Dado blades

[Dan_Shade]

Any comments on the dado blades out there on the market?  I have a POS crapman one, that adjusts it's width of cut by angling the blades out.  I'm looking to upgrade, since this one makes me nuts each time I use it.

[leweee]

Routers seem to be in vouge for doing dadoes in the last 10yrs or so. ;D

[Sprucegum]

I bought the stacking dados from Sears. They have served me well for any years and you can get real precise when you stack'em right. Not only is the width bang on, you also get a flat-bottom cut from one side of the groove to the other.

Sears is not the only brand of course but they are the only ones I have ever needed. I tried a wobbler once and immediately realized I DID NOT NEED THAT  ;)  ;D

[metalspinner]

I've got the Freud stacking set.  It works great.  And so much quieter than the router.  If you have a contracter's saw, look at a 6" set.  A cabinet saw has the gut's to spin the 8" set.

[Don_Papenburg]

Freud has a couple of nice ones . stackers and one that adjust by turning a dial on the arbor and the blades move out to the size you need , has a flat bottomcut like the stackers.

[WDH]

My Freud stacked set has done the job for me.  For $100 - $125, you can get a good set.  Of course, you can spend twice that.  I guess it depends on how often you need to use it. 

[beenthere]

The fun begins when the stacked dado blades need sharpening. Getting them all jointed to the same height, then filed to that joint takes some time. But they are worth it. I often stack mine on my radial arm saw. My sets are Craftsman

[Larry]

Stacking set from Vermont American.  They are HSS and must be about the cheapest set made.  They would splinter and tear crosscutting a dado in plywood.  Since I seldom cut dadoes and never use plywood they work fine for me.

[tdelorme]

A bit on the high price side, but my Forrest Dado set has really been worth the money.  Actually, all Forrest blades are great but you do pay big bucks for um.

[WDH]

My next saw blade will be a Forrest.  I have up to now been put off by the price, but I have heard so much good feedback that I am ready to try one.  I don't use a dado set enough to justify a dado set, but for an all purpose blade for the tablesaw, that will be my next purchase.

[metalspinner]

I've got the Forrest combination blade in the tablesaw.  It cuts like a dream, but has to be sent off for sharpening.  I think it's $20 to sharpen plus shipping.  So yes, it's expensive.

[Paschale]

This is a timely question, since I'm thinking of buying a dado set with part of my tax return.  I've been thinking of that Freud dialing set, but it's around $200 or so.  Yikes!  I don't know if I'd use it enough to justify the expense, and it sounds like the stackable ones work just fine.

As to table saw blades, right now I'm running a Freud combination blade, and I'm very happy with it.  I've heard great things about the Forrest blades too, so maybe I'll try them next time around.

[TexasTimbers]

 A tax refund. Braggart! ;D

Oh yeah. Freud if you use it very often at all. I don't care for a wobbler either. Hard on the bearings too I think.

[Paschale]

A tax refund. Braggart! ;D

That just means the Feds were hanging on to my money for me, which could have been in my pocket.  Just imagine:  I could've had that dado blade set months ago.   ;D

[OneWithWood]

I have been very happy with the Tecnu stacking dado set I purchased.  Together with a powerfeeder it made palcing the max dado on green 2x wo a breeze.  I did about 1000 lineal feet and the blade still cuts like new.

I also have the Tecnu Gold crosscut and rip blades.  With only a 3hp on the PM2000 these blades go through the wood like a hot knife through butter. 

[WDH]

Haven't tried Tecnu. 

What I hear about the forrest is that they last much longer than other blades before they require re-sharpening.  I have been using the Freud thin kerf combination blade, and I have been very pleased with them.  If the forrest lasts as long as they say it does, and since forrest will re-sharpen them to factory specs (Freud does not offer a rehsharpening service), Forrest and Freud may match up pretty well if everything is taken into account.  Freud has come out with a new blade that looks like it designed to compete with the Forrest woodworker II blade.  It costs about $100.

[ohsoloco]

I use a Freud stacker set I got for about $90 years ago.  I think it's time to get them sharpened  :( 

Re table saw blades, I'm still put off by the price of the Forrest blades, so I bought one of those Freud F410 blades.  It's not a combination blade, but one of those 40 tooth general purpose blades.  I don't know if they're still doing the promotion or not, but I got mine at Amazon, and they were running a 20% off promotion on saw blades, and since it was over 25 bucks the shipping was free 

[Don_Papenburg]

OWW   ,  Is that Tenaru?  Teneru  or somthing like that?  I have one if it is, nice blade .

[Don_Papenburg]

Pashale , I hesitated onthe price of the twist lock also but the more I think of it the better it looks .   all the blades are right there .  you can change sizes quicker  .  never have to fumble with chippers and big hands in the small opening of the table saw.  And what the heck it is a cool toy for the shop.

[tlooney]

Well I am pretty cheap I bought the $20.00 stackable set from Harbor Freight. They are carbide tipped and they have worked fine for me about three years now.

[OneWithWood]

Don, right you are.  It is Tenaru or something like that.  Tecnu is the stuff for poison ivy!! :D


_{does this mean I'm getting old?} 

[Hokiemill]

Hey guys, I don't post much, but this is one subject that brings me out of lurkerdom every time.

It goes without saying that we should all be safe around our tablesaws, but when using a dado stack, be extra extra careful please.  Kickbacks on dado stacks can easily happen.  The force from the blades exerted on your board is directed straight back at you.  With a through cut, much of the force is directed downward and the kickback concern comes from the board contacting the outfeed side of the blade.  Dado stacks can be dangerous and hence their illegal status in Europe.

The other issue with dado stacks and dado cuts is that it can be easy to get complacent since the blade isn't exposed.  You end up with your hand holding down the board above the blade or just past the blade (on the outfeed side) while you pass the board through the cut.  This combined with an unexpected kickback spells bad things.

I speak from experience on this one.  I was making a small 3/8" x 3/8" dado on a board.  As I fed the board through the cut with my right hand, my left hand kept the board down and against the fence just past the blade.  In less than the blink of an eye, for some unknown reason, the board kicked back past me and against a wall behind me.  The momentum of the board dragged my left hand into the outfeed side of the blade.  The end result was 2 hours of surgery, 40 stitches across all five fingers, a nasty compound fracture, a pin to hold the fractured finger together, and several months of rehab.  Luckily all of my fingers are still here and still functional, but they won't be getting me any hand modeling jobs any time soon.

So I'll get down off my soap box and simply say - be careful, use push sticks, featherboards, or a power feeder if you have one.  Now we return to regularly scheduled programming.

[ohsoloco]

Ditto what Hokiemill said.  I had a piece kickback while my left hand was over the blade.  Put a 3/4" wide dado in my thumb.  No stitches or anything...there wasn't any skin to stitch back together.  Luckily it healed up nicely, and there's just a small scar on my thumb now. 

[TexasTimbers]

I knew dados were dangerous as I had read such in magazines and of course blade stacks come with plethora warnings but, I have never had a close call with a dado and I have never read anything like you experience hokie.
Thanks for that sober eye-opener. I will be even more careful in the future because of it.

[Don_Papenburg]

OWW, I checked my blade box today , we were both wrong . The proper spelling is Tenryu