# Dado sets. Comparison Freud SD208 and Oshlun SDS 0842



## nlk3233 (May 19, 2014)

Thanks for the talking points, as im looking into dados now. Will look into the Oshlun.


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## philip.devos (Aug 10, 2013)

Thank you for your observations. I can't imagine anyone taking offense to your observations, which come across as dispassionate and objective.

If I buy a table saw I will definitely want a dado set, so your information is helpful to me.

Phil


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

The blade sharpener I use has told me several times that freud quality has gone down over the past years in regards to sharpening their blades. I have no idea what the specifics could be on his statement or even if it's well founded. I have a 6" freud set that does very well on my table saw. There's much less blow out than a cheap dado set I have but blowout can be effectively controlled with a follower board. Ive never had any experience with the other set you spoke about. I am going to buy another set of 8" freud dados to spin on my radial arm saw.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

rwurstr... I use Luan for follower boards. And, yes, it will control blowout..

I cut the Luan 10 X 10 and run them behind the bee part. Then I cut the dado cuts off and reuse. (After the first cut you would have 10 X 9 1/4, keep using, and cutting off the dado cuts, until it is only about 2 or 3 inches high, then throw away. I get all of the scrap pieces of Luan that I want, and in spare time cut up a stack of 10 X 10s.

cchoganjr


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

One more thing about the dado sets. Someone will pick this out.

The Oshlun set has 42 teeth on the two outside blades, whereas the Freud has 12. To get a Freud with 42 teeth, the price jumps to about $185.00. I was comparing the two sets that costs about the same, They obviously are not exactly alike.

cchoganjr


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## PAHunter62 (Jan 26, 2011)

I purchased the Oshlun SDS-0842 in Jan 2013 for around $91 bucks. I've used it for a lot of equipment builds, it has performed well for my needs. I can recommend it as a good option without spending a ton of money.

I spent a little time to make a sacrificial fence for making my dado rabbet cuts. Time well spent.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

PAHunter.... I built a tunnel for my boards to run through for making the rabbet cuts (frame rest, and rabbet on side rail of bottom boards) so there is NO WAY you can get a hand, (or anything else) in the dado blades. Even if you passed out and fell on the saw you cannot come in contact with the blades.

Your experience with the Oshlun SDS 0842 is the same as mine.

cchoganjr


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Is this tunnel something more than a board screwed to the rip fence?


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## rmaxwell (Apr 23, 2014)

Can anyone provide a comparison of these dado sets to the Forrest version?


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

Cleo C. Hogan Jr said:


> For the past several years, (10+), I have used the Oshlun SDS 0842 dado set on an older model Sears Craftsman Table saw for making box joints and the rabbet joint on the front and rear of deep and shallow bee boxes. . . . Over the past several years I have made several hundred boxes, rims for tops, and cut the rabbet cut for the frame rests.


FWIW, I've used the Freud SD 206 (6", not the 8" dado set - http://www.amazon.com/Freud-SD206-6...eud+dado&pebp=1421720289691&peasin=B0000223O8) with my 1.75 HP Steel City table saw for the past 3 years. My local store didn't stock the 8" dado set, and the employee recommended the 6" with the 1.75 HP anyway, so that's what I went with. I've probably made around 100 finger joint boxes with the set. I usually try to put 4 boards at a time in my sled, cutting the finger joints all at the same time. I can usually only get about 50-75 or so boxes out of the blade before I start getting some burning, letting me know it's time to sharpen or replace the blade. I got a second set as a back up, for when the first goes out for sharpening. Dumb to get the same set, but I was in a pinch. When new, the blades slice through the boards like butter. After about 50 boards, you have to start pushing into it a little bit to get the sled through the blades.

I haven't tried the Oshlun, but I am looking for something that is a little more durable. If I could get several hundred boxes out of one blade, I'd be a happy camper.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

odfrank...Yes, it is a tunnel clamped to the saw table over the dado blade. It stays set up all the time on this saw. 

It has an alignment guide that rests in the miter grooves if I want to remove it and then put it back in place. No measurements required as it sits in the miter grooves and is clamped to the saw table.

cchoganjr


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

Specialkayme said:


> , If I could get several hundred boxes out of one blade, I'd be a happy camper.


I honestly think you will with the Oshlun. Plus several hundred side rails for bottom boards and the side rails for telescoping covers.

So far i have only made about a dozen deep and shallow supers with the Freud. It is doing a good job so far. This time next year i will be able to tell you how many I may be able to get out of the Freud.

cchoganjr


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

rmaxwell said:


> Can anyone provide a comparison of these dado sets to the Forrest version?


Unfortunately I cannot. I have never used the Forrest version.

cchoganjr


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

rmaxwell said:


> Can anyone provide a comparison of these dado sets to the Forrest version?


If you are referring to the Dado King, it's MSRP is $299 (but you can often pick it up for $289). I can't find a cheaper Forrest dado model. I would hope it isn't in the same league as the $153 Freud (that often sells for $90) or the $129 Oshlun (that often sells for $90). 

Comparing a $300 dado set with a $100 dado set is akin to comparing a Maserati GranTurismo with an Acura RLX. Although I've never driven either.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

A 1 3/4 HP motor should easily spin an 8" dado set with no problems. I use a 6" stack on my table saw to reduce wear on my saw and I can't really comment on any of my blades' longevity due to how much wood I recycle. Although I wash most of what I pick up there is so much dirt in the wood its like running blades through sand paper. I have always heard praise of the oshlund sets. I prefer less teeth and bigger gullets on the outer blades even though less teeth lead to more blowout and dont work as well for cross cut dados. I wouldn't mind having an oshlund set although I don't think it would make much of a difference for what I do. I would like to see a comparison with the 8" Marples stack that retails for about $100.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I use the Freud set and have been happy for the most part. Getting the backer right to avoid as much blowout as possible is the key for me. I rarely use it so much that it needs to be top of the line but I do wonder if I'd be happier with more teeth on the outside blades than I have today. Not so much for making bee boxes but for other work where I always tend to get a little tear out here and there.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

Ravenseye... I suspect the larger number of teeth on my Onslun, (42) vrs the 12, on the Freud, could account for the difference in blowout, but, I will defer to someone with more experience and knowledge of woodworking than I have. The only woodworking I do is bee equipment related. And yes, I use backers to limit blowout.

cchoganjr


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## rmaxwell (Apr 23, 2014)

Specialkayme said:


> If you are referring to the Dado King, it's MSRP is $299 (but you can often pick it up for $289). I can't find a cheaper Forrest dado model. I would hope it isn't in the same league as the $153 Freud (that often sells for $90) or the $129 Oshlun (that often sells for $90).
> 
> Comparing a $300 dado set with a $100 dado set is akin to comparing a Maserati GranTurismo with an Acura RLX. Although I've never driven either.


Yes. The only one I've ever used is the Dado King so I don't know how well the others work in comparison. It is a little on the pricey side. I was hoping someone would be able to chime in and say they've used all of the above and the Dado King isn't worth the extra bucks. At some point soon, I'll have to either have mine sharpened or purchase another. That's why I was curious. Thanks.


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

I purchased the Oshlun set described and the first run I through a tooth on a chipper blade on pine. I sent them and email and had a new chipper in the mail within the week. Excellent customer service. It turned well on my Craftsman saw. I beat that saw for 15 years on hardwood and she was starting to take longer to bring the dato sets up to speed. I am now using a big Grizzly saw, 220 volts, multiple belts, different class of animal. I make a mistake on this beast it takes it away and sends it through the wall (the blade simply does not stop, the wood reacts violently). 
But back to comparison, The Freud set has ‘MicroGrain Carbide with Titanium, called TiCo, a high-density combination of Titanium and Cobalt’ which I am not familiar with. Any metallurgists out there?


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