# Dado blade choice



## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

for the casual user, harbor freight has a decent stacked dado set. you want a stack set not the wobble type. most direct drive motor type table saws have an arbor that is too short for a dado cutter. you will need to buy or make an insert to fit your saw.


----------



## crofter (May 5, 2011)

I would suggest doing a bit of research on "dado blade rake angle" . I bought one that has negative rake and it takes a lot of pressure to make it feed. Something a bit more aggressive might suit you better especially if you are thinking of making box joint construction and have a fairly modest horespower table saw.

Some cheap carbide saw blades have the carbides so poorly brazed in and run so much out of true that I would not want to be in front of them. A decent stackable dado set is not cheap. For a lot of things I do I use a wobble blade dado which does not give an absolutely flat bottom but they are quick to adjust and dont need the tender loving care a good stackable dado set does.


----------



## gx37987 (Mar 3, 2017)

I have both types of dado blades and the one thing you need to watch out for is the shaft that the blade is attached to, with my stacked dado I can't use it fully stacked to a 7/8" width cause the motor shaft is not long enough to install the nut and all blades togeather but I can with my wobble type dado, the other thing I did find is that the stacked dado cuts nicely but its not a really flat cut I've noticed that its slightly convex meaning the edges are a bit deeper then the center of the cut, but my wobble dado does a bit flatter cut. as for cost I think its a matter of how much are you going to use it and what you are going to use it for. I am a mechanic by trade so I tend to buy tools of higher quality costing me more but I know i'm going to use it more then 3 times in a year. if you are only going to use it once in a blue moon then going cheap is not that bad of an idea.


----------



## Aroc (May 18, 2016)

If you use a backer board your chip outs should be minimized.


----------



## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

i just looked harbor freight 8 inch 13/16 wide, stacked sets start at $35 regular price. i doubt you will ever loose a tooth on a belt drive saw. this set will not break most banks. they will last well. not a cabinet makers set but plenty good for beehives.


----------



## iabeesteve (Mar 12, 2017)

mathesonequip said:


> i just looked harbor freight 8 inch 13/16 wide, stacked sets start at $35 regular price. i doubt you will ever loose a tooth on a belt drive saw. this set will not break most banks. they will last well. not a cabinet makers set but plenty good for beehives.


Wouldn't the one with more teeth prevent ship outs better? for a few bucks more it seems like the better choice?


----------



## iabeesteve (Mar 12, 2017)

Aroc said:


> If you use a backer board your chip outs should be minimized.


good point ....


----------



## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

iabeesteve said:


> Wouldn't the one with more teeth prevent ship outs better? for a few bucks more it seems like the better choice?


i would think so. the original question was for a low budget answer.


----------



## iabeesteve (Mar 12, 2017)

mathesonequip said:


> i would think so. the original question was for a low budget answer.


It was lol but I've seen blades up in the $300 range a few bucks more on the lower end shouldn't break the budget! for no more then I am going to use it if i use HF coupon I should be able to get the more expensive one for about the cost of the one you mentioned.


----------



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

Over the years I have tried several brands. My choice would be either Oshlun or Frued. Will run about $85.00 to $100.00. Either will do a great job.

cchoganjr


----------



## flyin-lowe (May 15, 2014)

I have a cheap Skill dado set to match my cheap table saw. I bought a basic craftsman router tabele from Craigslist and love it. I do butt joints and they are the same deminsion as my frame rest. So I just set the router up and run it around three edges on my end boards, 2 for the butt joint and one for the frame rest. The router cuts a better edge then my cheap stack. Plus I got sick of changing the blades back and forth. I think I got the router table for around $50.00 used.

Not sure what kind of table saw you have but like others have mentioned I can only get to blades and two choppers on my shaft which is only 3/8-1/2 inch. So I had to make a cut and adjust my fence if I needed something wider then that.


----------



## billabell (Apr 19, 2010)

Get the Freud 3/8" box joint double blade set it is all you need. You can cut any joint you need by moving the fence. Having said that I also use a router to cut the hand holds with cheap bits.


----------



## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

billabell said:


> Get the Freud 3/8" box joint double blade set it is all you need. You can cut any joint you need by moving the fence. Having said that I also use a router to cut the hand holds with cheap bits.


While I agree you could move the fence and make a wider cut, that would drastically slow down the process.

I've got an old stacked Dado blade, and I don't know who made it. After a trip to the local saw blade sharpener it cuts great.


----------



## billabell (Apr 19, 2010)

http://www.outyard.net/bee-hive.html 
Check out how this guy does it.


----------



## billabell (Apr 19, 2010)

Brad Bee said:


> While I agree you could move the fence and make a wider cut, that would drastically slow down the process.
> 
> I've got an old stacked Dado blade, and I don't know who made it. After a trip to the local saw blade sharpener it cuts great.


I agree it takes a couple of seconds per cut but it does not "drastically slow the process". I just use stops.


----------



## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

I did due diligence on this question about 8 months ago. The short story is that stack dado sets come in 3 types. Poor quality sets are a dime a dozen or $35 at harbor freight. The cutters typically have 12 to 24 teeth and chippers have 2 teeth. These sets rarely deliver a quality cut.

Decent quality sets usable for making bee equipment are about $90 to $100. They typically have 20 to 36 teeth with chippers that have 2 teeth each. Here is a decent quality Freud SD208 https://www.amazon.com/Freud-Professional-Stacked-Dado-SD208/dp/B0000223O9/ref=sr_1_1

High quality sets will run between $150 and $450. These sets typically give excellent cuts in hardwoods that are susceptible to splintering. While they are a bit overkill for making bee equipment, if you expect to use it to make furniture in the future, it is worth buying a good one to start with. This type set typically has cutters with 22 to 40 teeth and chippers with 3 or 4 teeth. Cutting performance and durability are excellent.

As noted above, check the arbor on your saw to ensure it will accept a stack dado. Most of the older Craftsman table saws will accept a dado up to 13/16 wide. As fyi, I bought the SD208 and have been thoroughly happy with the cuts it makes.

Also, if you get in the mood to try a high quality saw blade, get an LU86R010 and see what you think. It is hands down the best blade for price I've ever bought. It is perfect for making bee equipment. https://www.amazon.com/Freud-LU86R010-10-Inch-General-PermaShield/dp/B00020JOBO/ref=sr_1_1


----------



## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

I have a Freud dado blade set, however I use a router for my box joints. I have a dovetail machine that has a box joint template. I use a spiral up cut bit and get clean square pins and slots with flat bottoms. I cut 1/2" box joints. If you go that route, definitely spend the money for a spiral carbide bit.

If you already have a router table and are making only a few at a time then it will produce a better joint. What it won't do is cut a stack of box sides in a single pass like a dado blade will.


----------



## Green Tractor (Mar 31, 2016)

Check your arbor. My Powermatic has room for a full dado set, but many shop/portable saws won't. I've been using a Freud stacked set for years with no issues. Avoid the wobble type if you can. 

You might want to consider a router setup. It'll be cheaper in the short-run. If you make a lot of cuts then a table setup is smart, but otherwise it won't matter that much. A couple of router bits is cheap compared to a cabinet saw and a stacked dado set.


----------



## Gumpy (Mar 30, 2016)

I have both a stacked set and an adjustable (i.e. wobble) set. I think both are Craftsman, so not very expensive or accurate. I found them to be too cumbersome for building boxes and finally abandoned them. Now I just use my regular blade for everything. Takes two cuts to make a groove or rebate.


----------



## PAHunter62 (Jan 26, 2011)

I purchased the Oshlun 8" set back in 2013 and have been very happy with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Oshlun-SDS-0...F8&qid=1490589700&sr=8-1&keywords=oshlun+dado

PAHunter62


----------



## crofter (May 5, 2011)

PAHunter62 said:


> I purchased the Oshlun 8" set back in 2013 and have been very happy with it.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Oshlun-SDS-0...F8&qid=1490589700&sr=8-1&keywords=oshlun+dado
> 
> PAHunter62


That one has a nice degree of hook on the teeth and high enough tooth count not to be grabby.


----------



## charles.martin (Sep 20, 2017)

Freud is a really solid brand that isn’t priced too high. If you want something durable that will last, they make the best for their price range for sure. There’s a good comparison article you can check out to see the difference between the major brands: http://www.shoutabout.org/review/best-dado-blade-set-home-improvement/


----------



## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

I had a really cheap craftsman dado that I bought and used long enough to see if a dado would be used by me. When it became a struggle using it and it was more burning a hole in the wood rather then cutting it. I bought a frued. The oshlun was a little cheeper and I almost bought it and had heard good things. The frued is am amazing improvement over the craftsman. It is still hard to justify a hundred dollar bill unless you use something quite a bit but it sure is pleasant using the frued compared to the twenty dollar craftsman blade. And the dado groove is better.
Cheers
gww


----------



## frustrateddrone (Jan 31, 2015)

Aroc said:


> If you use a backer board your chip outs should be minimized.


Scoring the back side prevents that. (Razor knife)


----------



## frustrateddrone (Jan 31, 2015)

Pretty much the router set up I have can't be beat. Here is the router table set up I have.


















The Router table has a fence that slides in the groove. I cut the 4" hole in the plywood with the plunge going upward. Put a fence stop on the back side. Cut a Key the same width the router bit for the spacing and placed it on the second spacing that the cut would be. Pretty much your going to need the same set up with the dado blade, so since you have a router, my suggestion is to go ahead and do this and save yourself time and money. The thing with Dado is that the blades get dulled, so replacement cost is what your up against VS the router bit being $5 to $12 depending on where you go to get it or order it on line.


----------



## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

I have one for about 100 that I got at woodworkers warehouse. used it a lot on plywood and really killed it. its a 6 inch blade height. if I did it again i'd go with an 8 as I use a sled 3/4 thick so I barely have the height I need sometimes.
I have a 1000 hybrid saw and with 3/4 inch blades on my arbor maybe has 4 threads. Not safe so I try to use smaller. as said measure your arbor. might be the router you have is the best bet.


----------

