Dado Blades

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

I need a dado blade for my 10 inch craftsman table saw. Which kinds are best and what to look for. I am going to be cutting about 6 inch wide lap joints about 3/8 inch deep for a special set of mirror frames. The wood I am going to be using is cypress.

HELP

[Rod Torgeson]

If you are going to cut half laps you need a dado blade that produces a flat bottom. I have two styles of dado blades, the wobble and the stack dado. The wobble dado does not produce a perfectly flat bottom whereas the stack dado does. of course it might depend on the brand you buy. Both dado blades will cut a dado up to about 3/4 inch wide in a single pass. Some of the dado blades can get pretty pricey, over $200 or better. You might check out one of the woodworking forums. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/index.php
Got to the general woodworking section and ask the question. You may have to join first. You will probably get lots of suggestions.

Rod<---in Appleton, WA

[Travis in Louisiana]

You will not need a 10 inch dado blade. You can get a 7 inch and it will be deep enough to cut the 3/4 inch dado. Just make sure the mounting hole in the blade is the same size as the mounting bolt on the saw.

[Ed Norman]

I have both kinds, too, and much prefer the stacked set. Mine cost about $40, it isn't a really fancy set.

[Hillbillybob]

You will get what you pay for.
I paid what I thought was a gold price 15 years ago for the best stack dado blade that I could buy at the time. Now I have had to clean the blades up with paint thinner but I have made over 1000 ceder chest with the same set and I have no idea how many pieces of oak and black walnut furniture that I have built with the same set. I haven't had them sharpened yet but it wouldn't hurt I'm sure after all this time.

The set is a carbide set.

Hillbillybob

[PyroDon]

Stacked would be my choice
you dont get square joints with a wobble

[stonykill]

Originally Posted by YuccaFlatsRanch

I need a dado blade for my 10 inch craftsman table saw. Which kinds are best and what to look for. I am going to be cutting about 6 inch wide lap joints about 3/8 inch deep for a special set of mirror frames. The wood I am going to be using is cypress.

HELP

1st make sure your saw will accept a dado blade. Many craftsman saws are direct drive, and won't accept a dado , period.

If it does, stacked is the only way to go. As someone else pointed out, a 7 to 8 inch diameter dado will work just fine. I paid $50 for my stacked dado 10 years ago at least. Carbide, never been sharpened. Probably should be, but still cuts just fine.

[Windy in Kansas]

I agree with the others that "stacked" are the best. Be sure it is a new enough set (if buying used) so that the sizes will cut for the new thinner plywood should you use that in a project.

[Rod Torgeson]

There is a thread going on right now on the sawmill creek woodworking forum about dado blades. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=74216
You might get some good information from that.

I have a Craftsman direct drive 9 inch table saw as a second table saw that I usually leave the dado set in. Works fine.

Rod<---in Appleton, WA

[TNHermit]

I'll throw a curve in here. If you don't want to spend the money you can bet a better joint with a router table, and you can make it yourself. (if you have a routah ) You;ll get a nice square edge and smooth face to glue together.
As SK said I would be leary about any dado blade in a sears saw except for their better models. I have several sets. I find for the money the FREUD 6 or 8 are the best value.

[Jolly]

Originally Posted by TNHermit

I'll throw a curve in here. If you don't want to spend the money you can bet a better joint with a router table, and you can make it yourself. (if you have a routah ) You;ll get a nice square edge and smooth face to glue together.
As SK said I would be leary about any dado blade in a sears saw except for their better models. I have several sets. I find for the money the FREUD 6 or 8 are the best value.

I would agree that Freud give the most bang for the buck.

An observation: woodworkers seem to fall into two categories, those that like to use the tablesaw for as much as possible and those who lean heavily on the router. Since good work can be done with both, I assume it's personal preference.

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

I have both a table saw and a table router. I also have a radial arm saw but it needs squaring up before I use it again. I also have a band saw, a scroll saw and a fixed 45 degree double miter saw that I used to cut perfect 45's in my picture framing shop. It runs 3/4 horse Baldor motors, 100 tooth mirror polished carbide blades and cost over $3000.00. When you want accuracy you get accuracy. This is the same saw that Larson-Juhl uses to cut their most precise picture frames. When their other saws won't give them the precise angle they need they use this saw.

I will go with the stacked blade and I'll also have to buy a new throat plate to accomodate the thick blade. I need to measure the shaft of the saw to be sure to get the right diameter hole in the saw blade.

[Ed Norman]

Originally Posted by Jolly

I would agree that Freud give the most bang for the buck.

An observation: woodworkers seem to fall into two categories, those that like to use the tablesaw for as much as possible and those who lean heavily on the router. Since good work can be done with both, I assume it's personal preference.

I used to see a router show on PBS with a father and son. They would so table saw jobs with a router just to show it is possible, but sometimes it didn't look handy or efficient.

My cheap stacked blade set is carbide. It served me well building all our kitchen drawers and cabinets.

[MushCreek]

I have a cheap stacked set, which I recently replaced with an 8" Freud set (about $100) No comparison- smooth and even. The cheap sets tend to leave little steps in the bottom. I'm running mine on a 10" Ridgid, and it cuts almost as easy as a single blade.

[shaycool]

[QUOTE=Ed Norman]I used to see a router show on PBS with a father and son. They would so table saw jobs with a router just to show it is possible, but sometimes it didn't look handy or efficient.

That PBS show was the Router Workshop, I haven't seen it on PBS in a few years.
http://www.routerworkshop.com/

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

Now that I know what kind of Dado blade to get, I just have to find a DADO INSERT to fit my table saw. I have a Craftsman 3HP Contractor saw with the big all cast iron table. The blade insert (the red thing the blade comes through) is 3 3/4" wide (that part is easy) but is 18 1/4 " long at its longest point and all of the ones I have found on Ebay are 13 7/8ths long. I have always run 10 inch blades on the saw. I wonder if it would run 12 inch blades?? I'll have to check.

What would happen if I didn't have the insert on the saw when I was running the dado blade?? The lap joints I have to cut are approx 6 inches wide and 6 inches long and 4-5 inches fromthe end of the board.. There would be plenty of wood over the table to keep the wood above the hole where the insert goes.

[stonykill]

Originally Posted by YuccaFlatsRanch

Now that I know what kind of Dado blade to get, I just have to find a DADO INSERT to fit my table saw. I have a Craftsman 3HP Contractor saw with the big all cast iron table. The blade insert (the red thing the blade comes through) is 3 3/4" wide (that part is easy) but is 18 1/4 " long at its longest point and all of the ones I have found on Ebay are 13 7/8ths long. I have always run 10 inch blades on the saw. I wonder if it would run 12 inch blades?? I'll have to check.

What would happen if I didn't have the insert on the saw when I was running the dado blade?? The lap joints I have to cut are approx 6 inches wide and 6 inches long and 4-5 inches fromthe end of the board.. There would be plenty of wood over the table to keep the wood above the hole where the insert goes.

make your own insert. For the sake of discussion, lets say that your insert is 1/2 inch thick. Take a piece of 1/2 inch stock, trace the outer diameter of your old insert, cut out the outer diameter of your new insert. Then is your insert is the screw down type, screw it down, after lowering the dado blade to the lowest point. Then turn on the saw and slowly raise your dado blade threw, creating a new insert.

If your insert doesn't screw down, you can usually run the fence over the end of the new insert, even if you need to attatch a sacrificial board to hold it down. And raise you blade thru that way.

Why spend any money when you have the tools at hand to make one?

[TNHermit]

I do the same as SK but I run put my new blank ,sawn close, over the old and run a router trim bit around them. bingo,perfect fit. If your plywood is a little thin and doesn't come flush to the top put some hot glue on the little bosses and put your plate in and push till its even. if you wax the plate first it won't stick to the glue. Later you can just pop the glue off the bosses

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

On my saw the insert that goes around the blade is red and it is about 1/16th maybe 1/8th inch thick. Just use something like thin plywood or maybe masonite??

[TNHermit]

Originally Posted by YuccaFlatsRanch

On my saw the insert that goes around the blade is red and it is about 1/6th maybe 1/8th inch thick. Just use something like thin plywood or maybe masonite??

You can use Masonite or laminate would be better. Or you can take a thicker piece of plywood and rabbit around the edge or just mark where it sets and take a forstner bit and drill to that thickness.. Dados are safe but can take a chunk now and then. So safety is of interest. Talking about Dados "trenching" in woodworking sites on the other side of the pond will get you flamed. They stay far far away from dados. To the point that most of their saws will not accept them. I put a dig in now ans then just to get them in an uproar