspect I am not using anything close to 3HP which leads me to believe that a 1 1/2 HP saw wouldn't have any problems with an 8" dado. I've also never heard from anyone who had a 1 1/2 HP saw and had trouble with an 8" dado.

Greg