Stacked Dado Cut Quality Differences

[burrellski]

I'm in the market for a new dado set. Currently, I have an Avenger 6" that I purchased for $30 or so and it is a CHIP-OUT MACHINE! Dado's across the grain in plywood look terrible, regardless of feed rate, setup, etc....

My question is....What do you get for the $$$ in other sets? I know the ~$100 Freud set is popular here. How would owners of that rate its crosscut chip-out? Is there anyone here who has used another setup, maybe in the $150-$200 area? Is it worth the extra money? I don't want to get the $100 option only to find out I should have spent a few bucks more. I'm no longer a BT3'er, so I will probably go to an 8" model. With the amount of time I spend in the shop, I certainly can't justify a $300 Forrest, but I don't want to spend another $100 for a marginal improvement.

Thanks
Matt

[rjwaldren]

The chip out on lousy HD birch is zero with my SD206. The 8" model has the same tooth pattern so I'd expect the same results. I picked up the 6" for ~63.00 shipped recently on Amazon the 8" was only a few $ more.

[cgallery]

Same tip I made elsewhere today about solutions for chip out: (1) Use a zero-clearance insert. (2) Do a scoring cut first (set height to 1/16", make cut, raise blade to final height of dado, then make final cut). (3) Place masking tape over cut line, remove tape slowly after plowing the dado (note: Use two pieces of tape so you can leave the center of the dado mostly untaped. This will prevent the chippers from gumming-up from the glue on the tape).

Yeah, you can spend more on a better blade. But I'd try to get the most out of what you've got first.

[burrellski]

Same tip I made elsewhere today about solutions for chip out: (1) Use a zero-clearance insert. (2) Do a scoring cut first (set height to 1/16", make cut, raise blade to final height of dado, then make final cut). (3) Place masking tape over cut line, remove tape slowly after plowing the dado (note: Use two pieces of tape so you can leave the center of the dado mostly untaped. This will prevent the chippers from gumming-up from the glue on the tape).

Yeah, you can spend more on a better blade. But I'd try to get the most out of what you've got first.

I have tried using tape on the cut line. Didn't see any noticeable improvement. When cutting with the grain the tape may help, but across the grain the chips are pretty good sized and the tape did nothing. I have not tried a scoring cut. ZCTP seems fairly impractical to me for dado's. I think I end up shimming the dado slightly differently for every piece of plywood I get. I'd need 5 or 6 ZCTP's just for "3/4" ply to get a true zero clearance.

[ksum]

I cannot compare it to other dado blades, but when I was in the market for one, I went with Infinity's Dadonator. I picked up a package deal from them with a rip and combination blade. I wanted their combination blade for the flat bottomed cut it made, and needed a dado. With so many good reviews I went for it, and can only say that I have had no problem with plywood (cherry faced and other) and hardwoods. I liked the 8" size and the 6 toothed chippers. It also comes with a set of shims. The only time I ever had a problem is the one time I didn't pay attention and had 2 chippers next to each other.

Infinity's site is: http://www.infinitytools.com/ They do not sell the same package I bought, but do have others.

(Standard no affiliation comment here...)

Karl

[rjwaldren]

ZCTP seems fairly impractical to me for dado's. I think I end up shimming the dado slightly differently for every piece of plywood I get. I'd need 5 or 6 ZCTP's just for "3/4" ply to get a true zero clearance.

I do the same thing as far as shimming a to match the stock. I've have had good results with the freud without using a TP at all. But it makes a mess and throws safety out the window.

This is what I've come up with - Make a TP for each standard size dado you regularly cut. IE... make your 3/4 plate to perfectly fit a 3/4 MDF dado shimmed how you like. The plate should be fine for use with 23/32 ply and still accomodate any shimming. IOW, make a couple of plates using MDF clearance requirements to size your TP openings and the same plates should be close enough for dados for ply and surfaced lumber. For me that's 3 plates - 3/4, 1/2, 1/4.

One thing I've found with my regular throat plate is to not worry about it being absolutely zero clearance. Simply having the support close to the blade moves the fulcrum point for splintering closer to the blade and helps a great deal. It doesn't provide the shearing effect of a perfect ZCTP, but with a good blade I get clean cuts without tearout. After I made my first TK throat plate dead on, I ended up recutting the slot with a full kerf blade for a little extra room with my TK's and mid kerf Tenryu. Much quieter, since the carbides not rubbing, and argueably the same results.

[dbhost]

Not sure about the ones mentioned. But I can tell you one to avoid. Skil sells a rebranded Vermont American 6" stack dado set that leaves horrid dadoes. I had one and took it back to Lowes. It sucked. I am Dadoless right now, but hope to get an Oshlun or Freud soon...

[Knottscott]

I'm currently on my 4th "real" stacked dado. The 1st was a good Freud SD208...it cut well enough for most applications, but does leave a bit more "striping" on the bottom of the groove and a bit more tearout than my current sets. The 2nd was a very good DeWalt DW7670, the 3rd I still have...an excellent Systimatic Superfine 42T set, and I've just recently been using an excellent Infinity Dadonator....it's too soon to know how good it is compared to the Systimatic but both are excellent, and the Infinity costs less than the Systimatic.

[Gator95]

Is the Oshlun dado set the same as the Avenger?

[dbhost]

Not sure. A friend of mine grabbed an Oshlun from Amazon and I like the Dadoes it leaves in all sorts of materials. Ply, MDF, and straight lumber... Nice clean cuts...

[mashtun]

Stacked Dado Cut Quality Differences

I also use an Infinity Dadonator. I haven't used anything else, so I can't really compare it, but I like it.

When I was first looking, I went to Infinites site, and they have a deal where if you signed up for there email specials you got 10 percent off your first purchase, so if anyone is thinking of one, you might want to sign up for their emails first.

John

[Holbren]

Is the Oshlun dado set the same as the Avenger?

When I started selling Oshlun it was my understanding that there was some relationship when Avenger went out of business but I can't say for sure they are the exact same blade. So far haven't had a complaint on the Oshlun product.

[unknown poster]

If you haven't made your mind up yet, the Freud is only $55 at amazon right now. They have 25% off Freud dado blades and the SD206 is only $85 to start with.

[burrellski]

My Amana Super Fine set (thanks bargain alerts) arrived a few days back and I got a chance to use it this weekend. Absolutely 0 tear-out in maple ply across the grain. The quality of the blades and the quality of the cut is almost hard to believe. We'll see how this holds up in the long run, but for now I couldn't be happier. It looks like there is enough carbide on this set for 2 lifetime's worth of sharpening.

[Salty]

Hey all. I have been looking for info on dado blades and thanks Matt and all for this thread. Lots of good information.
I am a bit confused though...no real surprise there...ahem..

I see the Amana Super Fine has 24 teeth and is 8" while the Oshun 6" has 30 teeth.
Question; is there an advantage to going with an 8" over a 6"? I'd guess that there would be plenty of depth even with a 6". Probably more than one would ever need.