# dado blade question



## fshenkin94 (Jan 4, 2011)

I have bought 2 sets of dado blades and tried them on my table saw.  With both sets I found that I was getting an uneven cut.  One set was a $30 set from Harbor Freight, the other was a $60 craftsman set.  Am I just buying cheap quality or could I have a problem with my saw?  The HF set got pretty good reviews from their customers.


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## ed4copies (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm also looking for a dado blade, for my son's saw--a Craftsman.  

I'd like to add a question about spindle length, these days.  Is it safe to assume a table saw will have enough spindle to mount a dado?

Now, what are you expecting?  My table saw dado kit leaves an uneven cut at the bottom, cause the "chippers" are not quite as long as the blade cuts on the two sides.
Is this what you consider "uneven" or is it splintering the edges?  Or something else?

The cleanest cut will come with a router bit--I don't expect a dado to give a "flush bottom"---is this incorrect, these days?


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## Curly (Jan 4, 2011)

fshenkin94 said:


> I have bought 2 sets of dado blades and tried them on my table saw.  With both sets I found that I was getting an uneven cut.  One set was a $30 set from Harbor Freight, the other was a $60 craftsman set.  Am I just buying cheap quality or could I have a problem with my saw?  The HF set got pretty good reviews from their customers.



If you mean the bottom of the cut groove is uneven or stepped across the bottom, then the inexpensive sets are likely the issue. More expensive sets of higher quality will cut a flatter bottom but are likely not going to be absolutly perfectly flat. 

The blade hole to saw shaft fit will has a bearing on the cut too. If a little loose the chip breakers will be a different heights and cut an uneven bottom.

Pete


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## jttheclockman (Jan 4, 2011)

Again another person asks a question but does not supply enough info. What kind of saw are you using the dados on?? Is it a table top Ryobi or some other cheap saw?? If so you will not get accuracy and the spindle could have runout. Those are cheap dado blades you mentioned. You get what you pay for.

Look into Freud. Some of the best on the market.

http://www.freudtools.com/p-315-pro-dado-set.aspx
Ed

Not all saws can handle dado blades. Your saw info should say this. Usually those tabletop saws are the ones that can not. There are some that will such as the Dewalts and Bosh. As mentioned the better blades can give you a better cut an d flat bottom. Setting a dado blade up properly is also a ket to good cuts. You don't just stack blades. There is a sequence.

One other thing unless you plan on doing deep cuts, and there I would use a router, don't waste your money on 8" blades. Buy the 6" set and save money. 99% of the time you are going no deeper than 3/4"


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## dexter0606 (Jan 4, 2011)

> Again another person asks a question but does not supply enough info.


 
Did we really need a comment like this? Couldn't you just have gone into your response? As far as I know there was no question of saws, just blades.

In response to the original question, I use the Freud. Good blades. I have used cheaper ones before and haven't had too bad of a result, although as mentioned, a router bit will give you a betterfit in the bottom. You just don't have the adjustability that you do with the dado. You may have to change the style of your joint if your router bit doesn't match the thickness of your board, i.e. you may have to rout the joint in both pieces.


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## ed4copies (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks John,

I have one that I use on my DeWalt, but it is as old as the predecessor Craftsman handed down from my father.

So, this is all new territory.  My son's Craftsman is fairly heavy, 10"--we have worked on a couple projects together (early version of heaven for me), but I have never taken the blade off and viewed the blade's "shaft".
So, I was considering a "wobble dado" if such things still exist.  They will fit on short blade shafts.

The "6 inch" comment is greatly appreciated!!  You are correct, I have never used more than HALF an inch in depth.


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## leestoresund (Jan 4, 2011)

Recently (3x in last year) Rockler has had the Oslun on sale for about $50.
I've used it often and get smooth flat cuts.

I've got an old Jet 10" with a 5/8" arbor.

Lee


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## mredburn (Jan 4, 2011)

Ed pm sent


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## IPD_Mrs (Jan 4, 2011)

There is also a difference between a Dado set and the old wabblers.

If you are looking for a good "set" the a Forrestt is a good option.


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## DozerMite (Jan 4, 2011)

I have an adjustable dado head. The width is fully adjustable and it can also be adjusted to give different bottom cuts. I always set it for a flat bottom.
It does a great job and as long as a test cut is done and adjusted for fit, it always fits perfect.

Some people do prefer the stack dado's, but to get the perfect width cut, you usually have to put shims between the chippers and this can leave a rough bottom.

Everyone has their own views on which is better. I like mine and it does what I ask of it. The best thing to do, if possible, is to see one of each demonstrated and make your decision on which performs the way you want it to. You really should use a contractor or cabinet saw for at least the adjustable dado's because there is vibration and a tabletop or similar would probably run away from you.


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## THarvey (Jan 4, 2011)

You did not specify, but from the HF price I am assuming you are talking about stack dado blades and not wobble blades.

I have two sets of stack dados.  One from HF, the other from Delta.  Both are 8" sets.  My experience is the Delta produces a flatter dado cut. However, the HF seems better balanced (less vibration) and produces straighter cuts.  I find myself using the HF more, because you rarely see the bottom of the dado once everything is assembled.

The comments about the flatness of the bottom of the cuts has already been discussed in other posts.

If you are referring to variations in the width of your dado, that can be caused by a few factors.

1.  You could have a bent spindle on your tablesaw, in which case you should see similar issues with a single blade.

2.  You may have the two outside blades of your stack dado reversed.  With most stack dados, the blade teeth are cut on a bias.  So, there is a defined outside to the blade.  If you were to look at your dado blade from the edge, the teeth of the two outside blades should slant toward the inside of the dado stack.

3.  Also, it is possible (although not likely) you may have chipped some of the teeth or lost carbide tips.  Or, bent a chipper blade.

BTW:  I doubt it matters much, but I do most of my dados on my radial arm saw.  The only dados I do on the table saw are those that are longer than the reach of the radial arm.


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## jttheclockman (Jan 4, 2011)

dexter0606 said:


> > Again another person asks a question but does not supply enough info.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Yes Jeff maybe I should not have put it that way and i will try to be more gentle. When people come to ask a question they do not include alot of details that will help us help them and then the guessing game begins. When you are talking blades, machinery, and things of this nature it is alot more serious than talking about which blank to use on a pen or what finish. The wrong answer can mean serious injury. Putting the wrong blade on a saw could be a huge problem. So to me it is relevant. Alot of those tabletop saws can't handle a dado blade but you still are able to possiblly catch a nut to hold the blade on and people think this is OK and then the blade goes flying off. I don't want to go to the off topic forum and read about an injury that occured. That is why I asked and I will bow out of the topic.  





THarvey said:


> You did not specify, but from the HF price I am assuming you are talking about stack dado blades and not wobble blades.
> 
> I have two sets of stack dados. One from HF, the other from Delta. Both are 8" sets. My experience is the Delta produces a flatter dado cut. However, the HF seems better balanced (less vibration) and produces straighter cuts. I find myself using the HF more, because you rarely see the bottom of the dado once everything is assembled.
> 
> ...


 

Just would like to add a #4 and that is when setting up the stack of blades along with what was mention about teeth direction, don't stack teeth next to each other. The plates of the blades need to lay flat against each other. It will cause vibration and irratic cuts. Good luck with the dadoing and happy woodworking.


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## ed4copies (Jan 4, 2011)

Also when setting up a dado stack, you should try to keep the chippers "balanced".  IF there are gaps,  it can make the cut more difficult and the vibration increases.


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## Lenny (Jan 4, 2011)

We have two Freud and two Forrest stack dado sets at work. I like the Forrest slightly better. When spending my own money I was a little "thriftier" :biggrin:  ... and bought the 8" Delta. For how much I use it these days it is a reasonable option. Settle for something less than this and you will most likely be disappointed.
I gave up on wobble dadoes along time ago. As was mentioned a 6" dado set is also a reasonable way to save a few dollars and will match up to the lower powered saws.


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## bobleibo (Jan 4, 2011)

For what is it worth......
I do a lot of flat work and have a Forrest Dado set, possibly one of the best on the market and I still prefer to use my router table when at all possible because
1 - if I need a dado cut, it usually means I am also running flat work. Having to switch back and forth between blades on my table saw is slow and a pain in the butt.
2 - I get a much cleaner cut - both side to side and on the bottom - from my router
3 - I rarely find times when the dado cut to the edge of the work is more than my router table can handle. I eventually designed an insert for my table saw that I can drop my router into thus enabling me to use the fence on my table saw.
4 - The old "wobble" blades do just that...wobble. Freud tried to modernize them with their dial-a-dado. Great concept except the wider you dial it, the wider the gap between the outside blades and the chippers which really accentuates the rough bottom cut.  
5 - another thing to keep an eye on is the amount of variance between the size of your saw drive shaft and the arbor hole on the blade. The tighter the better. 

I did find over the years that a decent dado blade is not cheap. A lot of it has to do with the quality of the steel. The lower the quality, the more flex in the blade which creates the uneven s to s cuts. That old "you get what you pay for.." thing comes to mind here. 

Good luck in your search for a solution that fits your needs. 

Just my two cents....now I am totally broke.


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## KenV (Jan 4, 2011)

I have a contractors saw and it is NOT rated for an 8 inch dado blade.  It really wants a 6 inch dado blade.  Have seen 8 inch dados attempted on smaller contractor saws without the beef and horsepower -- and you will likely have some problems with runout and rough edges (sooner or later) as the wear and tear goes on.

I tried a borrowed set and was rapidly convinced to stay with the smaller diameter dado blades.  

Same saw runs much better for pen work with a 7 1/2 inch narrow kerf blade in it --

Contractor saws were not made for Unisaw work --


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