Freud SD208 8-Inch Professional Dado [Tools & Hardware] [Tools & Hardware]

I used these blades on a 1hp, 3450rpm Craftsman tablesaw. I am pretty experienced at rough carpentry and am just now getting into finer woodworking.

First of all... these reviews include many people complaining about how difficult it is to put the shims on and off... I dunno, I'm a VERY impatient person, but I found the 5 seconds it takes to add/remove a shim worthwhile.

Also, some folks had said that the measurements are "nominal" and not actual... who knows? Bottom line is that you need to do a test with scrap wood to make sure you have exactly what width you want... (and doing a test with scrap wood is a good woodworking practice and a good habit to form.)

In the "box": the outer blades, chippers, shims, and a case/rack which holds it all quite well. (Note, most other sets in this price range don't come with shims.) Freud includes instructions which are pretty straightforward, but again you should run scrap because every bit of wood is different -- not to mention that humidity can affect the thickness of your stock.

I find this set to be excellent and well priced. Couldn't be happier. Easy to use, well packaged in a carryall/case.

Worked so well my wife thought Norm had dropped by to help me.

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EDIT: I've now had this set for years and have since upgraded nearly ALL my tools, including the purchase of a cabinet saw. I still feel no need to upgrade this dado set. Works great and gives nice flat dados.

I just put this through the paces rabbeting (yes that's how it's really spelled) several drawers I installed under the bed (much to my wife's delight). Very accurate and well made blades. One word of advice: the blades and wing chippers cut 1/32" light of their stated width. I think this is because plywood is is 1/32" light of its nominal thickness, ie 1/2" plywood is actually 15/32". So this is actually a good thing for cutting grooves for plywood. To actually get 1/2" thickness, add two of the shims supplied with the blade. The nly reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is that the directions don't give you this handy tidbit, I figured it out with a test cut and some research.

Just picked up one of these blades. The old Craftsman stack I inherited from my Grandfather just isn't up to the requirements of my next project.

I read the previous reviews as part of my decision making process. I am a mechanical engineer, machine designer, and a machinist. The review that complained about the lack of flatness was a real concern to me. Precision is very high on my list of priorities.

After the first few cuts with the new Dado I felt compelled to run to my computer (I'm covered with saw dust!!) and add my two bits to the list.

I am completely satisfied with the cut quality of this dado. The cuts are smooth, very flat, and clean. I have not measured/checked the accuracy of the width. I will use the included spacers to tune the width of any slot I cut. I don't expect the stack height to be precise. This one's a keeper!

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