No Frills Dado Blade for BT

[Veramacor]

Hi there,

"Wood"n't ya know - typical newbie question. I'm looking for a basic dado blade set that has been proven to work well with the BT. Any of you Old BT hands want to render your opinion?

I'm looking to build a MDF cabinet for starters and would like to 3/4" dado the shelving.

Thanks!

Jeff

[Black wallnut]

Frued SD206! by far the most popular! Not the set I use but you did not ask what I use.

[eezlock]

dado blade....

I have the inexpensive dado blade set from harbor freight ....it fits the bt3100
fine and works great for me, no complaints so far...and about $19.95 I think when I bought it several months ago. Just be sure and qualify the setup on a scrap piece of wood same dimension as you project wood and if all is set right you should be good to go. eezlock

[wardprobst]

I have the inexpensive dado blade set from harbor freight ....it fits the bt3100
fine and works great for me, no complaints so far...and about $19.95 I think when I bought it several months ago. Just be sure and qualify the setup on a scrap piece of wood same dimension as you project wood and if all is set right you should be good to go. eezlock

Hmmm, better check the maximum rpm for that blade and the rpm on the BT, if it's the 8" job it's not rated to spin at BT speed.
Respectfully,
DP

[Tom Slick]

I have the freud sd208 (8" blade) it works great but is a little big for the saw the sd206 (6") would be a better choice.

[Ken Massingale]

I have and like the Avenger 6" set. As Mark said, you can't go wrong with the SD206 either.

[jziegler]

If you want basic and can still find it somewhere, the Avenger is a good blade. It cuts nicely. It's not quite as easy to setup, the plates are thinnner than some other blades. The Freud blades get great reviews, but can be pricey when not on sale.

A saw blade is one thing that I would probably avoid from HF.

Jim

[eezlock]

dado blade

Hmmm, better check the maximum rpm for that blade and the rpm on the BT, if it's the 8" job it's not rated to spin at BT speed.
Respectfully,
DP

I have used it for several months, cut lots of dados with it,never
had a problem so far. I bought it upon recomendation from an old time
woodworker and friend, he uses it on his ts2424 saw no problem there either
it cuts good clean flat bottomed dados everytime! eezlock

[Ishmel]

Has anyone tried (or heard of) the freud SD306 set? What's the difference between that and the 200 or 500 series?

[LarryG]

I generally try to avoid answering the question not asked, but ... do you have a router? If so, this old thread of mine will show you an alternative that you may not have considered:

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=19101

I also have the Freud SD206, and use it a lot; and I do believe that a dado set is something that every woodworker will eventually want to own. Still, it's a specialized tool that can slide pretty far down the priority list since there are other ways to do the same job. A dado set only comes into its own when you have a lot of grooves to cut. Even though I own one, I usually use my router dado jigs if I have only a handful of dados to cut: they're simpler and faster than breaking down the table saw.

Offered FWIW.

BTW I like your sig line "rules" ... kind of a different way of saying what my own says.

[LinuxRandal]

Has anyone tried (or heard of) the freud SD306 set? What's the difference between that and the 200 or 500 series?

Other that price, and possibly the packing, I don't know what is the difference between Freud's SD206 and SD306. SD506 however is another matter that I think I remember being discussed around last Feb. It's their dial a width dado blade, and it requires a longer arbor then lot's of tablesaws that people buy it for. (seen several discussions where the arbor nut wouldn't fit after putting it on). Hopefully someone can chime in on the other two?
Edited
Found a review online from American Woodworker. It compared 26 different blade sets (pdf has copyright of 2003). The difference between the 206 and 306 they list, is the OUTSIDE blades. The SD206 and SD506 (best value and editors choice, in that order), BOTH have negative hook angles (less tear out). The SD306 has positive, for a more aggressive cut, and less pressure for a feed rate.
Guess this suff is easy to find, when I get my head removed, and try some different search terms.

[LCHIEN]

I think I covered the BT3 dado issue quite well in the BT3 FAQ, linked at the bottom of my sig below.

[Veramacor]

That router jig is a great solution. I do have a router that I could use that for. But my eventual blade caddy is going to be lonely without a nice dado set!

Thanks for the advice!

[LinuxRandal]

I think I covered the BT3 dado issue quite well in the BT3 FAQ, linked at the bottom of my sig below.

You might actually want to add, what the difference is between these blades, as it's a valid question that I think a lot of people wonder about. (why use the sd206 over the 306 or 506)


Thanks

[JimD]

I have the HF 8 inch dado set and also the Freud 206. I did not have a problem with the HF on the BT3100 but stopped using it when I verified it is, indeed, not rated for the speed of the BT3100. It would probably be OK but the potential consequences if a carbide tooth came off did not seem worth it. It is also an 8 inch set which others have reported problem with on the BT3100. I did not have an issue but clearance was small. The dados cut by the HF set also cannot be compared to the quality of those cut by the Freud 206. The bottom of the dado with the HF is fairly rough. Not unusable but not smooth either. The Freud cuts a flat bottom like you would get with a router bit.

If you cut dados with a router, it will work fine but the bit will not last real long - especially in made made materials. A dado set is using a lot more carbide spread over all the teeth so it will hold up longer - but also costs more both initially and to get sharpened.

Jim