On 1/20/2017 10:59 PM, Doug Miller wrote:
-MIKE- wrote in news
On 1/20/17 7:31 AM, Doug Miller wrote:
-MIKE- wrote in news
[...]

Maybe one day I'll spend the cash for an excellent set of dado blade
that do, in fact, produce a perfectly straight and square bottom withOUT
bat ears and I won't feel the need to clean the cut up with the router.

Check out the Northwoods Dado-Master from Ridge Carbide Tools
http://ridgecarbidetool.com/dado-set...do-master.html

I've had mine for about 15 years now, and have been completely satisfied with it. I
bought it
at the Woodworking Show when both Forrest and Ridge were exhibiting, and compared
test cuts from the two side-by-side. I couldn't see any point in the Forrest Dado King: why
pay more money for lesser results? The Ridge dado set is two-thirds the price of the
Forrest, and gives better cuts. The bottom is dead flat, and the bat ears are almost
imperceptible without a magnifying glass, whereas the Forrest leaves tiny but still readily
visible bat ears.


That's one I have bookmarked. I've hear great things about that set.
Have to admit I'm not very happy to hear even those leave bat ears,
though.

*All* dado saws leave bat ears. The best you can do is to minimize the size. And the Ridge
Carbide set leaves the smallest ones I've ever seen.

The dial-a-dado is the other set on my list.
I think the convenience would be worth the extra money.

Swingman has the Dial's Dado and I think he is pleased with it. I use
the shims with the Forrest. If you have a set of calipers the shim
style dado sets are easy to adjust with out much guess work. I can
typically be ready to cut dado's after one test cut. I do not think
that Swingman always gets away with out a test cut.

I place the approximate set of dado cutters on the saw and finger
tighten the arbor nut. I measure, with a digital caliper, the distance
between the outer teeth and subtract that from the width of the material
to be fitted into the dado. The difference is the size shim you need.

I don't see a clear advantage to either style, and I have seen him make
multiple adjustments before cutting, mostly personal preference. I do
wonder how and or if you have to return the Dial a Dado set to Freud to
have it sharpened.

Having said that, if you could count on material being consistent in
thickness from one job to the next the Dial A Dado could be consistently
dialed in before mounting on the saw. But plywood is seldom consistent
in thickness so the setting that worked on one sheet this week probably
will not work on a sheet in a month. You are still going to have to do
the math to get it right.







Maybe so. I'm happy with what I have, though.