# Clean cut using dado blades



## Beaver242 (May 25, 2009)

Hi all, hope you can help me out!

I'm using a 7" dado blade. This is the only size that will work for my project at hand. Perhaps a little bit smaller, or bigger diameter would be acceptable, but not much.

I'm making a 3/8" wide cut, with a combination of 2 blades and an insert blade. My problem is, I cannot get the blade to make a clean smoothe cut.

Can anybody enlighten me on any special techniques, blades or any other factor that could help me make the cut as smooth as possible?

Would a wobble blade help me achieve a clean smoothe cut? I've never seen one used.

Thanks!

~Beaver~


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

What type of dado set are you using?


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Smooth as is the bottoms is not even from side to side? If so that's the usually a sign of a cheap dado. The arbor holes in them are not precise and one blade is higher than the other resulting in an uneven cut.

Wobble dado doesn't have that problem but the bottom is an arc, it's not flat. So that presents another problem.


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## Jordy3738 (Jan 12, 2009)

Interesting post, what is the material that you are working with? Have to wonder too what kind of saw are you using? It sounds like there could be several things that are not working in your favor. More information would be helpful.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

Yes, this is an interesting thread and I hope you don’t mind me jumping in here Beaver, because I was also wondering about this.
I noticed that I had the same problem today after making 6 dados cuts with a new used radial arm saw that I just purchased. I had just made some dado cuts with my router with very smooth bottoms and then I decided to use my new saw because the router was taking too long. I didn’t think too much about it until I read this thread, I just thought oh well it’s the difference between a router and RAS. I haven’t made any dado cuts on my table saw in a long time and I can’t remember how smooth it was. I’m using an 8” stacked set which I thought was a Craftsman but after looking again it is an Irwin set.
So, just how smooth should it be? Tomorrow I’m going to set up my table saw and see if there is a difference between saws, but if there is a better dado set out there, than I want it. :yes:


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

*WELCOME TO THE FORUM*

I have two wobble blades that people have given me, and I don't use them. I wouldn't waste my money to buy one. I have a few stack sets, and the bottoms of the cuts always leave some fuzz. My last pass is is just a skim pass, and it minimizes the fuzz.

I like clean dadoes. I think they make for better joints. I use a few different techniques to clean out dadoes. A good sharp crank neck chisel works about the easiest. Or just a sharp bench chisel used like a scraper. If you're careful not to damage the dado, you could use some fine sandpaper on the edge of a block and make a few swipes.

I get much better dadoes when done with a router. I think it's faster, less set up, and cleaner bottoms.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Many questions here:*

The original post was "I'm making a 3/8" wide cut, with a combination of 2 blades and an insert blade. My problem is, I cannot get the blade to make a clean smoothe cut."

First, what material are you cutting, veneer plywood, particle board, solid lumber?
With the grain, across the grain?
Are you getting "tear out" at the edges?
Or is your concern the bottom? In a 3/8ths wide dado the bottom is not crucial. A dado 3/8th wide, how deep? 
Are you using a RAS or a tablesaw?
Is the blade set you are using new or old? Sharp or worn? 
Is the blade set made of High Speed Steel or is it Carbide tipped?
Do you have a router? A sharp 3/8ths carbide bit?
The answers to these questions will probably determine what the problem is.:yes: bill


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## skymaster (Oct 30, 2006)

As far as a "better dado set" Freud is best for the dollars, if you have a bunch to spend than Forrest is the best both in taking your money and quality :laughing:


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## wood shavings (Mar 20, 2009)

I have found that if you take the blade to a compatent sharpening sevice explain the problem at hand, if he is good enough at his trade he will get them back to you cutting the same depth. Here is why if you get a inexpensive (cheap set they are normally stamped ) or a better set they are most likelly carbon tipped and are glued on, these small imperfections show up when you make your first cut out of the box so to speak. By taking them to a sharpening place they can be super tuned the resulrs is normally super smooth


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Silly me. I am going to weigh in on the side of the very much maligned "wobble" dado set. I have several, and use them whenever I am building boxes, or almost anything where I need a dado. Mind you, I am not building high end furniture, mostly utilitarian shop and household items. I like my wobble dado because if I am going to make dadoes of different sizes or if I have to make minor cut width adjustments, I can do it while the dado is mounted in my saw. I do not have to take it out, I don't have to disassemble it, and I don't have to mess around with a bunch of shims to get the perfect size. I just flip the dado insert out, loosen the shaft nut, and make my adjustment. A quick check with a scrap piece of wood, and I am good to go. One word of advice. It's a good idea to turn the saw off, and unplug it before doing this.
The wobble dadoes that I have all have carbide teeth, and make a good clean cut.

I have dado sets, but I never use them. Too much of a PITA.

Gerry


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Hey there Beaver*

Are you out therel, or we just havin' a conversation amongst ourselves? Give us a shout so we'll know you're still there.:thumbsup: bill


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## headlessblade (Feb 12, 2012)

I have the same problems, the outer blades cut the same but the inner blades cut slightly less so it creates a ridge.... I just got these craftsman 6"dado set... the blades are pretty tight on the arbor... I guess it's the cheap blades


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

The quality of the dado set, sharpness of the teeth, and cleanliness of the teeth make a big difference. At the very least make sure the teeth are free from pitch and crud. Using a backerboard can help reduce tearout.

Get a good stacked dado set, not a wobbler.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

headlessblade said:


> I have the same problems, the outer blades cut the same but the inner blades cut slightly less so it creates a ridge.... I just got these craftsman 6"dado set... the blades are pretty tight on the arbor... I guess it's the cheap blades


Welcome HLB... This thread has been dead for 3 yrs but let's see if we can resolve it. 

The mention of the blades hole is not that they aren't tight it's that they may not be centered. Typically the outer blade have teeth of a different architecture so they are more than likely made on a different production line altogether. 

Sears sells several grades of quality all from different companies, just rebranded with their name. I'm unfamiliar with their blades.

Short of a closeout special, such as Onsrud on eBay, you won't get decent results for south of around $100 for the dado stack and it goes far north from there. 

Options:
Look into a better performing stack 
Use router instead
Clean Dado bottom with chisel or router plane
Deal with uneven grooves and dados

Good luck!

~tom


EDIT - when I said the tread had been dead a while I did not mean you should not have posted to it... I'm glad you searched prior to posting a new thread, more should do that.


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## Cliff (Feb 5, 2012)

Beaver242 said:


> Would a wobble blade help me achieve a clean smoothe cut? I've never seen one used.


Wobble blades describe an arc.
They leave a dado bottom that is not flat. It's not out of flat by much, but it's still not flat.


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## headlessblade (Feb 12, 2012)

Tx for the replies. yes I Google it and this site came up... I don't think the grooves would affect me much. I just wanted to know if there was a solution to it besides buying an expensive set of dados.  

At first I bought this 10" Craftsman table saw but after further review, and the need to use jigs and sleds the 5/8" T bar/wing groove REALLY closed the deal in returning this saw. I returned it and replaced it with this portable 10" Craftsman Table saw with a standard 3/4" square miter table slot. Both saws performed the same. 

I tested out the Craftsman dado on this max 1/2" groove. That brings up a question, CAN I make a 1/2" groove width 1" deep(raising the blade) with a 6"dado set? or does max dado 1/2" mean only a 1/2"groove width 1/2"deep?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

headlessblade said:


> Tx for the replies. yes I Google it and this site came up... I don't think the grooves would affect me much. I just wanted to know if there was a solution to it besides buying an expensive set of dados.
> 
> At first I bought this 10" Craftsman table saw but after further review, and the need to use jigs and sleds the 5/8" T bar/wing groove REALLY closed the deal in returning this saw. I returned it and replaced it with this portable 10" Craftsman Table saw with a standard 3/4" square miter table slot. Both saws performed the same.
> 
> I tested out the Craftsman dado on this max 1/2" groove. That brings up a question, CAN I make a 1/2" groove width 1" deep(raising the blade) with a 6"dado set? or does max dado 1/2" mean only a 1/2"groove width 1/2"deep?


So, do you work for Sears or what.










 







.


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## Pirate (Jul 23, 2009)

firemedic said:


> Welcome HLB... This thread has been dead for 3 yrs but let's see if we can resolve it.
> 
> 
> Short of a closeout special, such as Onsrud on eBay, you won't get decent results for south of around $100 for the dado stack and it goes far north from there.
> ...


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

headlessblade said:


> Tx for the replies. yes I Google it and this site came up... I don't think the grooves would affect me much. I just wanted to know if there was a solution to it besides buying an expensive set of dados.
> 
> At first I bought this 10" Craftsman table saw but after further review, and the need to use jigs and sleds the 5/8" T bar/wing groove REALLY closed the deal in returning this saw. I returned it and replaced it with this portable 10" Craftsman Table saw with a standard 3/4" square miter table slot. Both saws performed the same.
> 
> I tested out the Craftsman dado on this max 1/2" groove. That brings up a question, CAN I make a 1/2" groove width 1" deep(raising the blade) with a 6"dado set? or does max dado 1/2" mean only a 1/2"groove width 1/2"deep?


Looks like you gave up quite a bit of table size staying with Craftsman but it should work for you. Specs list a depth of cut at 3" with the 10" blade so, yes, you should be able to get 1" out of a 6" blade. Won't get much more though.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Nothing like raising the dead....

I was going to order the Onsrad set after reading the review of it here at the forum, but like so many other things, by the time I was ready to order, the price had gone up. That plus shipping costs (and time wasted waiting for it to arrive) sent me to Home Depot for the Freud 8" stack.

Not only does it fit my saw nicely, it cuts nice flat dados. However it does leave a slightly deeper cut at the sides due to the set of the teeth on the outer blades.

I had the Craftsman 6" stack and that POS never cut a flat Dado no matter how I set it up on the saw.


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> *WELCOME TO THE FORUM*
> 
> I have two wobble blades that people have given me, and I don't use them. I wouldn't waste my money to buy one. I have a few stack sets, and the bottoms of the cuts always leave some fuzz. My last pass is is just a skim pass, and it minimizes the fuzz.
> 
> ...


I use one Dado stacked set, Oldham before they were purchased by Porter Cable. Purchased it in 2003. It was not expensive, but cuts perfectly clean Dados.

Either "clean" is not properly defined, or something else is wrong. My Dados don't show any gaps on the glue-line either. In fact I would have preferred the cut to be a slightly fuzzy, for better glue up, but that is not the case.

On a M&T joint, I can cut the tenon and shoulders with one pass, (piece vertical in tenon jig using spacer with the dado) and the end-grain is clean, with a tight joint.

A router is great, but would need more than one pass if the width is non standard and would become a major limitation in the event of larger production runs.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Pirate, lol, I'm not trying to split hairs.

$89 + tax = approx $96. 

So should I recant the $100 statement?

~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


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## cocheseuga (Dec 15, 2010)

The Oshlun gives a very clean cut as well, but this seems like deja vu.


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## Murphy's Law (Dec 15, 2011)

firemedic said:


> Pirate, lol, I'm not trying to split hairs. $89 + tax = approx $96. So should I recant the $100 statement?


Tom, sometimes it seems like folks just want to argue for no reason at all. I think your $100 number was good enough.


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## Pirate (Jul 23, 2009)

firemedic said:


> Pirate, lol, I'm not trying to split hairs.
> 
> $89 + tax = approx $96.
> 
> ...



Firemedic, lol. I guess I missed that your $100, included tax! lol


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## headlessblade (Feb 12, 2012)

I was going to buy this Craftsman contractor saw but even at sale the lowest I saw it for was $500...

I still need to buy myself a Kreg K4MS 

I gave up table space but I think a table sled can give me some space...

No I do not work for Sears, they just have good sales... and I have not had any problems with Craftsman tools


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## cocheseuga (Dec 15, 2010)

headlessblade said:


> I was going to buy this Craftsman contractor saw but even at sale the lowest I saw it for was $500...
> 
> I still need to buy myself a Kreg K4MS
> 
> ...


I believe the Ridgid 4512 is the same saw, and can be had for $400 if your store accepts a Harbor Freight coupon ($450 with a Lowe's movers coupon).


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

Well I still haven’t bought a new dado set yet since I posted here 3 yrs ago. I just don’t like cross cutting on my table saw and the few times that I have used it to rip a dado, I was lazy and did not want to take the time change the blade so I made multiple cuts and used my chisel. 

I bought my RS specifically for cross cut dados, but it really scares me because that Irwin dado stack wants to run right over the wood. I don’t know if one of the newer stacks would be better, but I haven’t used it much. I ended up buying a new router and have been using it, only maybe its just me but it just seems like too much work. I have 5 routers and I’m just not into using them.


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## headlessblade (Feb 12, 2012)

lol that's how i feel about my router, seems like to much work LMAO... I bought my table saw and dado to do the same Rip dados on the end pieces... My cheap stack dado didnt push the wood up which would make me scared... but I think they have a clamp you put on your miter fence or table sled that holds the work piece flat to the table 

another reason I decided to use the table saw over the router is the fact that i would have to get a different bit for every dado width I would need ~.~... But routers are amazing though...

Anyone used Kreg Jig K4ms? how strong are these pockets screw joints from your experience?

The Ridgid 4512 looks great and got great reviews also. 

In NYC for some reason only sears has great sales, every time I go to HD or Lowes website or even in the store few thing show sales and it's not even a big discount... At sears you get great discounts on sale, promo codes and even rewards you can shop with... OR maybe I just don't know where HD and Lowes hide there sales/promo codes...


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## Cliff (Feb 5, 2012)

if you don't want to spend the $$$ on a decent dado set you can always just do what the Euros have no choice but to do: Use a Router and a jig


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## cocheseuga (Dec 15, 2010)

headlessblade said:


> lol that's how i feel about my router, seems like to much work LMAO... I bought my table saw and dado to do the same Rip dados on the end pieces... My cheap stack dado didnt push the wood up which would make me scared... but I think they have a clamp you put on your miter fence or table sled that holds the work piece flat to the table
> 
> another reason I decided to use the table saw over the router is the fact that i would have to get a different bit for every dado width I would need ~.~... But routers are amazing though...
> 
> ...


NYC area Home Depots have been having some ridiculous clearances lately. Ridgid OSS for $50. Ryobi AP1301 for $57. Ridgid bandsaw for $40. It's been disgusting.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

cocheseuga said:


> NYC area Home Depots have been having some ridiculous clearances lately. Ridgid OSS for $50. Ryobi AP1301 for $57. Ridgid bandsaw for $40. It's been disgusting.


 Oh, Oh! the rigid band saw may be a sign that they are dropping their shop machinery if they still sell it. HD had a huge sale here on that stuff and I was a fool not to take them up on it because you can’t buy any shop machinery around here anymore.


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## headlessblade (Feb 12, 2012)

My HD store sucks I guess... no prices on the stuff you interested in and no one knows the price or works in that aisle


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