Dado blade tooth count

Greetings all. This is my first post to the group, and my first post to a newsgroup!

I am upgrading from a wobble dado to a set. I plan to use it for a variety of projects, hardwood, softwood, plywood and MDF. I am leaning towards a higher side blade tooth count, in the 20+ range on an 8" set. Does this sound reasonable?

I am leaning toward the Freud SD308.

Thanks for any input.

Reply to
Jim K
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Welcome.

That sounds like a regular tooth count for an 8" dado. "higher" counts would be in the 40-tooth range.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Friesen

I think most are about 20T. Check out

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for the Dadonator and
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for theirs, as well as the Forrest. All are good performers. The Freud is good, but one of these may offer something else for you.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Can you actually tell me who makes a 8" dado blade set with the outer blades having 40 teeth? Seems it would be almost impossible to keep the chippers teeth from coming in contact with the outer blades teeth.

Reply to
Leon

I know of at least three--the third is actually 46 teeth.

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Reply to
Chris Friesen

article for your own interpretation):

Amana 65804 - 46T - This is their Melamine blade but tests showed it worked great overall

BC Saw & Tool 3008400 - 40T - Not a top performer

Everlast DS840 - 40T - Not a top performer

Systimatic 37160 - 42T - Not a top performer

By "Not a top performer" I mean there was at least one negative performance aspect in the tests. Oddly enough, all the best blades, except for the Amana, were all 24T. Negative hook seemed to work best.

Reply to
jjinatx

Here's one:

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tooth outer blades and 6 tooth chippers.

Reply to
lwasserm

Not yet mentioned is the need, or lack of, for more teeth. In theory it sounds like it would be better, but in practice, it may not make a difference.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@v46g2000cwv.googlegroups.com:

Now there's some info you can sink your teeth into.

Reply to
Cothian

I've never understood the need for high tooth count in the outside blades when the ones in the middle have two. Any explanations other than "tooth count envy"? For the smoothest dados you need to clean out the groove with a router anyway.

Reply to
Norm Dresner

The chippers only have to smooth the bottom of the dado. The out side blades need to make smooth cuts on the edge of the dado whether it be with or across the grain, solid or plywood. The more teeth the smoother that cut is. A good dado blade does not require further clean up with a router.

Reply to
Leon

Sounds like you need a better dado blade. Mine never need cleaning.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Make that two of us that don't need to clean up the groove.

Reply to
Ba r r y

And 2 of us that need a new dado blade!

Harvey

Reply to
eclipsme

If you have a sharpening service around you can get your dado blade resharpened, If they know what they're doing, they'll make sure that all the blades and chippers cut to the same depth.

The local guy hates doing dados because of this, but he does do them.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Friesen

This sounds like it would cost more than a decent set to begin with.

Harvey

Reply to
eclipsme

Around here sharpening is 25 cents a tooth. It's lots cheaper than a new dado set.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Friesen

Depending on the set, $40 to $60 here

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They guarantee flat bottoms.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

| > I've never understood the need for high tooth count in the outside blades | > when the ones in the middle have two. Any explanations other than "tooth | > count envy"? For the smoothest dados you need to clean out the groove | > with | > a router anyway. | >

| | The chippers only have to smooth the bottom of the dado. The out side | blades need to make smooth cuts on the edge of the dado whether it be with | or across the grain, solid or plywood. The more teeth the smoother that cut | is. A good dado blade does not require further clean up with a router. |

You haven't answered the question of why the edges of the dado are more important than the center.

Norm

Reply to
Norm Dresner

More visible in the finished piece, IMO. The edge, not the inside portion.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

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