Best Dado Blade Set in 2023 (6″,8″ & 10″): A Dado Set Can Have a Huge Impact on Your Woodworking Project. Find Out Why!
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If you are a woodworking enthusiast and are looking to improve your skills, you must buy proper tools for each project. There’s no single tool that can do everything, so if you want to increase your chances of achieving the best cuts possible, you need to get a bigger arsenal.
One of the most important things that a woodworker needs to have is a good blade set. If you get low-quality blades, you are likely going to get low-quality results. In this case, we are going to talk about table saw dado blades. These are in almost every woodworker’s equipment, and for a good reason!
Woodworking used to be an exhausting and time-consuming activity. Thankfully, there are now advanced power tools that you can use to your advantage. A table saw blade dado set is one of these powerful tools, and in this article, we will tell you everything about them.
We also included a review section later in the article so that you can look at the Best Dado Blade Sets on the market right now.
Oshlun SDS-0630 6-Inch 30-Tooth Stack Dado Set with 5/8-Inch Arbor
Mibro Group 416381 8-Inch Carbide Stacking Dado Set – Best Budget Option
DeWALT DW7670 8-Inch Stacked Dado Set
Freud SD208S 8-Inch Stacked Dado Combo
Freud 10″ x 32T Super Dado Sets (SD510)
IRWIN Blade Set, Stacked, 8-Inch (1811865)
Freud 6″ x 10T Pro Dado Set (SD206)
Amana Tool – 658060 Carbide Tipped Prestige Dado
Summary
A dado blade is one of the most reliable power tools to make grooves on a wood piece. You can use them to make your cuts relatively easier and more comfortable. There are many types of dados available, and you have to select one that can accommodate your current saw so you don’t have a hard time setting it up.
As for the products, you will get the best value for money with the Mibro Group 416381. On the other hand, if you want a professional-grade product that can withstand heavier projects, consider going for the Oshlun SDS-0630.
5 Best Dado Blade Sets: Full Reviews
Oshlun SDS-0630 6-Inch 30-Tooth Stack Dado Blade
If you’re a professional and are looking for an amazing dado blade set that works for most joints, the Oshlun SDS-0630 works perfectly! It can provide a smooth and clean dado cut with no problems since the blade comes with a 30 tooth count, which is one of the highest on this list.
While this is a six-inch set, it might not cut as deep as an eight-inch blade. However, the impressive quality of the blades allows them to cut through most types of wood. The blades are made from professional-grade C-4 carbide, which provides a high degree of durability.
On the other hand, it comes with full-body chippers that help reduce vibrations; all chippers have five teeth, which perfectly complements the blade. If you want to make some micro-adjustments to the set, you can do so thanks to its shim set.
Overall, the high-quality carbide teeth, the full-body chippers, and the shim set make for a product that performs amazingly without much effort. If you want to read more about this product, click here.
Mibro Group 416381 8-Inch Carbide Stacking Dado Set
This is – by far – one of the most affordable options on this list, but it still packs a punch! This eight-inch blade set can fit most saws without any issues, and it can provide a high-width range for your cuts. This dado set’s remarkable thing is that it can make grooves very smoothly, providing clean edges, flat bottoms, and square shoulders.
This dado set includes carbide tooth chippers and blades, which feature negative hook angles that allow you to make smooth, flat bottom grooves without any issues. As a bonus, this dado set includes patented anti-kickback technology, which provides accuracy, as well as an added safety measure.
You can make grooves that range from 1/4 inches to 13/16 inches in width, which is a perfect range for most projects. This set includes two external circular saw blades, four 1/8-inch chippers, one 1/16-inch chipper, and seven shims. Everything comes in a durable and compact plastic case, so you don’t have to worry about losing anything.
You can read more about this product here.
DeWALT DW7670 8-Inch Stacked Dado Set
DeWALT is a brand that never ceases to amaze! In this case, the DW7670 stacked dado set provides a durable and high-quality product that can create a clean and smooth cut. It comes with a 24-tooth count, which is not as high as other models, but it compensates with the blade’s overall quality. This stacked dado set also comes with four-tooth chippers; these chippers allow you to achieve a cleaner cut while reducing splinters.
The blades include heavy gauge laser plates that can help with each cut’s accuracy, and it also includes stainless steel shims that allow for a more precise width adjustment. Finally, you can store everything in the product’s plastic case, which protects the blades and chippers efficiently.
Overall, you can make almost any type of cut with this dado set. If you can spend a higher amount of money on dado blades, consider giving this product a go! You can read more about it here.
Freud SD208S 8-Inch Stacked Dado Combo
This is another affordable product on this list. However, we only recommend this blade for DIY users who don’t work on heavy woodworking projects. This set features premium ‘TiCo Hi-Density Carbide Teeth,’ which allows the blades to perform better on daily usage. With the Freud SD208S, you can achieve a groove from 1/4 inches to 14/16 inches.
Overall, the dado set includes two outside blades, 3 chippers, three spacers, and a shim set that you can use to make micro-adjustments. The blades are coated with a ‘Silver I.C.E’ coating, which keeps everything running cooler. This helps to prevent heating while using the blade. This model is compatible with most saw manufacturers on the market, so you don’t have to worry too much about compatibility.
If you need a reliable blade set to achieve a cleaner and smoother cut on each piece, this can be an appropriate product that you can use. If you want to read more, click here!
Irwin Tools 8-Inch Dado Blade Set
If you are looking for a blade set that is compatible with most saw models, you don’t have to search further! Irwin’s 1811865 dado set was designed to make clean and smooth cuts comfortably since it’s a lightweight product. One remarkable feature of this blade is that it can cut through many materials, including metal.
The two external blades include carbide teeth that can be easily re-sharpened to get a clean and smooth cut each time. They are also coated with non-stick coating, which means that you will not have any issues with cleaning sawdust off them. This set includes two external blades, three spacers, seven shims, and three chippers.
This is a reliable and lightweight product that can work with most woodworking projects. If you want to read more about it, click here.
Buying Guide:
What is a Dado Blade?
If you already know everything about dado blades, you can jump right into the review section. However, if you are new to these blades, don’t worry; we will walk you through everything!
A dado blade entails a circular saw blade that can create interlocking joints or ‘dadoes.’ You can see these while making drawers, cabinets, bookshelves, etc. While you don’t necessarily need a blade to make those interlocking joints, they can make the job fairly quicker and easier.
Dado blades are used on radial-arm saws and table saws, but they are mostly used for the latter. The best thing about dado blades is that you can control the width in which it will cut the wood piece; you can do this by changing the number of cutters or adjusting the blade.
Choosing dado table saw blades might be tricky at first since there are many models available. Not all models are compatible with every type of saw, so you must research the blades’ specifications before buying them.
What are the Types of Dado Blades?
There are currently two types of dado blades for table saw: A stacked dado blade and a wobble dado blade.
Stacked Dado Blade
This is the most common type of dado blade used by woodworkers since it’s the most versatile one. In essence, a stacked dado set is a series of stacked blades that create a wider blade together. There’s a set of adjustable chipper blades in the middle of these blades, which you can either add or remove to the stack to adjust your cut width.
With a stacked dado set, the outside blades make the dado cuts, while the chippers contain waste material. This can help the woodworker to achieve a cleaner groove and result. Most stacked dado blades contain two external blades and a chipper set of four to six chippers.
Woodworkers like the stacked dado blade the best because it achieves a higher rate of precision. On the other hand, a stacked blade usually lasts longer than other blades since the teeth don’t wear out as fast, and they don’t require frequent re-sharpenings.
However, one downside to a stacked dado blade is that it can be costly in most cases. This is because it contains a higher amount of blades and chippers than a wobble blade. They are also more time-consuming to set up, but if you don’t mind spending some time adjusting the blades, that will not be a problem for you.
Wobble Dado Blade
As opposed to a stacked dado set, a wobble dado blade only has one blade that works with an off-set rotation system. This means that it works to create ‘S’ patterns throughout the piece, hence the ‘Wobble’ name. You can adjust wobble blades easily at different angles, and they work at considerably high speeds.
A wobble dado blade is considerably more affordable than a stacked dado set since it’s just one blade. This also makes the blade easier to set up and use. However, since these blades work with offset rotations, they may not work for you if you’re looking for more accurate cuts.
Wobble dado blades also tend to vibrate a lot because of their rotation system, which can damage the saw after prolonged usage. However, this is not the typical case; you should be able to use a wobble dado blade without any issues, as long as you use it properly.
Types of Dado Blade Joints
A dado blade for a table saw can be cut into four different types of joints. These involve groove or dado, groove and tongue, rabbet, and half lap.
Groove or Dado Joint
This is the main type of joint that you can create with a dado blade. It consists of a slot that you create into the wood’s surface, and they are mostly used to mount shelves on a bookcase. This joint has three sides, and you can cut them across the grain or perpendicularly.
Groove and Tongue Joint
This entails fitting similar pieces together, edge to edge. This process can allow you to fit two flat pieces together to create a flat surface.
Rabbet Joint
A rabbet joint usually has a groove cut along the wood piece’s edge. These joints are two-sided and open to the surface’s edge, and they allow for the second wood piece to fit correctly while leaving the long side flushed.
Half Lap
Half of the wood pieces’ thickness is removed where they overlap each other, so they can then be joined together to create a single flat surface. This helps to provide for a more gluing surface and a stronger joint.
Dado Blade Safety Measures
While dado blades are convenient power tools that can complement your existing woodworking gear, they can also be dangerous tools if you don’t use them properly. Dado blades are sharp, and they can make cuts up to a speed of 7000 RPM. Please try to follow the blade’s instructions thoroughly and carefully so you avoid safety risks.
- Please don’t use a dado blade without its throat plate.
- Don’t try to fit a dado blade with a circular saw. While a dado blade is a circular saw, it’s not designed to fit one. Remember that you can only use them with a compatible radial-arm saw or table saw.
- After you adjust the stacked dado blade to the arbor of your saw, make sure that the nut is long enough for your dado’s size.
How to Choose the Best Dado Blade Set for You?
Now that you know the main components of a dado blade set, your decision-making process can be fairly easier. However, if you’re still having some doubts, here are some additional factors that you need to keep in mind before buying a dado set.
Blade Type
As we said before, there are two available options for you, a stacked dado blade and a wobble dado blade. You have to choose the one that adapts to your needs the best. If you want more accuracy and versatility, a stacked dado set is the way to go. On the other hand, if you want a more affordable option, you can go for a wobble dado saw blade, but keep in mind that it’s not accurate.
Compatibility
This is the most important thing to keep in mind, along with the blade’s type. Not all dado blades are compatible with every kind of table saw, so you have to search thoroughly to find one that fits your model. If you buy the first thing you see, you may have difficulty getting it to work with your saw.
The fastest way to determine a blade’s compatibility is to check its specifications. For example, some blades have different teeth counts, which means that the cuts that you can get can be different. On the other hand, the hook angle can also help you determine if it works for you. Blades with a zero-degree hook work perfectly with table saws, but other blades with a negative five-degree hook or lower can work better with radial-arm saws.
If you’re using a table saw, you may need to get a customized insert plate. This is because some insert plates are not designed to fit a stacked dado set. If you are looking for the best dado blades, search for a pre-cut dado insert plate or a zero-clearance insert plate. This way, you can adjust your blade accordingly.
The Size of the Blade
The most common size for a dado set is six-inch and eight-inch stacks. While the two sizes can make the most cuts, dados, and grooves, you have to understand the difference between those two sizes so that you can choose the best one for you.
A six-inch dado blade set is lighter and smaller, which means that they can’t make deeper cuts. However, the fact that they’re lighter means that your saw’s motor doesn’t have to work too hard to spin them, prolonging its life cycle. Moreover, you can still make most joints with a six-inch blade set.
On the other hand, an eight-inch dado blade set can make deeper cuts, and it usually fits a 10-inch table saw more appropriately, which is the most common size for this kind of saw. Keep in mind that since this blade set is bigger than the six-inch one, it requires a more powerful engine to work, and it can also be less affordable.
Why are dado blades illegal?
They are illegal only in Europe. They are illegal in Europe because the defenses of table saws with dado blades are less effective and can be easily injured if not used properly.
What is the best dado blade set?
In my opinion, Oshlun SDS-0630 is best for beginners and the average woodworker. For advanced and expert woodworkers – the best is the DeWALT DW7670.
Will an 8 dado blade work on a 10 table saw?
Yes, it is possible, but be sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions for your saw.
Can you use a dado blade on any table saw?
In short, no. It is therefore important to check if your saw can hold the blade in its arbor before buying.
Conclusion
There are many dado sets on the market that fit various project needs, and they can save a lot of time and effort during your project. If you’re planning on getting one, remember to give a thorough look at the features, specifications to verify if it’s compatible with your current saw gear.
