# Freud Dado Setup and Use



## Norrud

Okay I broke down and got the Freud SD208 Dado Blade. Was sitting in my chair pondering over the Instructions (which leave alot of questions).

Included were a package of metal shims, the chippers and the two blades. The Set was mounted in a Red Plastic carry case. There are two rubber washers when you remove the blades from the case. Are they used at all or just for protection of the blade while in the case?

Any help with setup and use would be appreciated. This is my first Dado Blade and first time using one. I have made dado's before with my router.

Thanks
Ron


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## Big Dave

I don't have the Freud but as far as I know the rubber washers are not used for anything. The metal shims are for adjusting the dado for a tighter or looser fit. Plywood anymore is not an exact product.


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## skymaster

rubber shims for blade protection only. The metal ones are shims. the inner and outer blades are 1/4" the chippers are 1/8" ya measure the pc going IN the dado then do the math with shims if needed to stack the blades to that dimension. MAKE VERY VERY SHURE THAT THE CARBIDE TEETH DO NOT HIT EACH OTHER. WHEN U R STACKING THE BLADES ROTATE EACH SO ONLY THE BODIES ARE TIGHT AGAINST EACH OTHER
Jack


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## Leo G

skymaster said:


> the inner and outer blades are 1/4" the chippers are 1/8"


I think this is reversed, the outer blades are 1/8" and the chippers are 1/4". The chippers only take 1/8" cut, so if you put in one chipper and two blades it'll be 3/8" cut. There should also be an 1/8" chipper that will give you a 1/16" cut. If it is the same dado I have when you stack them up it will always be shy of the total. 3/4" is always 23/32". But they have a 1/32" shim with the kit (the thickest one). I find this is the most useful part of the dado, the fact that it is shy. I can usually get a good fit with ply without using the shims. On occasion I get some ply that is actually pretty close to 3/4" (!!) and need to shim it out. Be careful with the shims, they have a tendency to slip into the thread of the arbor and make it difficult to draw the bolt tight. Make sure they are flat against the chipper before you put on the outer blade.


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## Hubert

This will take some time but it is *well* worth it.

Take a piece of ply and make a "sample Stick" Number the wider chippers #1 or A or something. the next #2 or B or something.

Start with just the two outer blades and then cut a dado
add the the smallest chipper - make a dado
long time ETC!

On one side lable them with what actual size the dado is 3/8, 1/4. on the other side lable them what it took to make the cut. 1,1,3 (A A C) 

Now anytime you want a 3/8 cut you can look and see what it takes. Or take a piece of wood you want to fit in the dado and size it on the sample stick.

While you are doing this make some zero clearance incerts too. 

(You will find the two smaller chippers together is bigger than one big one.)

:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Norrud

Thanks for your replys. I can always count on this site to come thru with the answers. 

Good Idea on the Stick.....

:thumbsup:


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## PPo

That's an awesome idea on the stick. Would be a bit of a pain to make, but it would pay dividends immediately and often.


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## manyhobies

Hello

Another thought about setting dado width. I've used paper to thin plastic to tweek the width of the cut. Works great!

Dan


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## Hubert

With the "story stick" you can get an idea of how much you need to add to match a particular piece of wood. And best of all NO MEASUREMENT!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Norrud

Have a question about the shims.

Does it matter when where you place the shims.

I was trying to setup for 1/2 Birch Plywood according to diagram and found that I needed to use two of the shims to get the fit. I just placed them last but inside of the outer blade. It didn't affect the cut but I was thinking it might affect the width - If that makes sense.


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## Hubert

Doesn't make a difference because the actual teeth are wider than the plate. As long as they are between the outer plates it doesn't make a differnece. That said I always space them evenly between the chippers :laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## Terry McManus

When making a dado, I have read to try and make the join as tight as possible. My first project I have done this, but had to leave town before its finished. What I'm worried about is slight expansion while I'm out of town of the plywood I'm going to put in the dado. If this happens, I'll have to widen just a bit. How tight do people make their dados?


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## edp

*Shims on Dado blade*

I will normally place the shims between the first blade and the first chipper. I find that if they are used anywhere else in the stack, they have a tendency to drop down in the threads on the arbor which will prevent the nut from drawing the stack up tight.

Ed


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## Hubert

I have the 8" Freud dado blade set and the shims that came with it are magnetic and don't slide around on the blade so don't have to worry about them getting down in the threads. :thumbsup:


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## MillmanWW

*Dado stack setup stick*

Hey... Really like the setup stick you did.... I waste time trying different setups all the time... I think I will take some time and make one of those to have the key to all future dado setups. Thanks!


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## skymaster

Leo; :}:}:}:}:} I thought you had me! However when I re-read what I posted I can see the confusion. "the inner and outer blades are a 1/4" " is correct, I just didnt say it clearly enuf LOL 1/8 plus 1/8 make an hinch ROFLOL


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## autoBrad

I have that same dado set and for the money it's pretty good. I emailed Frued about the Shim sizes. A couple of sizes are obvious others aren't. They told me to use a caliper to figure out the sizes. On the back on the cardboard insert it tells you what combination to use for different sizes, but if you don't know what shims are what size.. Creates a problem. I also like the stick... I might make one. I need to pickup a caliper and figure out the sizes and label them..


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## MillmanWW

*Shim sizes and correct Freud chart*

Keep in mind that there are only 4 shim sizes with the sd208. .02"(.5mm), .012"(.3mm), .008"(.2mm), and .004"(.1mm). One each of the three larger sizes and five of the .008". It should be fairly easy to figure the sizes out just by their flexibility. I just confirmed sizes with my caliper and they are correct. The chart that came with my set was not correct though, there was at least one stack setup that corresponded to multiple numeric widths. There is a "correct" chart at www.freudtools/images/manuals/images/chippchart.pdf you might want to check if your chart is correct. I haven't used the chart since I made a test "key". That is the way to go... Hope that helps save you the cost of a caliper.


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## Sawdustguy

MillmanWW said:


> Keep in mind that there are only 4 shim sizes with the sd208. .02"(.5mm), .012"(.3mm), .008"(.2mm), and .004"(.1mm). One each of the three larger sizes and five of the .008". It should be fairly easy to figure the sizes out just by their flexibility. I just confirmed sizes with my caliper and they are correct. The chart that came with my set was not correct though, there was at least one stack setup that corresponded to multiple numeric widths. There is a "correct" chart at www.freudtools/images/manuals/images/chippchart.pdf you might want to check if your chart is correct. I haven't used the chart since I made a test "key". That is the way to go... Hope that helps save you the cost of a caliper.


Tried the link and it does not work.


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## autoBrad

http://www.freudtools.com/images/manuals/Chipper-Chart.pdf

Try that link. The problem I had with just feeling them is that mine came with extra shims.. But anyways, know what pisses me off.. The other day I was working on a project and Needed to do a 3/4ths dado, so I put in what the paper said, it was wrong too small, i put both blades and 4 of the 1/8th chippers in and it was too small so I added shims.. Need to make that stick..

Unless it had somethign to do with it being 30 degrees, but I wouldn't think the metal would shrink that much... Maybe it did..


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## Leo G

My Freud dado setup is .020" smaller than standard sizes. When I first tried it I was upset, but because most plywood is thinner than standard sizes it usually works out for the better. I know that my dado when setup with 4 chippers [1/8"] produces a slot that is .730, my shim is .019 and any runout makes up the other .001". I find it very useful that it is slightly undersized.


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## autoBrad

The more I think about it the more it had to have been from the cold.. I used that same combination to make a box joint on a box I was making and it worked perfectly... Definitely need to heat my garage haha..


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## MillmanWW

I messed up the first link, sorry.... As shown in the post above it is http://www.freudtools.com/images/manuals/Chipper-Chart.pdf


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## MillmanWW

I had to look up the thermal expansion possibility.... so a one inch dado that had been cut at a difference of 100 degrees F, would change by .0006 inches... That is assuming that these blades are pure steel, I don't know if they are... Anyway, I think it is fair to say that temperature was not a factor, unless you cut one really precise dado! I have noticed a slight bend/ridge near the hole on a couple of my shims and had to file this down... Perhaps this could be a cause of a different width?


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## autoBrad

Damn, thanks for looking that up. Good to know it wasn't cold, well kinda.. Thing is at 3/4ths, it should have needed any shims, just blades and 4 chippers so, I don't know. I'm going to get a caliper soon and measure it next time haha. see why it wouldn't fix, maybe moisture in the wood.. from being stored in the garage.. but yeah, after i put a couple of shims in.. when i pulled them out , i noticed like you that the inside of the hole had like bent in .. i was like huh, did I tighten them down too much or what, didn't think I had..


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## Leo G

The dent is normal. When yo put the shim on the arbor it naturally falls into the thread. When yo tighten things down it crushes that small area. I have heard of magnetized shims that see to eliminate this problem because you can put them on the chipper before you put it on the arbor. Other than that you shouldn't have to worry as long as you tighten the arbor nut sufficiently.


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## UncleGreg

There is a good article in the current issue of Wood magazine on how to set up dado blades & shims using a simple jig made of scrap MDF or plywood. There is also a video available at:
http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/fi...CYCJUFN1QFIBQSB42Q?item=video/player&temp=yes

Select current Wood magazine issue videos, Perfect-Fitting dados.


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