Dado blade stacks, comprised of two outer blades and a series of inner chipper blades, may have not changed much in the past 15 years, but recently new features have appeared, promising quicker and easier dado stack setup. So, I set out to compare all of the premium dado blades from number of popular manufacturers. Instead of creating strict guidelines for what qualifies as “premium,” such as tooth count or price, I simply compared the best offering(s) from each company. While most manufacturers consider higher tooth count premium, that wasn’t true across the board. So, if you’re in the market for a new dado blade, let’s sort out the details to find what might be right for you.
Test Limitations and Procedures:
To determine how each blade performed, it’s important to set some parameters and tests for each. Remember, that some of these are subjective, but here are the metrics we used in this test:
Procedures
A. General blade test: A series of grooves and dadoes were made in domestic hardwood and cabinet grade plywood.
B. Visualize “bat ears” or the scoring lines left by the outer blades: Intersecting grooves were milled at the same depth.
C. Exit chipout to further evaluate the scoring line: A double-wide pass was cut across the grain in hardwood.
D. Blade accuracy: Finally, a 23/32" groove was milled in plywood to test how accurate each set is, compared to stated widths.
Test Limitations
Since not all of the blades could be used on a SawStop table saw, two different table saws were used for testing. Blade run-out and fence alignment was carefully measured for each table saw with a digital indicator. Since the horsepower of the two saws varied, no formal feed rate assessment was made, as the table saw itself would influence the test. Non SawStop-compatible blades were also cross-tested on the SawStop with the safety feature disabled. No significant differences in cutting performance were noted between the two saws. Lastly, be sure to check your table saw owner’s manual to make sure it’s recommended for use with a dado blade.
Most of the dado sets made clean grooves in plywood and hardwood. The following 3 cuts help to further evaluate exit chipout and scoring lines.
The best in the bunch left truly flat-bottom cuts, with only faint scoring lines on passes wider than ¾".
SawStop Compatibility
Before we get started, I want to note something very important. If you use a SawStop table saw, or plan in the near future, you’ll have a few more things to consider:
• representatives have previously expressed concerns
