Blade questions

[unknown poster]

I need to buy a better dado, my old wobbler doesn't produce acceptable results. I also just picked up a RAS and I want to use the dado on there too, which limits me to an 8" blade (the 6" blade isn't big enough to clear the bottom of the RAS motor). I know the Freud SD206 is popular around here, but I don't know why the 6" is more popular than the 8". Am I going to regret getting an 8" dado for my 21829?

While I'm blade shopping I need to get a new blade for my 21829, because the one that comes with it is pretty worthless. I know the Forrest WWII is well regarded but that's more than I would like to spend. My upcoming projects are going to be mostly made from plywood and MDF. What are my options for a good blade that won't break the bank?

[pelligrini]

There's a couple recent threads about an 8" on a BT or 21829. You won't be able to use a full stack on the 21829, unless you do some modifications. Here's one thread; http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=37948

[poolhound]

Here is a link to a recent wood magazine saw blade test. No dadoes though.


http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/pdf...The-Retest.pdf

[unknown poster]

There's a couple recent threads about an 8" on a BT or 21829. You won't be able to use a full stack on the 21829, unless you do some modifications. Here's one thread; http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=37948

Thanks for the link, my search didn't find it. One of these days I'm going to read the FAQ that Loring sent me. I'll go look at that boss tonight and decide if I really want to start grinding on this saw to fit an 8" dado. Being limited to 1/2" won't work, I'm building cabinets so 3/4" dados are a must.

[pelligrini]

There's not that many drawbacks to a 6" blade set. I'm not sure how a smaller dia set would work in your RAS though.

[Knottscott]

Your 21829 will benefit from a good thin kerf blade. There are lots of blades that will rival the WWII in various aspects for less money.....Infinity Combomax Lite (010-150), Infinity 010-060 (Hi-ATB grind...especially good in plywood), Freud LU88R010, or Freud Avanti TK406 for example. The Freud LU86R010 or Freud Avanti TK306 are very good general purpose bargains. MDF can be tough on blades...you might want to invest in a cheapie specifically for MDF.

[LCHIEN]

Thanks for the link, my search didn't find it. One of these days I'm going to read the FAQ that Loring sent me. I'll go look at that boss tonight and decide if I really want to start grinding on this saw to fit an 8" dado. Being limited to 1/2" won't work, I'm building cabinets so 3/4" dados are a must.

you don't hav to read the whole FAQ. it is completely hyperlinked from the questions section and you can also use the binoculars Icon and search for a keyword like Dado, it will take you to all instances. IT's really designed to help you answer specific questions and not have to read the whole thing.

[pelligrini]

It is a pretty good read though, there's quite a few tips I wouldn't have thought of.

[Uncle Cracker]

The 8" dado in it's widest configuration has clearance issues in the BT-family saws. Thing about a 6" dado blade is that it will cut a pretty deep dado in a BT, deep enough for most needs, and doesn't have the same clearance issues as an 8" set, so there really is no advantage to getting an 8".