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What do you think about this dado set?

13K views 45 replies 27 participants last post by  AngieO 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Another bummer….today it has rained almost all day. We need the rain… but it means I cant work so that's not good.
Anyhow… didn't get to work today, but while I was waiting to pick up my daughter from Cross Country I hung out at Lowe's. I wasn't really interested in buying anything (well…not my intention at least) so I was just "looking". I ran across this dado set. I don't have one and I know I want one… but I don't have any projects (right now) that call for it. But this set was on clearance for $19.

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So I have two concerns… well, three really.

First… the set is an 8" set. The blade on my TS is a 10". The clerk assured me that was fine and that his dado blade is also 8" as well and he uses a 10" blade regularly. His explanation of why it was ok sounded good. But… I don't know enough about them.

Second… The box says Mibro. I've never heard of that brand. The blade actually says "Buzzz". Is this a good brand? I know that the box it came in is really nice. Check it out. It's very solid.

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Third… Like I said, I don't have any projects planned for it. I will certainly use it though. I could make a box and practice box joints, I could make a shelf… I will definitely find a reason to use it. But is this price a good enough price to go ahead and buy it now and have it? I thought… $19 seems awfully cheap. As you can see… I did buy it. But I have no issues with taking it back if I get a lot of negative feedback about them.
Oh… and along with this issue… I don't know enough about dado sets. So is this a good set as far as what it has with it…..
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It has 1 chipper that is 1/16" and it has 4 chippers that are 1/8". It has 2 thicker shims, 1 that seems a little thinner (but may not be), 2 that seem thinner than that and then two more that feel like they are thinner. Doesn't make sense I'm sure… but it feels to me like there are 4 different thicknesses. There are a total of 7 shims even though box says 5. And obviously the two outer blades.

It says I can do cut widths from 1/4" to 13/16".

As always… I appreciate all of your feedback and I look forward to hearing what you have to say.
 

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#2 ·
Oh… and something to just throw in there… I have a Lowe's merchandise card (still). Not enough on there to buy any big tools, and I don't really want to buy any lumber from them… so this was paid for with that card. The card was given to me free. (that's a whole other story for another time)
 
#3 ·
I purchased an inexpensive dado set one time and found out that the blades were not the same size in diameter. You might want to check that out. At $19 you really got a good deal. As far as I know an 8" set is the norm.
 
#4 ·
8" dado sets are the norm. You will have to check the length of your arbor (the threaded rod that holds your blade in place) to see if it is long enough to accept that 13/16" width along with a washer and nut. This brand does cut a flat bottom which is good. Be careful when cutting cross grains with less expensive blades as you could get alot of chip out, especially on plywood. I think that for the money, it will give you the opportunity to learn from it and how they work. You will also need to purchase a different insert for your tablesaw because must openings are only about 1/2" to except only up to a 3/8" dado blade width. Good luck and a good buy!
 
#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
Be sure that your saw can handle a dado blade. Many of those direct drive saws can't.
If you don't have a manual, you might be able to find one online.
If you can't find out for sure about the saw's capacity, at least be sure the arbor is long enough that the saw stack can fit with the arbor washers and the nut and still have some threads left sticking out past the nut. This is very important.

The 8" size dado is OK, but if you saw is a little under powered, you can even use a 6" dado. Since a dado is not normally a through cut, they don't have to be as large as the 10" blade. A 6" blade can still cut over an inch deep dado and that's more than enough, usually, and takes less horsepower to run.

I know some of the benchtop saws, like the Porter Cable for instance, only allow 6" dado blades and only 1/2" wide.

I must confess, I have an 8" dado set and my saw is designed to handle it, but I find that it's more trouble to change out the blades, change out the insert, than to just make several passes with the regular blade. Some day, if I get a second saw, I may keep one set up with a dado, but till then I just make multiple passes with the regular blade. That could change depending on what I'm working on of course.
 
#6 ·
At $19 it was probably worth it. 13/16" is the typical size of 3/4" plywood. For 3/4" lumber you'll need to improvise. Its probably not going to be one of the smoothest cuts either, but its a starter set.
 
#7 ·
My 1st dado set was a mibro, $50 from lowes. It came in the same box, but the blades and chippers look different than yours. It was ok on hardwood and w/the grain on ply, but seem to chip too much on ply crosscuts. I have since upgraded, but still have that one. With a direct drive saw, you will need to take small bites and multiple passes.
 
#8 ·
My first dado set was an 8" mibro from Lowes. Got it cheap . Worked fine.
When I bought a new one it was a ….6" Oshlun. Works fine for no more than I use it.I just couldn't justify spending 200 bucks on something I use once or twice a year.
For 19 bucks I would have bought it
What kind of saw do you have? Like someone else pointed out you need to change the insert. You can make your own.
Remember you don't have to use all the blades. You can set up a 3/8 inch and make two passes etc.
I think you did all right.
 
#10 ·
the cmt set I own is not the same one they sell at lowes. I did check it out they are way different. I know cmt made an economy dado set that is supposed to retail for 99 dollars, that is the one lowes sells. at 39 dollars I would buy that one the 19 dollar blade I would not trust IMHO
 
#11 ·
$19 is a great price. Even if it's a cheap set and doesn't last as long as a more quality set, It is well worth the price to play with and learn from. You might even consider grabbing another set at that price. 8" is the normal size on a dado set. You don't need the depth that you would normally have with a 10" cutting blade. The 2 shims with the print on them are shims that goes between your cutters and your chippers. The other shims, and yes they are of different thicknesses, are for fine tuning the width of your dado.
 
#12 ·
Throw the dice, who knows, could be a steal of deal or it could be your worst nightmare if it turns into a cross between a Gatling gun and a grenade.

The diameter wont really matter as not too many folks run a 3" deep dado, they are generally about 1/8" through 1/2" and a small dia., can be advantageous as you can sneak up closer to a stopped dado.

If nothing else, the spacers can work on another set, and at least you will have those.
 
#13 ·
I find that set annoying for determining which shim to use, as to quality of cut mine wasn't bad and I used it a lot. Still have it but at this point it needs to be cleaned and sharpened. I think I paid around the 50.00 price point and I've had mine about 3 years. Well worth the price you paid.
 
#15 ·
I'd be REALLY apprehensive on putting a full 8" stack on a direct drive bench top table saw. Do some research before you start spinning these things. Also, as with a router, multiple light cuts are much better (and safer) than hogging out the entire dado in one shot
 
#16 ·
lumberjoe… that's a good point you brought up. I was cutting some half-laps on my router on Saturday. I'm not very patient but I forced myself to take it slow and take several passes instead of digging in. What's a good amount to take off at a time?

I hear you guys saying that I should make sure my TS will allow this dado set… How do I find that out? Will the manual say this? I have had some issues getting the manual. The searches I get back keep giving me the manual for a different model. My little benchtop TS is a Craftsman 137.248760 and is only 2.5 HP. Anyone had any dealings with that model?

I read Chickenfoots blog the other day where he started out with $20 and ended up with a beautiful Delta UniSaw. Well… LOL… I obviously don't know enough about tools or have the resources to do that… So I guess I should set my sights a little lower. But I can already tell that a new table saw will be in my future.
 
#17 ·
I suspect that this is one of those cases where you get what you pay for. It'll cut dados, but I wouldn't expect very good performance for very long. I can't help but wonder if you'd be better off saving up your money and getting a better set.
 
#18 ·
1 - That TS is NOWHERE NEAR 2.5 hp. That is probably one of those "max developed" made up numbers. At best you are looking at 1.5 to 1.75 hp.

2 - A direct drive saw is just that. The motor shaft spins the arbor directly. As you can tell from the box, a full 8" dado stack is pretty heavy.

3 - If you are not patient, you have chosen the wrong hobby. Rushing will ruin your projects, and could actually harm you. Had you forced that router bit it could have snapped off. Carbide spinning at 23,000 is not a good thing, especially coming at you. I generally don't take off more than 1/8" at a time with most bits. Some of the larger spiral or straight bits I may push a bit harder depending on the material. If your router bits are 1/4" shaft, your 1/8" depth should be a hard maximum.

And yes, the manual will tell you what type of dado that saw will accept. As far as a new table saw, set your sights at 500$ and grab the Ridgid R4512. I personally believe that is the best saw you can get for under 600$ - new or used.
 
#19 ·
Thanks lumberjoe. That helps.

No… patience in not my strong suit at all. BUT…I've forced myself to be because I definitely have a healthy fear of getting hurt. I probably was spot on about 1/8" when I was routing that piece. My fear of tearing the wood, breaking or dulling the bit and most importantly, getting hurt… kept me from doing much more than that. I'm a big baby so taking longer to do something is much better than pain.

I think at this point that maybe I'd be better off just returning that dado set. I can handle using the router for a while and doing what crank49 said. That's $20 I could just save up to get something bigger. Looks like I'm going to need a new ROS anyways. Mine died on me.
 
#21 ·
I don't know… it seems like unless you have a dedicated saw for just doing dados that it would be too much of a pain to have to change the blades. Do your dado. Then change it back if you have other need for the saw. Sure, it takes some time to get to the depth when you are doing an 1/8" at a time… but changing the bit on my router is quick and easy, unlike changing the TS blade.
And until I get a better saw… I think I'll just stick to the router anyways.
 
#22 ·
I have almost 25 saw blades (23 to be exact, I know it's a problem and I need help) and change blades and throat plates many times during a project. That is not my limiting factor. I find I have more control with a router and have a very good system/technique down. When I had a small direct drive table saw, I wouldn't dare put a dado stack on it so I had to make do. Using a plunge router with an edge guide or a fence, multiple passes at different depths are really easy and don't take much time at all. A router also cuts so much cleaner (with the right bit) in my experience anyway. I do like using a dado stack to cut tenons though.

Also to address something else you said, fear should never be a motivating factor for safety. Fear leads to as many or more mistakes than inexperience or carelessness does. Fear invokes the "close your eyes, grit your teeth and hope for the best" mentality. You should be confident and completely understand the risks of what you are about to do. There are a lot of times, especially on the table saw, that I second guess my cuts. I'll notice a small knot that may get tossed back at me and flip the piece over to avoid it. Or there may be a spot where a large know was forming that I know will be under a lot of stress and pose a kickback hazard, so I will try to avoid cutting through that as well.

Don't be afraid of your tools. Have a healthy respect for them. Understand what can go wrong, and what you are going to do WHEN something goes wrong. I highlighted when because at some point, it will. Being prepared to back out of the cut, shut the saw off and get the hell out of the way, pull the router back, shut it off and let the bit spin down in the cut, etc. Equate it to riding a motorcycle. Those who think they will never fall get killed. Those who understand when to let go instead of high siding or straightening out into a tank slapper get to test out their safety gear and live another day.
 
#23 ·
AngieO,

Just in case nobody told you, that's a good buy on the Milbro Dado Blade Set.

I have a set just like it that I paid $50 for a couple of years ago. The have been servicable but you should be careful not to take heavy cuts with the set.

Have Fun!

Be Careful!

Herb
 
#26 ·
my cmt dado set is about 15 years old I believe it was about $300 CDN at the time, it is an 8" set and it does cut wonderful dados. I had a cheaper set that worked well on soft woods but not so great on hardwood. like anything, you get what you pay for . an expensive blade for an economy table saw is an upgrade however the reverse is not true.

enjoy your machines, like the rest of us, you will eventually put most of your disposable income into tools and the
quality will become apparent.

Mike
 
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