8" Pro Dado Set Freud SD208S

As a general rule, a dado is a groove cut across the grain into the surface of a piece of wood. It can be made either with a router, a radial arm saw or on a table saw. A well-made groove will provide a simple and strong joint provided that the groove has a precise width, square shoulders and a clean flat bottom.

If you only have a few grooves to make, a portable router will do the job, but you will have to do more than one pass. One can also do it in several passes on a table saw with only one blade and a reference board. However, if it is a recurring job or if the quantity is important, it is better trying to do it right in one pass only.

A stacking dado set is an excellent solution. Its trial-and-error process that requires mixing chippers and shims to get the perfect width might be time consuming but it pays off with a flat bottomed and clean splinter groove.

Freud® offers this 8"dia x 5/8" improved stacked dado set with optimized blade design for premium performance on all safety brake equipped and underpowered saws.

• Two 1/8" thick saw blades (right + left hand) with 12 teeth
• Three 1/8" thick chippers
• One 1/16" thick spacer
• 4 shim set for micro-adjustability: 0.020"(0.5mm), 0.012"(0.3mm), 0.008"(0.2mm), 0.004"(0.1mm)
• Can produce grooves up to 7/8” at 1/32" increments in plywood, melamine and solid wood
• Teeth are made in TiCo™ (titanium/cobalt) high density carbide tip for extended blade life.
• Blades have a non-stick chrome finish «Silver ICE™» coating that resists corrosion and resin or "pitch" build-up
• Comes in an attractive plastic case with handle

Boss’ view: 6" or 8" ? If you have a 10"dia. table saw, opt for 8"dia. The rule is that with 8"dia. you can groove 1/2" deep, but with 6" you can't groove 2". As for the price, the differential is not justified.  Also, for a safe and better quality, use a zero-clearance insert.

Excellent and affordable!