Infinity Dadonator Dado Blade

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I saw Ducks review on his Freud swing blade, and noted shims seemed to be an issue. I can say with XYZ brands of dado stacks I have had to play trial and error fitting to get the right size width, and shims, and the correct spacer sizing has been a bit of a pain. Anyhow I didn't want to dump on his review, so I thought I would talk about the Infinity Dadonator I use now. They aren't free, so if you can't grasp spending some coin on a good set, they might not be for you.

To point, over the years I have tried the budget, cheeep, and junk blades "hoping" for a miracle. Thing is no free lunch when Dado is in the description. If you really want cheap Dado's I'd suggest looking into Router Dado's which you can get a pretty good downcut bit, and do some with a guide, and not have near the investment you will get with a TS dado set. I have also had a Forrest, and Ridge Dado sets, both gave me batwings (pretty seriously with the Ridge) I have sold them off.

For me the advantage a TS Dado has offered was the ability to run Dado's on LARGER stock, and plywood. Unless you have built a MONSTER router table, the average top isn't big enough to sit large items on and have good control. Hand held is possible, and I do use this option from time to time, but I prefer a TS for Dado cuts. I blame early indoctrination. 

I've been using the Infinity for a bit over 5 years, and it's a winning set. I bought the "complete set, with storage box" so it's nicely housed, and it was on special so the box, gauge, and an extra pack of shims were free. Seemed like a good deal at the time, and I haven't looked back.


I use an Infinity Dadonator, and it uses shims, but they sell a set up gauge that you place your intended stock to "fill" the dado into, and written right there is the complete setup schedule, so even shims, and spacers which with other brands is a trial and error thing, you just get what ya need, and build it up as you go. It's the easiest Dado blade I have ever worked with, and the walls go down to an absolutely flat bottom. It's like working with a piston fit, every time.







Plus it's chippers have 6 teeth, not 2, or 4, but 6, so you aren't getting all that blowout every time one of those hammers smacks something solid.



Something I never considered, but experienced the need for, possibly you have also felt it. You are doing a dado on a piece of stock, and feel it pushing back at you? On the Dadonator they have what they call antikickback teeth. Whoudathunkit? Anyhow I can gladly state that phenom had happened to me pretty often with XYZ blade sets, never with the Dadonator. Do they work? Was that kickback? I haven't an idea, just thought it was something about dado cuts before, now, not so sure? They seem to be saying....


Yes, these are all stock pics. My set is back in the barn/shop. and currently my cardiac isn't allowing me walks, even a few hundred feet. If you have questions, or wanna see something not in their ads. I'd be glad to oblige, it just might not be right away. 


nice review george.

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Good thorough review GW.

The secret to a dado stack... other than a decent set of blades and not the budget ones is to measure your requirement then flat stack the blades with the shims till you reach your goal.
Even for my Freud, I use my 'pecker's Dado Set-Up Fixture,


however, for the frugal ones out there, you can make your own as long as you ideally have a bolt/nut combo with the same size as your tablesaw spindle so you can crank your blades with the shims together tightly like on the TS. 

If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD

I just snug a single blade when I swap blades, but I do find on a dado stack I wrench them on a bit more? Pschyology?? Don't know, just so many more parts involved, so I really tug on the wrench to tighten them down. 

I wonder if everyone does that?
Same here George, single blade just gets a snug. The stack gets the whammy, need to force the shims out of the arbor threads and and get it all flat.
All of the main sources of good info say no need to torque a blade. I think it's as much phycology as need that drives wrenching down on the Dado, but I don't wanna be the guy saying you shoulda seen all those parts flying out. ;-O
George,

Those are beautiful dados in the pics.  

daveg, SW Washington & AZ

I've found all of my Dado's look just like them as well. The best ones I've seen come off a saw blade. With a nice router bit you can get them as clean, and flat bottomed. Guess it depends on your favorite choice of methods.
I noted in an email from Pop Woodworking that they did a dado blade showdown, and my Infinity Dadonator took their top spot, and against some stiff competition. But these are really good Dado blades.

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/toolreviews/dado-blade-showdown-11-blades-compared/?oly_enc_id=3847H2895912D9X

For most of my other blades I have swapped from Ridge, and Forrest to Tenryu blades I noted they had a Dado in the mix, also well though of, but seemed a lot more $$$$ But I have had excellent luck with all of their Rip, and Crosscut, Miter saw, and Melanine/plywood blades I have used. 

I noted in the review that blade weight was also listed. I think for the first time I have seen it in a Dado blade review, and the Dadonator is a heavy blade, and in the past I used it solely on my 3HP General TS, a cabinet model known as the 350. It has a really small opening for blade changes, and I have fairly huge hands, so I have swapped to using the Dadonator on my Delta Contractor saw, which has the same sized opening as a Unisaw, bigger to allow me easier access, and the 1 1/2 HP motor spins it up just a nicely as the 3HP saw, so if you had a decent 1 1/2 HP contractor saw you could use this blade set. Provided it had arbor sizing to mount a Dado in the first place. I don't know all contractor saw models, but it will work on Deltas, Sears Craftsman saws of the .113 variety, and Jet/PM saws.