This Old Workshop, Dado King from Forrest

This Old Workshop Tool Review

The Forrest Dado-King

The Dado is one of those commonplace cuts that add strength to joinery. As with most things all Dado sets are not created equal. The other saying that comes to mind is, you get what you pay for. Unfortunately this is all too true when it comes to Dado sets, as well as with most saw blades when you get right down to it.

One set that I found to be good quality and very much worth the money is the Dado-King from Forrest Manufacturingcompany. Ranging in price from $240 to over $400 depending on blade size and bore diameter.

With the Dado-King set you can cut grooves from 1/4" through 29/32". Giving you perfect flat-bottom grooves not staggered steps or round bottoms like a wobble-dado leaves. The Dado-King worked well in any direction, rip, crosscut or miter. Performing well at every depth I tried.

Forrest explains why their blade beats the competition.

Here is why this great Dado Head has no equal!
24 #C-4 Carbide Tips on each trim saw - twice as many as most competitors. 4 #C-4 Carbide Tips on each chipper - also twice as many as most competitors.

Forrest also offers the service of creating custom bore sizes if you require something other then the typical 5/8" or 1" bore.

The set came in a bright orange carrying case I found to be both handy and practical. I even use the case to store a few other blades on the back side.

Over the past 8 months I have worked with the Dado-King set, I have found it to be of excellent quality and versatility. I highly recommend this set.

8'' Deluxe Dado King

The 8" Dado-King is also available from our friends at Rockler. Just follow this link to check it out.

The high quality craftsmanship found in these blades creates grooves with a smooth bottom and exacting cuts without rip out.

Although the Dado-King sets are a bit pricey, the quality and performance more then make up for the price. You get what you pay for here in my opinion.

Its hard to get through a project without needing to cut a dado. Granted there are several joinery options available, but a good quality dado set will be a blade you will use over and over.