Stupid dado/box blade questions

[farmerbw]

I saw the earlier post by Bas about the Freud SBox8 blade and after seeing one in person at Wood Craft the other day and then starting a project and determining I "needed" one I was set to order one earlier. Then while on amazon I noticed that for about 20 bones more I could get the SD206 6" Dado, http://www.amazon.com/Freud-SD206-6...f=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1224690889&sr=1-15 .

My questions are thus.
1) Other than the obvious size differences 6" v 8" and 1/4"&3/8" v 1/4" to 7/8" am I missing something else that separates these 2 function/application wise?
2) Or more directly can I do all the things with the 6" Dado that I could do with the 8" SBox blade plus make wider dados?

I'm just trying to determine if I'd be better off shilling out the extra 20 and only having 1 blade or if they're different enough that I may "need" both eventually. Here's the link for the SBox for ref. http://www.amazon.com/Freud-SBOX8-C...ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1224690889&sr=1-4

Thanks.

Brian.

 

[DaveO]

Brian the main difference between the Box Joint dado and a regular dado stack is the grind of the teeth, and the chippers. The Box Joint set is ground as a flat top, with off set teeth that allow it to cut only the 2 widths depending on how your orient the blades. A regular dado stack generally has a ATB grind and chippers that allow you to cut a more wide variety of dadoes.
There really is no reason to have a 8" dado stack over a 6", a 6" will make almost every cut that you need to make dado-wise.
The Box Joint dado stack, is really best for only box joint use. A regular dado stack will cover that use almost as well and provide a lot more functionality.
If you don't have a dado stack I would get the standard 6" Freud stack, and if you start doing a lot of box joints then consider the Box Joint specific stack.

MTCW,
Dave

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

My questions are thus.
1) Other than the obvious size differences 6" v 8" and 1/4"&3/8" v 1/4" to 7/8" am I missing something else that separates these 2 function/application wise?

2) Or more directly can I do all the things with the 6" Dado that I could do with the 8" SBox blade plus make wider dados?

Thanks.

Brian.

A dado blade will do everything the box joint blade will do but not visa versa. The dado blade can cut dados of almost any width in small increments using a combination of varying thickness chippers and shims up to the max advertised dado width.

The only differences are

(1) you might see a slightly less flat bottom or tiny "ears" on each side of the dado slot with the dado blade, but that depends on the design and quality of the dado set. In any case it will likely be minimal. I use a Forrest dado for all my box joints, and

(2) you won't need chippers or shims to get precise 1/4" or 3/8" box cuts with the box blade, but those widths (slightly larger if you use shims) are the only thicknesses possible with the box joint blade.

Unless you plan to do a lot of box joints, I would go with the SD206 or one of the better Freud ( SD508 ), Forrest, or Infinity dado sets.

 

[farmerbw]

DaveO and Alan, thanks for the feedback and suggestions. :thumbs_up I was already leaning towards the SD206 since it seemed like I would get a lot more versatility out of it for only about 20 bones more so I think I'll go ahead with that one.

I looked at the Forrest and Infinity prices and they're wayyyyyyyyyy more than I can afford or justify spending for the work I'd be using them for. In fact a couple of them cost more than the old 10" Delta saw I'd be putting them on and that's just wrong!:rotflm::rotflm:

Thanks again guys.

Brian.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

DaveO and Alan, thanks for the feedback and suggestions. :thumbs_up I was already leaning towards the SD206 since it seemed like I would get a lot more versatility out of it for only about 20 bones more so I think I'll go ahead with that one.

I looked at the Forrest and Infinity prices and they're wayyyyyyyyyy more than I can afford or justify spending for the work I'd be using them for. In fact a couple of them cost more than the old 10" Delta saw I'd be putting them on and that's just wrong!:rotflm::rotflm:

Thanks again guys.

Brian.

I know what you mean! I looked into putting a Shelix on the new/old planer I got last year, but it would cost four times what I paid for the planer!!!!!!

 

[Charles M]

Brian,

As others have said, the SD208 dado can be used for box joints. They also noted that the dado will leave slight grooves in the corners of the cut which may or may or may not be an issue for you. One often overlooked difference is that the SBOX8 has a positive hook angle like a rip blade because it is designed to cut with the grain. Most modern dado sets, including the SD208, have negative hook angles to reduce chipping across grain and in veneers/laminates. So the dado set will not feed as easily and may have a little more tear out at the exit of the cut.

 

[farmerbw]

Charles, thanks for that information. I still haven't pulled the trigger yet and will take those points into consideration. I'm still leaning towards the SD206 since I'm not presently doing or planning any projects that specifically need box joints. I do have some that would call for dados in the 1/4" and 1/2" range. I'd like to have both just because, but can't justify it at this time.:gar-Bi

Brian.

 

[JimD]

I have that dado set and I recommend you get it. It makes nice flat bottom dados and the chipout on cross grain cuts in mealamine or oak plywood is slight. For the money, it is a nice set. I tried lessor sets and was dissatisfied. I am satisfied with the ~$90 Freud set (I think that's the one you mention).

Jim

 

[farmerbw]

JimD, thanks for your input. I ended up "needing" this sooner than shipping would allow. I called Klingspor on Friday and they had one SD206 left, I was about to ask about whether it was eligible for our discount when they told me it was 10% off already as part of the Extravaganza. So it was a no brainer, I picked it up for around 80 bones plus tax so it worked out being a little cheaper than online + shipping and I supported a local biz that has been supporting this group as well. So it was a win-win as far as I'm concerned.:icon_thum:icon_thum

I used it to complete the project I had started which only required about 6 small cuts but it works well, so I'm happy with it so far.:thumbs_up I did get a quick reminder that it's designed for inch increments and I was dadoing (is that a word!!:gar-Bi) for metric ply, but I worked it out after a few test runs.

Thanks again to everyone who provided input and guided me on my way. ccasion1

Brian.