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They certainly do a nice and safe job. If you want to spend more, then certainly the Forrest dado set would be a very nice choice indeed.Surprisingly, the blades and chippers lost that perfect sharpness in fairly short time. To be fair, I was using a lot of ply and particle board then, and they don't seem to have gotten any duller since. It was somewhat cheaper than the Forrest product, so this is what I chose.I am happy with the quality of these blades. They look like they could be resharpened many times as the carbide is thick. Needless to say that they are a huge step up from the usual beginner-level of dado cutting. Wide widths on underpowered saws have to be done in stages. You will want to do all of your grooves at one time and not switch back and forth.
The side blades do a nice job of not splintering the wood. If you do this kind of work, then this set is a good choice. Still, that and the not perfectly smooth groove bottoms lose this set a star.I would like to find a place that could do a good job of sharpening and radiusing them. It was pretty useless, of course, and years later I sprung for this Freud set.
I like the case. Mine had no trace of rust or damage. My first dado cutter was an ancient Sears non-carbide wobble type. I cannot say that the bottoms are perfectly smooth, but they are flat. A warning to first-time users: dado blades are a pain to install, no matter the brand. While they didn't stay as sharp as my other Freud blades, they still work fine, even in my under-powered table saw.
It is sturdy, easy to use and very useful.Many woodworkers use various router set-ups to make grooves and there are times when that makes sense, but for those perfectly sized grooves and clean cuts nothing matches a good dado set. They are extremely thick and rugged, obviously good quality. To really get the widths set correctly you have to make a test cut, take it all apart, play with shims and do it again. This is all part of the Industrial Life, so we have to deal with it. Dado cutting demands good planning and careful set-up.
I have this set in the 6" size, and the less expensive 8" in the professional series. Save urself time and money with the 8" professional set. While the 6" does seem to hold "slightly" tighter tolerances IT DOES NOT MAKE SMOOTHER BOTTOMS than the 8" set AND the tolerances are so tight on the shaft that sometimes it takes up to 30 mins. and lots of cussin, to get multiple chippers off the motor shaft.
Imagine the disappointment when I opened the amazon box and discovered a flimsy plastic case that looks like it should contain a toy. Certain things are expected with a purchase like this. Now I read some reviews from folks who commented positively on this case. This is dollar store packaging.
Sharp, heavy, well made, with minimal batman ears on the cuts. The only reason I didn't give this 3 stars or lower is because of the quality of the blades, which is what really matters. Thank goodness the blades were OK and are outstanding. Most of us consider a $200 set of table saw blades to be quite an investment. My $100 cordless drill has a thick case with secure latches and solid support for the drill. No big deal I thought, until I opened the case and found a broken plastic clam shell surround, with paper thin clam shell discs separating the blades. Blades certainly worthy of a solid, secure case and surround.
If you are planning on using this set on job sites you better plan on building a custom case for them as this one won't last a farting spell. Packaging that is the exact same as what surrounds a barbie doll is not one of them. Seriously. I already have plans to construct them a real storage case, however for $200 I shouldn't have to. Indeed, the same stuff your take-out meal is packed with is the exact same material your new $200 stack dado is surrounded by.
The resulting cuts were spectacular. The dado set cut through the plywood with ease. I am in the process of removing the contractor installed shelving in my wife's laundry room, and I am replacing them with a whole bunch of base cabinets and wall cabinets that I am building. I didn't have to apply any more force to the piece then I would have if I were doing a simple rip using a single blade.These stellar results were repeated time after time on all the cabinet back panels and side panels. The cabinet side panels and back panels all have a 3 / 4 inch wide and 3 / 8 inch deep dado to receive the cabinet bottom and a 3 / 4 inch wide and 3 / 8 inch deep rabbit to receive the cabinet back.I made the dados and the rabbits with a brand new, right out of the box Freud SD508 Super Dado Set. There was no chipping of the laminate, no tear out, and as near as I can tell, the bottom of the dado was perfectly flat. As a matter of fact I was really excited to see the beautiful cuts this dado set made.
These cabinets will occupy the entire length of two adjacent walls.The cabinet boxes are built out of 3 / 4 inch Oak laminate plywood. I was more than pleased. I realize that this dado set was right out of the box and therefore the blades and chippers were probably the sharpest they will ever be, but if the exceptional results I got on this project is any predictor of how this dado set will perform over time then I know that I made a very good purchase and the money was well spent. The cuts were clean.
I purchased the blade based on numerous reviews in magazines and on on-line forums. Also the price was great too. However, it does leave scoring marks on the outside right blade. Other than that a 5-STAR purchase.
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