I've been using my tablesaw with a standard blade to cut dados and rabbets, but it's been quite imprecise. During my recent project, a shaker bedroom door, I ended up routing some parts after cutting them on the tablesaw just to clean things up. I realize a dado stack would save me time and effort. I have a Dewalt DW7491RS tablesaw with a 10" blade and it can accommodate an 8" dado stack, which seems to be the norm. Is it typical to downsize when using a dado stack? Are there specific brands you recommend? I usually prefer Diablo and Freud for my cutting tools. Would love any suggestions!
3 Answers
So yeah, you generally want to size down with dado stacks to avoid burning out your motor. I’d recommend sticking with a 6" or 8" dado stack for your Dewalt. I’ve had some success with a 6" set—it handles everything I need without issues. Plus, it's less strain on the motor and still gets the job done.
I really like the CMT locking dado stack. It was my first one, and I had a good experience with setup and performance. Definitely check that one out if you can!
It's pretty typical to use 8" dado stacks, even if you have a 10" saw. Most dado sets are 8" because deep dados aren’t super common, and they can require a more powerful saw. If you're doing a lot of tenons, I'd suggest looking into a jig; it makes the process a lot smoother—you won’t regret it!
Just a little woodworking humor: If you tell ten dad jokes, and only one gets a chuckle, how many landed? One pun in ten did!