# HELP WITH DADO



## Barney (Jul 9, 2005)

Hi Daniel:
I use the Sears 8" three blade stacked dodo and it done everything I needed it to do. Ranger from 1/4" to 13/16" cost about $190 but if you are lucky you can find them on e-bay for about half price.
Good Luck
Barney


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## Todd Zeiner (Jun 15, 2004)

I have a Freud 8" stacked dado that will cut from 1/4 to 7/8 plus shims that allow for exact width adjustments. Cost is about $90 It is carbide tipped and makes cabinet quality cuts.
Best value for the money in my book.
Funny thing is, I don't even use it when I make boxes.


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## greenbeekeeping (Feb 13, 2003)

I also have a freud staked dado set. It works great with no dissapointments.

Matt


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

I was looking at this daddo at Harbor Freight for $39.99
"Lifetime" brand 8" C2 Tungsten Carbide tipped daddo
includes 2 22 teeth outer blades
5 2T chipper inner blades one is 1/16"
brass shimstock
cuts 1/8" - 13/16"

try this link

Does it look decent? I don't want to buy junk, but I don't really need a real high end blade.

here's another one on sale for $29.99 it actually looks better, has more outer teeth.

[ February 05, 2006, 04:20 PM: Message edited by: MichaelW ]


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## Todd Zeiner (Jun 15, 2004)

The first one looks good. I use mine for making cabinets and furniture so I went a bit higher up. 
But for cutting pine beeboxes, it should do fine. More teeth on the blade does not equal a better blade. 
For what you are using it for, more teeth will only slow your motor down.


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## Tom H (Oct 24, 2004)

I bought the Harbor Freight dado set that usually sells for $39.99 on one of their sales last May or June and paid $24.99 for it. I have made six hive bodies and six bottom boards using the dado set to make the box joints on the hive bodies and the dados on the sides and back of the bottom boards and the set is still sharp and all cuts were accurate.
I was using poplar but I'm sure it would be just as well on pine, cypress or spruce.
I think it is a good, low-end set; but watch for their sale price in a month or two.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

If you will watch Harbor Freight has that set on sale some time for 20 bux, I bought one to try and then went back and bought a spare


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

Dang, I was all ready to go and buy one, but now my thrifty nature will force me to wait! 

Sometimes you wonder how much it really costs to make and ship things from Asia.
I bought Harbor Freights reciprocating saw for $19.99, seems good, and have heard good reviews from people.
Today I bought a jigsaw from Northern Tool for $8.99
I would be more likely to buy stuff made in the US, but with so many brands importing, why pay more? (for the non-profesional anyway)


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## DANIEL QUINCE (Jan 15, 2006)

If you don't buy large volume, the price is half what you pay at Sears. A large container is about $4000 and the Orientals are unmatched when it comes to pack lots of stuff into it. You cannot drop a needle inside. Years ago I was looking for US made too. Not anymore since most of the stuff sold here is made somewhere else anyway. Even the "professional" equipment, unless high precision is a must, I would buy one imported machine every 3-4 years and still pay less than for a similar US made that may last 15 years. US made is not what it used to be neither. Too many shareholders expecting record profits every year.
Thanks everybody for your advice. I'll pay the $40, I can't afford to wait.
Daniel


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## JohnBeeMan (Feb 24, 2004)

A few years ago, I saw a trick on the Woodwright TV show on making a waterproof tray. 

The basics of the method is to create a compression in the long grain edge of the bottom board. This can be done by using a copper wire along the center line of the 3/4 inch edge of the bottom. You then tap the wire to create a small crease line along whole edge. Then you use a hand plane to shave off a small amount of the edge but not down to the crease. You then assemble the tray. 

The idea is that any moisture that gets into the seam will encounter the compressed fibers from where you tapped the wire. These compressed fibers will then swell to be 'above' the surface of the other part of the edge. These swollen fibers thus form a gasget.

May be worth a try!


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

DANIEL QUINCE . . .

If you are just making bee stuff, you really dont need a dado.

I made all my woodenware, including frames w/ just a saw and router.

Set-up time for a dado is a "killer", but it removes fingers quickly


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

You can make a rabbet with two cuts on a table saw with a standard blade. It's only when you want a dado in the center, like for a divider to split up a box into nucs, that you really need wither a router or a dado. Granted a dado blade can do in ONE cut what yo have to do with a regular blade in two, so it depends on how many you have to make and how cheap your table saw is.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

""so it depends on how many you have to make and how cheap your table saw is.""

Or how cheap "I" is  

Like Mike I have made a lots of dados with just the saw.

[ February 13, 2006, 03:36 PM: Message edited by: honeyman46408 ]


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## DANIEL QUINCE (Jan 15, 2006)

The dado will be 10% of the saw price. A 3HP router will be as much as the saw, so I'll have to wait until my wife asks me to make something for her or my birthday to have an excuse to buy it. I wish I was born in March, but it's November.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

A saw can do many things.

A dado can do ONLY ONE thing!

A router can do many things.

My advice







, 
spend your wife's money wisely


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## DANIEL QUINCE (Jan 15, 2006)

I wasn't clear about this. There is MY money. She's just "managing" them. Actually, she is with me on this one, I mean bees not toys. You are perfectly right. The router is more versatile, but is it better/faster/cheaper if you build 10 hives at a time?


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## kamerrill (Sep 17, 2003)

>The router is more versatile, but is it better/faster/cheaper if you build 10 hives at a time?<

More efficient for sure








It takes just as much time to cut the parts for, say, ten covers as it does for one. The time is in the set-up.

In my woodshop, I have two table saws. One set-up with a dado, the other is set-up to rip. I have the compound miter saw set-up with stops to cut to length.

Once in a while for fun, I will finger joint boxes but it takes way too much time. It's much faster to rabbit joint, glue, and screw together. I've never had a joint blow out, so from my perspective, a rabbit joint is certainly strong enough for boxes. Not as pretty but....


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## DANIEL QUINCE (Jan 15, 2006)

Thank you all. Just for your info, Harbor Freight has the $39.99 dado on sale for 19.99. I just ordered 2 for $48 including shipping.
Daniel


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

DANIEL,

Smart buy. I have this dado blade and it works great for bee hives. Never intended to used it for finer work - too busy making bee hives. Can't beat it for $20!!


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## Focus on Bees (Mar 6, 2006)

-Daniel-

No offense, just my oppinion. I would have to disagree with you as far as american made and import tools. Bottom line - you get what you pay for. I don't like the quality of most imports, poor adjustments and skinned up knuckles. On the other hand, watch where you buy your things from. Some countries have excellent high quality items. Unfortunately, Asian countries seem to have the poorest. Its fine if you don't mind the frustration of working with inferior tools. I prefer to save up and buy quality.


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

I agree with focus. I use Oldham saw blades and Freud dado.

Not going to skimp when something is spinning at those RPM's.

Worked for Woodcraft Industries as a molder operator and knife grinder. Cheap steel does not cut it.


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## mdotson (Jun 18, 2005)

There is a Harbor Freight near my house. If I print out the internet sales or the email flyers I get and take them to the local store they will honor them. I have gotten some really good buys this way.


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## DANIEL QUINCE (Jan 15, 2006)

Focus, I know exactly what you mean. I design machinery and the company I work for also imports machinery. We design and build industrial custom equipment that is over 400% the price of an import, an off the shelf import that is. However, our machines last longer. I get machines for rebuild that are 50 years old and come from 7-24 environments. There are also customers out there that need a machine for one 6 mo. contract or so and will not spend the money for one of our US built machine. Seeing our manufacturing jobs moving to China is not easy for me. I have to admit, so, that it all makes economical sense. The problem I see is that, in my forecast, in about 5 years, products made in China will be as expensive as those made in US. In the meantime we lost the US manufacturing, US quality and professionals, so we are going to pay US made prices for low China quality. I blame the way the government was and still is dealing with the education department. I cannot really blame US corporations producing oversees or their shareholders for being greedy. Thats how they survive.


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

Buy American my friend......... I try to.


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## Focus on Bees (Mar 6, 2006)

yeah, its all messed up. I hate to see it swirling.

--------------------------------
its good to eat your Honey


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## divebee (Mar 15, 2006)

I got one of the stacked sets from Home Depot, I think the brand was Diablo. It's an 8" but intended to run on a 10" tablesaw also. I built a few boxes with it. Later started using a 45 degree on the box corners and just using the dado for the edge for the frames to rest in. I think the big time box builders have a special set of blades that just cut it all in one swoop. It's all the re setting up with a dado that you can be off slightly and cause problems for the fittment of your boxes. Probably just as cost effective to buy commercial grade boxes and assemble them yourself,, In my opinion at this point.


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## Focus on Bees (Mar 6, 2006)

Its real easy to make a dado jig for making your own boxes. I have done it and its great !! If you're interested PM me and I will let you know how I built mine. Its simple. also an 8" dado is what goes on a ten inch table saw. Its a standard size.


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## notaclue (Jun 30, 2005)

Definitely, spend the extra scratch to try and keep it here...unless we have no choice and no way to get a local manufacture.

David


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

Where can one find out what tools are made in the US? I don't know the last tool I saw that was made in the US, I check, but don't buy tools often.

The thing I like about Harbor Freight is your paying less for likely the same chinese crap they got at home depot. Why pay more for the same? I will pay more for quality and USA, but its hard to find for "made in the USA" for the kind of tools I buy. More specialized equipment I can see being built here, but is there a saw blade made in the US?

Thanks for the tip on printing internet sales, that would have saved me $20 recently.


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

I use Oldham dado and blades, been good for me.

Here's a link to a very good pictorial and verbal instruction on making a box joint jig.

So well done I thing I may even make one  

http://beemaster.com/beebbs/viewtopic.php?t=1525


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## beegee (Jun 3, 2003)

I agree with DQ. The Chinese are crafty. They are flooding our markets with cheap goods of decent quality. After they have run all the American mfg's out of business, the prices will go up, quality will remain the same or deteriorate. The Wal-Mart mentality wil be our undoing.


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