# Harbor Freight 8" dado Lifetime Carbide - item#44566



## howarddavidp (Jun 12, 2012)

Hello,

I was reluctant to buy a cheap dado, but with coupon in hand, and for $50 and a return policy, I took a chance.

My review will post soon on the HF site, but wow, this was a nice set. PERFECT bottoms, not a mark on them, only slight burns from me pushing it too slow. The actually width I got with everything on the stack was 31/32, not 13/16. With an extra shim I could easily do a 1" dado.

My Jet JWTS-10JF has a long 1-17/32" arbor length, so I had plenty of turns on the nut once I installed everything with several rings of thread showing.

My only concern was the vibration caused with all the metal spinning around. Not an excessive amount, but more than the single blade. It cut very well, I made many test cuts at all depths. I also cut my own insert; the one on order won't be here until next week.

Putting it on and taking it off is the biggest challenge, it has a VERY snug fit. To get the 6 tooth chippers off, I have been rotating them with the direction of the threads on the arbor. Slowly they eventually come off, but it takes time. A fit this good will make this happen. I was so surprised, no lines, just totally flat bottoms and square corners.

Despite all this, I have a Freud 6" dial on order. I was basically convinced that at this price, and from HF, I could not get a really good dado. I wanted both a 6" and 8", so I bought the nice 6" and took a gamble on the 8". Well, the gamble paid off, and I think I will sell the 6" because I might not need it now that this works so well. If I keep it, it is to make 1/2 circle cut outs for geared jigs I make, the only reason I would keep it now. Also, if the dial is easier and quicker to setup, by a LARGE amount, I might also keep it for that reason. The shims are not hard to use, and I had a set of magnetic ones in addition to the copper ones that come with the HF set.

The biggest negative I can say about the HF 8" dado is that it came with no instructions. I went online and read other manufacturers instructions on setup and I also watched online videos on how to install the shims. 15 minutes later, I knew what to do and began testing. So, printed instructions are nice, but not required. I love my dado, I can use it to fix the drawers I busted by accident (which made my wife very angry), and I can also use it for future projects.

Dave


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