# How many teeth in a dado set is too many teeth?



## torahanjyuu (Jun 24, 2012)

Let me shed some history on the subject at hand:

Sometime last year, I bought a CMT Dado Blade set at my local box store on clearance for a pretty good price. But using it, I had a ton of tear out on both plywood and solid lumber, and the bottoms of the dados were anything but flat. Plus, it wouldn't make the 3-1/4"-deep lap joints that I wanted it to make (an 8" blade in my 10" Ridgid tablesaw wouldn't raise tall enough). Frustrated, I sold the set on Ebay for not much.

Now, I'm looking to get a new dado set. I have since abandoned my irrational "need" for 3-1/4"-deep lap joints from a dado blade set, so I'm good with the 8" diameter. But I am looking to avoid all of the tear out and uneven bottoms. I believe the tear out to be from the lack of teeth-the CMT only has 12 teeth on the blades and 2 on the chippers. I've found a DeWalt 24-tooth Dado Blade set for what I think is a good price-the blades have 24 teeth and the chippers have 4, which exactly twice the number of teeth that my previous set had!

But then I stumbled across this 42-tooth set made by Oshlun on Amazon that is very highly rated. But with 42 teeth on the blades and 6 teeth on the chippers, have I crossed into the realm of ridiculous? Are the extra teeth really going to benefit me? Can my 1.5HP Ridgid TS3650 Tablesaw going to be able to move all those teeth through the material? I am just fine inching my way through dado cuts (or doing incremental depths)....

Your advise is greatly appreciated! Thanks!


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

All I can tell you is this: I have the same saw as you, and I have the 6" 30-tooth Oshlun dado set (I would guess that 30 teeth on a 6" blade is going to be similar in spacing to 42 teeth on an 8" blade). This thing makes beautiful, flat-bottomed, tear-out-free dados in any material I've tried it on so far.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I've gotten by just fine with 2 teeth on the chippers and 12 on the side cutters. The key is a good quality set, sharp teeth and very tight tolerances between the bore of the blades and saw spindle. All other things equal, more teeth will allow for a faster feed rate while producing the same finish as a set with fewer teeth. This of course will require more power and will likely not be worth it if your not in need of the faster feed rate. It will also ad inertia to the set which will take more power to get going, but more easily plow through a dense area, like a knot with less bogging. If I were in the market for a new set right now, I would trust the reviews offered by others who have worked with what I'm considering.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

"But using it, I had a ton of tear out on both plywood and solid lumber, and the bottoms of the dados were anything but flat."

That's strange behavior. Usually a ton of tear out means the blades needs sharpening. 
On to better blades Dan, good luck on your decisions.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

I wouldn't worry about how many teeth are in the set - just whether it gets the job done or not. look at the whole package - if the dado set cuts good, the number of teeth as irrelevant (for comparing between sets).


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

One thing you could have done with the CMT set was to take a very low cut pass at first, maybe 1/32" or 1/16" into the wood, and then raise it up to full height after that.

I have 2 sets of the CMT dado stack as I got mine for $12 each.


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

Zero clearance saw insert will also minimize tear out.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I used to think that I would be required to acquire/buy a *Dado Blade Set*. I no longer feel that way. Don't get me wrong, I still make and use dados in my projects. I just use alternative methods of cutting my dados.

If I only need a few, shorter, dados then I will use my table saw sled with my 1/8in FK rip blade and set my T-Threaded stops to the size of dado I need. My sled gives me the ZCI and the rip blade gives me the flat bottom cut.

My second most used method is to use an







that lets me set the exact width of the desired dado within seconds. And all dados are the same size and all are at 90* to the piece being cut.

All said and done, I prefer the router jig for cutting dados the best. It is pretty much fool proof IMO.


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## pwgphoto (May 1, 2012)

I have the Delta 35-7670 8-Inch Stacked Dado Set and think it does a great job. It has 24 teeth on the blades and four on the chippers. With a zero clearance TS insert there is no chip out. The bottoms are flat. Only problem is it seems to be discontinued. I got mine new on ebay last year for around $80.


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## dschlic1 (Jan 3, 2013)

I have the Harbor Freight *" dado Item #44566. It has 42 teeth. I am very happy with the cuts it makes. No tearouts even without a ZCI. The first set I received did not cut a smooth bottom, so I exchanged it for another which cuts just fine. I have an older Craftsman TS with a 1.5 hp motor running on 120VAC. I do not have any power problems cutting dados even in red oak.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

I use the Freud Diablo 8" dado set. The tooth geometry has angled teeth on the inner and outer blade. Set them so the angles face inward (in other words there is an inside blade, and an outside blade). If they are installed correctly they cut splinter-free dados in plywood and hardwood. The angled teeth are set slightly taller than the chippers, which scores the wood to prevent chipout. If you cut a 3/4" wide groove in one pass, it will be a perfectly flat bottom groove like the picture above. If you cut multiple passes, you will see little scoring lines. I think that type of blade is good because what I really want is a crisp shoulder on my tenon or dado. 
My set has chippers with only two teeth, and it works great for fine furniture.


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## teejk (Jan 19, 2011)

My old Delta 8" stack set uses the 2 tooth chippers. I never counted the teeth on the outside blades. It owes me nothing and if I could find another one I would buy it.

But you are carving 3 1/2" deep dadoes?


> Means you are dealing with 7" stock to do a half-lap


? How do you support that on your cuts? Am I missing something here?


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Tooth count is only one factor in the overall performance. Precision manufacturing, hook angle, top grind, etc., all play a part. The DW/Delta 7670 set is similar to the design the Forrest set uses. The Oshlun is a copy of the Systimatic 42T/6T design. $113 shipped seems to be the going bargain rate for the 7670 these days. IME, it'd take top end set like the Freud 508/608, Infinity Dadonator, Forrest, or Ridge Carbide to eclipse the 7670 set. The Oshlun and the 7670 are both good value sets, but it appears to me that the 7670 has the upper hand. You decide:

DW7670:









Oshlsun 42T/6T:









FWIW, the 7670 also offers a great carrying case and very nice shim stock.


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

I agree with Horizontal Mike - especially with large boards.


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## torahanjyuu (Jun 24, 2012)

Thanks all for your advice and opinions! And extra thanks to those who included pictures. They say they can be worth a thousand words, but I don't think I could use only a thousand words to describe a picture. 

Until knotscott posted, I was leaning so heavily towards the Oshlun 42T set that I already put it on order. I have been looking at the 7670 for quite a while - Grizzly had a sale on it until just a few days ago. I literally waited a few hours too long to order it. Since my order hasn't shipped yet, I'm debating canceling and buying the DW7670.

In response to teejk, I was trying to make full lap joints using a piece of 1×8 lumber, so the dado was actually going to be 3 3/4" deep (the 3 1/4" in my original post was a typo), which my tablesaw can do, but only with a 10" blade. I was designing a shelf that used no fasteners and was strong enough to support a fair bit of weight. I might still make that design, but I will cut the dados with my regular saw blade.


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## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

Dan, I have the Oshlun 8" dado stack you mentioned and I've had great success with it in m Rigid 3650. The only time I had tear out was at the end of the cut and I belive that's more my fault to due to the feed rate. They're great blades!


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## dschlic1 (Jan 3, 2013)

Large lap joints might be better cut with a regular blade, cutting in two directions similar to making tenons on a table saw. Less dust and probably faster.


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## torahanjyuu (Jun 24, 2012)

dschlic1-that realization is why I said that I had abandoned my irrational need for such large "dado"s. 

I need the dado set for a job that I really should start working on this weekend, and since the Oshlun hadn't shipped yet, I decided to go with the DeWault 7670. All of your guys' help has inspired me to leave a review of the 7670 on this site! Thanks again to everyone.


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## bowedcurly (Aug 31, 2013)

you can get any set and send them to Forrest and have the bore and the teeth set to your saw just sayin this is called fine tuning I had this done to a CMT set and they cut super duper flat as before it left ridges in the DADO. but I purchased the Frued safety dado set and they cut super, laso purchased the forrest box joint set and they fit tight on the arbor and make great box joint sets


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## Mike67 (Apr 7, 2009)

Maybe your have a defective set. I have the low-end CMT set and it cuts pretty nice.


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