# 1st Time Dado Blade



## Edwardnorton (Feb 15, 2013)

I've been a contractor for over 40 years but I've never, not once used a dado blade set. I've seen others here talk about dado blades so I thought I'd lean upon your expertise about them. So far I've looked at several brands and types. The blade I finally considered buying it turns out that they are no longer made in spite of all the good reviews, that blade is the Systimatic Dado Blade. I watched a video on youtube of a guy using this blade and it appeared to be all a wood worker wants ( flat on bottom and crisp and square on the sides with no chip out). See it here if you want to .. YouTube example

Followed by this I looked at the Oshlun SDS-0842? ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Next was the Freud SD208

Now I am leaning on buying the Avenger AV-84206? ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER#productDetails because of the reviews I've seen as well as the price.

Thoughts / Advise ???

Thanks in advance!


----------



## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

Check out the Infinity Dadonator.


----------



## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

In the premium sets, the Dadonator (which may be the best of all of them), the Freud SD 508, and the Forrest Dado king are almost always the ones the come out on top of any tool comparison. In the less expensive sets the Freud SD208 used to be the king of the hill, though several of the competitors seem to have caught up with them. I've used the SD508 for over 12 yeas, and just had it sharpened for the 3rd time…..really works good.


----------



## marcuscraft (Nov 14, 2012)

I thought I'd go the cheap route with the avenger set and quickly regretted it. The shims were not uniform causing wobble in the blade. Tear out was pretty bad and they did not leave a smooth cut. I've been very happy with my fraud 508 set.


----------



## JamesT (Mar 1, 2013)

Edward,
I have the Oshlun dado plus Oshlun 40 tooth general purpose blades. I also have Freud, (dado and regular) Forrest WWII, Amanda, and others. (I'm some kind of TS blade nut,) And I can tell you that Oshlun is one of the best kept secrets in woodworking, including the dado set. Do not be fooled by their low prices, they are a great value. Check out Carbide Processors along with Amazon.


----------



## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

+1 on the Dadonator being the best of them IMO….I owned the 42T/6T US made Systimatic before the Dadonator. The Systimatic is really good, but the Infinity is clearly a cleaner cutting more precise set. In case you're not familiar with Infinity, it was founded by the son of the former president of Freud USA and founder of CMT USA, so he's not exactly a newcomer to this stuff.

The Delta/DeWalt 7670 is the best bang for the buck in the $100 range. Gives a taste of the best sets at an affordable price, includes a great carrying case, and has excellent shim stock. From what I've seen it's a little cleaner cutting than the Oshlun sets (they're associated companies), but the 7670 tends to cost a few bucks more.

These cuts and pics were done a couple of years ago by "Lumberyard" (Eric) on another site:

Delta/DW7670:









Oshlun:









Just my two cents.


----------



## Edwardnorton (Feb 15, 2013)

CL810, Fred Hargis, Marcus, JamesT & knotscott .. THANKS for all the input. You guys gave me a lot to consider but at the same time made it easier for me to decide. i did leave out the IRWIN Marples 8-in dado blade but oh well I can make a decision from what I've read here. I appreciate it!!!!!


----------



## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

8" dado is the more rational decision, even for a 10" table saw. Cost to resharpe and replace a few teeth in my 10" set was more than a new 8" set. No brainer.

I can't believe you have gone 40 years without one, but then there's no underestimating the ingenuity of folks!

Wobble blades are available at GS's for a dime a dozen, but would make a mess of any finishing materials Avoid them like the plague unless you are ripping dados in 2by for fencing or other coarse applications. .

24 or 40 tooth-- I'd opt for the 40 count, as that will give yu the best dado in higher quality materials and only costs a few dollars more.

Most of the dado sets have negative rake teeth, so they have a tendency to "lift " the work, if you don't know this, you will set yer saw for a a particular depth of cut, cut all yer pieces, and perhaps only later find out that the dado you cut is not consistent. Slow feed is imperative. . I use a cheap digital caliper to ensure that my dados are consistent. And of course if yer fence isn't precisely parallel to yer blade, tear out is gonnna be a problem. but that's a known ain't it?

Just my thoughts. No brand names mentioned.

Eric.


----------



## Momcanfixit (Sep 19, 2012)

Thought I'd chime in. I have the Freud 8" set and am very happy with it. Does exactly what it's supposed to do.


----------



## miles125 (Jun 8, 2007)

One peculiar safety note about dado blades if you've never used them. Don't try to drop a piece of wood onto them (as in a stop dado situation) and attempt to back the board up in the direction the blade is spinning. They get tremendous traction and the board will likely come after you.


----------



## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Another good option are the CMT dado sets. I have two of them and have been very happy with their performance for the price.


----------



## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

I use the Forrest dado set. I have cut hundreds of feet of dados and its still like a razor so I cant complain. It cuts a very clean dado without any chipping, but its a bit pricey.


----------



## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

I have the Delta DW7670 dado blade set … very happy with the results I get.


----------



## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

+1 on the delta/dewalt 7670 set. Little to no bat ears.
I also have a cmt set and the bat ears are pretty noticeable.


----------



## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

I have had great luck with the low end Freud 8" dado sets. Crisp, clean shoulders every time. 
If you use a sacrificial fence, and cut a tenon in one pass the cut will be perfectly flat-bottomed. 
If you make multiple passes, there will be tiny lines where the outer blades score the wood. The only time this is an issue is with through tenons. I just plan on making a full dado pass at the outer edge of the tenon to avoid any visible scoring lines. Even if some lines did show up, some very light sanding takes care of it.

I have used it on every project for years, and it has never needed sharpening yet. Great for tenons, and exact width dados. Perfect splinter-free cuts in plywood too, regardless of grain direction. Thin shims allows dados that fit odd plywood sizes perfectly. You can make your joints tight, or for complicated glueups a couple thousandths looser for easier assembly.
I don't know what more I could want.


----------



## Rob_s (Sep 12, 2016)

> The Delta/DeWalt 7670 is the best bang for the buck in the $100 range. Gives a taste of the best sets at an affordable price, includes a great carrying case, and has excellent shim stock. From what I ve seen it s a little cleaner cutting than the Oshlun sets (they re associated companies), but the 7670 tends to cost a few bucks more.


old thread but…

does this advice still stand? I notice that Freud has a new version the SD208S that is supposed to be an improvement. Still only two-blade chippers, however so maybe the dewalt is still the better dado set?


----------



## YouthfullMind (Dec 26, 2017)

The Oshlun 6" set has worked well for me. Clean cuts and a flat bottom.


----------



## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

I have used the Freud for many years with no issues. Its a good entry level set and the most economical way to go.

That said, after the last sharpening I've lost a couple teeth so I need to replace mine (after 15 years).

I'm taking a close look at the upgraded Freud, the Infinity, and the CMT.


----------



## ToughCut (Jan 1, 2014)

I have had* Oshlun SDS-0842* 8-Inch for about 5 years and I am very pleased with them. I had a tooth come off last year on one of the outer blades and Oshlun replaced it no charge under their life time warranty.


----------

