Best Dado Blades for Table Saws – Buyer’s Guide and Reviews

A woodworker’s satisfaction lies in cutting perfect grooves and joints. With a good dado blade, you can get the job of making accurate cuts done quickly. We analyzed five dado blade sets through various parameters and found the Freud Super Dado Set to be the best dado blades for table saws. Moreover, we also made a buying guide to help you find an ideal companion for your inventory.

Best Dado Blades for Table Saws

1. Freud Super Dado Sets – Best for 10-inch table saws

When it comes to Dado blades, nothing can beat the competency of Freud Super Dado Set. We were very excited to test these set of blades. To begin our research, we tested it against several dados. While it was efficient in cutting, we observed that it only supports a maximum width of 13/16 inches. To get better idea you can compare it with cabinet saw as well.

As far as the size is concerned, it fits perfectly on a 10-inch table saw. We hardly noticed any resistance while cutting dados. Moreover, the sides of the wood were also smooth and straight. We also liked the 90-degree angle of the shoulders that makes it even more precise.

Furthermore, the thing we liked the most was the bottom finishing. It did not make any ridgelines between chippers and blades. Therefore, unlike other dado sets, you won’t have to chisel or sand the ridges at the bottom.

To test it further, we tried it on numerous widths with and without shims. We must say the Freud Super Dado Set always provided smooth and straight cuts. However, the internal plastic liner was not as good as expected.

The plastic packaging between the blades and chippers is thin and flimsy. The same applies to the storage box and red plastic liner. Therefore, you cannot expect to use it for repeated storage and handling purposes.

Bottom Line

Overall, the Freud Super Dado Set is one of the best dado blades for table saws to get resistance-free and smooth cutting experience. If you are mainly concerned with the finishing quality of your projects, this toolset will never let you down.

2. DEWALT Stacked Dado Set -Best for DEWALT table saw

The DEWALT Stacked Dado Set provides an excellent value for money. The very first thing we noticed is the versatility in the design of this set. Unlike other dado sets, it provides twice the number of teeth.

Moreover, it also provides anti-kickback fingers that is a great security feature to protect your fingers against a hazard. Also, it provides a nice case that keeps the blades secure when you are not using them in the saw.

Talking about the blades, we were not expecting such great quality to be honest. Even though the outer blades leave small ridges on the edges, it is not very noticeable. A little amount of sawdust will completely cover it up.

We must say it is a great set in such a competitive price range. The number of teeth is more on the outer blades to get an even smoother cut. For heavy cuts, it provides a lesser slowdown than the other variants in the same price range.

The only downside we experienced so far was the unclean bottom cuts. However, it is a common issue among dado blades. Even though we had to tear out the end cuts, the process was quite faster and efficient.

Bottom Line

All in all, the DEWALT Stacked Dado Set is a fantastic set of blades for both home DIY and professional woodworking projects. Moreover, the quality of the storage case makes it easier for you to store your blades safely.

3. OSHLUN Stacked Dado Set – Best Overall Blade Set

If you are looking for an inexpensive dado blade set, this is the one that you need to consider. The moment we put the OSHLUN Stacked Dado Set to test, we observed how fast we can use it to make dados.

We liked the zero-tolerance center hole for the arbor. Although it made the installation a bit harder, it also provided it an extra layer of security. Therefore, your fingers are always safe when you use this toolkit.

Later, we tested it against the wood. We observed that the quality of the cuts was almost perfect. We did not find even a single tear out and there were no ridges in the cut. Moreover, the chippers were relatively clean.

Talking about the storage unit, even though it is not the sturdiest one, it is capable of protecting your blades adequately. Moreover, for varying widths of plywood, there’s an instruction manual that instructs you about the right combination of blades for different widths.

However, we noticed that for plywood of nominal width, it cuts a slightly wider slot. We prefer it to cut a little narrow slot so that the user can add a small shim to get the slot of appropriate width while making dados.

Bottom Line

In a nutshell, the quality of cuts with OSHLUN Stacked Dado Set is great. Both the chippers and spacers work great and were capable of cutting through pine and hardwood with ease. At such a price range, it is a great blade set for table saws.

4. Porter-Cable Adjustable Dado Blade – Best for Ryobi table saw

When it comes to Adjustable dado blades, porter cable is the only blade in our rundown. However, the experience was not much better with this blade. Firstly, the instruction manual didn’t make sense. It seems they just translated Chinese into English badly.

It seems to be a cheap imported product. The manufacturers claimed that the Porter-Cable Adjustable Dado Blade is capable of cutting dados of length 3/16, 3/8, 3/4, 1/4, 1/2, 5/8, 13, and 16 Inch.

However, we had a hard time attaching it to the table saw. After trying to attach it on numerous table saws, it was finally attached to the Ryobi table saw. Furthermore, customer reviews also account for the same problem.

In addition to it, the manufacturers did not even mind to add adjustment marks on the blades. They want you to measure your dados with your naked eyes which is practically not possible. Also, the cuts were completely uneven and unprofessional.

Bottom Line

In conclusion, the Porter-Cable Adjustable Dado Blade was a total mess for us. The experience was highly disappointing as well. We would not recommend this dado blade to any woodworker in the market.

5. IRWIN Dado Blade Set – Best for Bosch table saw

As you may already know, dado blades are used for making cuts of varying depths and widths. Moreover, they need to be durable enough to be used in your next project. The IRWIN Dado Blade Set is specifically made sturdy enough to make perfect tongue and groove joints.

In case you don’t know about groove and tongue joints, it is a specific kind of cut in which you can attach two panels. One panel has a finely made outcropping known as the tongue and the other has a groove.

Based on our research, we found that this set can help you greatly with tongue and groove joints. It has only 12 teeth in its outer blades and only two wing chippers are available. We found it to be more efficient than the other tools for these joints.

However, as stated above, this set is not a perfect fit for all types of dado cutting. We tried it against different types of joints but they got wear down quickly. In such circumstances, we’d suggest you to use these blades with a bosch table saw to get the maximum efficiency.

Bottom Line

In conclusion, the Porter-Cable Adjustable Dado Blade was a total mess for us. The experience was highly disappointing as well. We would not recommend this dado blade to any woodworker in the market.

Buying Guide – How to Choose the Best Dado Blades for Table Saws

Every woodworker must have a dado blade set in his workshop. If you are a beginner woodworker buying dado blades for the first time, you may want to know the features you need to consider to make the right buying decision. Here’s a list of things that you must look for while buying a dado blade set:

1. Blade Type

Foremost of all, you need to consider the type of dado blade you are choosing. There are various options to choose from such as stacked dado blades and wobble dado blades. In general, the stacked dado blades are the preferred choice for most of the woodworkers. That’s because stacked dado blades allow you to create accurate and perfect joints. However, stacked blades cost a lot more than wobble blades. Among all the dado sets we tested, the Freud Super Dado Sets is the most prominent stacked dado set.

2. Saw Blade specifications

Dado blades don’t show a lot of variations in their types. Therefore, you won’t have to deal with a lot of compatibility issues. But, to match your blades with the right saws, you still need to consider some essential factors.

The most important factor is the specifications of your saw blade. There are numerous specifications such as teeth per inch (TPI), hook angle, and material of the blade. Although you can go with the standard specifications. It is highly suggested to consider your purpose of buying a saw blade.

As a general rule of thumb, a blade with more teeth per inch is great for hardwood and material that gets chipped easily. Moreover, a greater number of teeth also means that the cutting will be slower and finer.

On the other hand, a fewer number of teeth per inch will result in faster yet rough cutting. Talking about the hook angle, the standard blades provide a zero-degree hook angle because they are only used for table saws.

However, if you want to use your dado blades for radial arm saws, you can choose to have a hook angle of -12 degrees or -5 degrees. When choosing the material of your dado blades, you get numerous variations such as steel, carbide, and carbon. The DEWALT Stacked Dado Set has the ideal specifications that make it a perfect match for table saws of varying widths.

3. Diameter and Power

As being a professional woodworker, you need to make sure that your dado blade can work optimally in your table saw. The majority of the dado blades provide you a diameter of 6 to 8 inches. If you want to make deeper cuts, the 8-inch blade is ideal for you.

 Moreover, an 8-inch dado blade will require a cabinet saw to manage its power efficiently. On the other hand, a 6-inch dado blade can work on all types of saws such as cabinet saws, contractor saws, bench saws, and portable saws.

4. Insert plates

Insert place is where the blades extend above the surface. Therefore, it plays a major role in choosing the best dado blades. Since you want to use the dado blade for a table saw, you need to install a customized insert plate. To do this, you can either choose a pre-cut dado insert plate or a zero-tolerance insert plate. The OSHLUN Stacked Dado Set provides you a great zero-tolerance center hole for the arbor.

 FAQs

1. What can you do with a dado blade?

Dado blade is majorly used in woodworking to cut grooves and dadoes. It is a type of circular saw blade that can be used with a table saw or a radial arm saw. Generally, there are two major types of dado sets namely wobble dado set and stacked dado set.

2. Are dado blades dangerous? 

Like all other woodworking tools, a dado blade is also potentially hazardous. However, the potential for injury depends on how you use the equipment. To make sure that nothing goes wrong while making dadoes, you can use a sacrificial fence.

3. Can we use any table saw blade to make dado cuts? 

No, dado cuts can never be made with any regular saw blade. There are specialized dado blades to get accurate dado cuts. Moreover, not all table saws are capable of being used with a particular dado blade set.

Final Talk

When making dado cuts, accuracy is what matters the most. Even a slight mistake can ruin your joints. That’s where the best dado blades for table saws come into play. A good dado set will allow you to make highly accurate and precise cuts.