Freud - SD608 8" Dial-a-Width Dado (Rating: 5)

Boys and Girls,

One of the better things of evaluating an item many months after purchase, you tend to forget the often exorbitant price you paid for it.. if it works. As I've given this item 5 stars it goes without saying that I do not begrudge the cost. I had to order it form USA and I did begrudge the $111.00 shipping cost, however, Amazon did advertise free shipping at the time (… even internationally) and they refunded my shipping cost after being challenged.

I decided to review this item as I plan to make a few related posts.

I find that setup is a breeze and probably get an 85-95% first time hit… the 10% range is governed by the number of vinos I've consumed. Nevertheless, the 1st. adjustment has yielded 100% satisfaction.
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Previously, I used to use a CMT 8" dado set, which required using shims to fine tune the width of cut,
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Depending on the adjustment required, the shims may need to be staggered which would require removing several blades

On the Freud, adjustment and fine turning requires the use of this setup matrix and the dial turns specified gets you those 95%+ achievement.

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Usually most errors occur in potential losing count once the turns pass 2. Most adjustments only require the removeal of the dial blade and a simple 1 or 2 + or - click twist(s) which is not that easy to stuff up (by normal people) when you have the sheet in front of you,
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Tne downside is that you do need a special spanner (supplied in the kit)
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to step over the dial
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and if you misplace it, can cause many hours of frustrating searching as you always put it in the last place you look for it. This did slightly frustrate me as I have grown accustomed to using a 22mm ratchet spanner which I use extensively for normal TS operations.

Bacause of the dial, you need to consider whether it will fit onto your particular TS.
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though the dial blade replaces you normal TS washer.

The one thing I will criticise is the ********************ty plastic packing that is supplied with the unit.
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The soft brittle plastic breaks far too easily. I have decked it out with MDF separators (another blog to follow… may retro link to this review) which add some extra weight to the box but not enough to be of a concern… after all I won't be taking the box on my next marathon run.

Just as an aside, there is a Woodpecker dado setup jig that I use which makes setup even easier. I plan to follow this up by a review on that item as well.
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One other word of advice, consider your intent. This 8" set has a depth capacity of 54mm on my tablesaw which uses a 6mm thick ZCI. Only once I have needed a 50mm deep dado… most, if not 100%, will be satisfied with the cheaper 6" set.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not poo-pooing the BCT Kerf Maker,
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(pictured with it's setup/operational jig… of course this duck had to try it out and I'm not famous enough to get test samples), however, I will always prefer a one pass operation to a multi pass if possible (excluding router and depth of cut operations).