I’m new to this forum. I am looking for a dado set (8″) that cuts absolutely flat bottoms right into the corner. Most I’ve seen leave little “v” shaped nick in the corners.
I prefer right angle without the unsightly nicks is required because I am cutting box joints on a jig as small as 1/4″ wide. If the dado produces these nicks, then the appearance of the joint is spoiled.
I would like to learn what other members have experienced with their dado sets.
Edited 2/1/2005 6:10 pm ET by Woodchuck Canuck
Replies
I have used a cheapo Vermont American dado set for years. It leaves all sort of bad stuff at the bottom of the dado. I then take my Stanley #71 Router Plane and with just a few swipes, the bottom of the dado is smooth as silk. The #71 is, I believe, still made. I also see them on E-Bay. They are quite inexpensive.
Bob, I'm not sure this would work. I do use a router to clean up dado cuts. However, as this is strictly speaking not a dado but a box joint, then using a hand tool to clean up the machining would introduce a level of inconsistency which would be rather unsightly.
using a hand tool to clean up the machining would introduce a level of inconsistency which would be rather unsightly. ???
Depends on who is using the plane.. Like anything.. Some got it.. Some don't...
I'm just 'fair'.. I have a friend that can close his eyes and plane something just about perfect.. Well, he is about 95 and was a cabinet maker for Chicago street car company.. Yep! Them really old street cars were just about hand made as I hear...
Edited 2/1/2005 9:53 pm ET by Will George
Will, I'm not suggesting that hand tools don't achieve perfect results in the hands of an expert, but first, I don't count myself an expert.Second, cleaning the series of small "dadoes" one cuts when making a box joint is rather tedious. My concern would be getting all of them consistent. It's quite a different matter cleaning a single dado cut that will not be visually compared to the one next to it, quite another to do what I am attempting.Also, if I was going to use hand tools, or a router to do this, then I would not have made my jig to be used in conjunction with a table saw.If you cut too many corners, you will be going around in circles.
Sorry.. I was just sort of funnin' ya.. REALLY!
Why not use a router table and a 1/4" straight bit instead of the saw?
Woodchuck,
My Systi-matic does a nice job on corners but on a wide dado I can't say it doesn't need to be cleaned up a bit. I made some 1/4" finger joints last year that came out quite well...fresh backer on every cut.
Woodchuck
If you want to spend the money on a Forrest Dado King, you can specify having it ground for no 'dog ears' when you order it from them. Mine is, for lack of a better term, 'utterly fantastic'!
Jeff
Yes, I have looked at the Forrest Dado King and I think it is a great set.However, it is my understanding that it requires special sharpening (preferably sent back to the manufacturer). I live in Australia, so not only would I be cased with a high initial cost (which I am prepared to pay) but also very high maintenance costs. So I've ruled this one out.If you cut too many corners, you will be going around in circles.
Woodchuck
I didn't know you were from Australia.
When I make box joints, I made a jig and cut them all on my router table. Perfectly square bottoms, and very fast and efficient with a jig. The jig takes about 20 minutes to make and set up, and a bit costs about $30 (american). Way cheaper, faster, and better than a dado, with no special sharpening.
Gidday, mate! (Sorry, I just couldn't help myself!)
Jeff
Forrest blades don't need "special sharpening". However Forrest does take a lot of care when they resharpen a blade and they have very good and well maintained grinders that turn out precisely sharpened blades while maintaining the correct tooth shape.
Any sharpening shop with good grinding machines, and with a staff willing to take their time maintaining and setting them up properly, could probably sharpen a Forrest blade as well as the factory could, the trick is finding a good sharpener, many of them are more devoted to quantity rather than quality.
John W.
Thanks for these responses.I gather, from any response to the contrary, that there are no dado saw blade sets that cut a dado without those tiny nicks or "ears" in the corner.Perhaps I will have to rethink making box joints on a table saw. It's strange though, one often sees jigs designed for this purpose. Maybe woodworkers who use their tablesaw for making box joints don't care about this.I would still love to hear from other on this.If you cut too many corners, you will be going around in circles.
For narrow dadoes like finger joints, you can use an inexpensive wobble style dado. Many think that they leave a round bottom but I can't see it even on a 3/4" wide cut. They do a much better job than many will lead you to believe. Some are already 1/4" in a straight configuration but most are 3/16". Steel stacking dadoes are another choice, they can be jointed for an even bottom. Both choices are quite inexpensive and won't cost more than a few dollars to try.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Any good sharpening service can grind you a pair of straight across tipped blades or modify a dado set.But it is those points that scribe the cross grain and reduce tearout.So you can choose between cleaning up the bottom of the dados or the face of the board, I know what I would prefer!
There are dado sets which don't cut dog ears, are cheap and easily available.
You simply buy cheap 7 1/4 inch thin kerf circular saw blades and stack em up.
For box joints , where you might be looking at maybe 1/4 to 3/8" wide cuts, using three or 5 of these blades might cost ya maybe 20- 30 bucks.
Just be sure you buy enuf of the same type all at one time.
they also store quite nicely in the bottom of the storage for the expensive dado set.
Besides, as most stacked dado blades don't cut narrow slots for thin sanded plywoods, you end up needing them anyway to get the 3/16ish dados cut neatly.
One other aspect of using em on 10" saws is that as most of the time dados require a substantially shallower set of the arbor than the 10" blade does, it saves time cranking the blade down!
Eric
in Cowtown
I've never heard of this idea before, what do other think? Is this safe?Woodchuck Canuck
If you cut too many corners, you will be going around in circles.
Edited 2/3/2005 7:16 am ET by Woodchuck Canuck
I think that it'd work fine and be safe... but I think your best bet is to do as on of the others said and get a good dado set and have those little "tags" ground off. You'll have worse tear out, but I would imagine that the tear out on a stacked set of cheap blades would be even worse.Not to mention you'll have better control over the width of cut with a true dado set.Good luck!
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