Dado Cuts w/o Dado Blade

[Buck Turgidson]

I have a 10-year old B & D table saw. It appears that the arbor is too short to add a dado blade. I don't really have the space or budget for a new saw now.

I'd like to build some bookshelves, and make dados in the side rails for the shelves. I just finished making a bookshelf where I cut the dados with a backsaw and straight-edge clamped to the work. It worked well, but getting uniform depth on the cuts was difficult.

Looking for suggestions on how to cut accurate dados with a dado blade. For the dados close to the end of the work, I was thinking I could clamp

2 shelf-size boards to the fence before the blade, and use the miter to cut. Then remove one of the boards and cut again.

Is there a better way?

[Buck Turgidson]

This should read:

Looking for suggestions on how to cut accurate dados _without_ a dado blade.

[Jim Bailey]

Don't forget the kerf ! Been there...

Jim Bailey

[Duane Bozarth]

Router is one way.

Certainly possible to do it just like w/ a dado set and "nibble" the center out although slower and need more cleanup.

I guess before specific recommendation, what's the material, what size is it and what size dado? Also, what do you have for tools other than not having a dado set?

[Wes Stewart]

He needs a kerf-sized spacer to replace the shelf.

[Buck Turgidson]

It is oak, and the shelves are 1 by. Yes, I do have a router and have considered that. Not sure how easy it would be to plow through oak, though.

[David]

What do you mean, "not sure how easy it would be to plow through oak"?? Is your router underpowered, and your bits are worn out from milling a few too many feet of Ipe? :)

Dave

Buck Turgids>>I guess before specific recommendation, what's the material, what size

[Pat Barber]

With a fresh straight cutting bit, no problem at all. The router is your friend making dado joints.

F>

[Bill Waller]

Been there, done that. Not too difficult.

Use a good quality carbide tipped cutter and make several shallow cuts. I made a frame that the router slides in and snugs up along the outside of the plank(s). When doing shelves, I like to do the two sides at the same time to ensure that the shelves are spaced dead on ____________________ Bill Waller New Eagle, PA

[e-mail]

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Router. Check Pat Warner's site for some information on how to make a nifty jig for accuracy, IIRC there is a video but it may have been on another site.

You can nibble away with a regular blade. Instead of one pass with a dado blade, you make 8 or 10 passes with the regular blade. Not as neat though. Be sure you have stops set too.

Plane. Works for neanders

[Andy Dingley]

IMHO, nibble them on the table saw, rather than using a router. This may vary, depending on the stability and accuracy of your own kit.

You'll want a crosscut box that's nice and stable, then you just cut the two side cheeks of the dado. Remove the central waste by either nibbling at it, or with a rebate plane (a Stanley #92 is just the job) and maybe a router plane (#71) to shift the bulk. If it's not too tough a timber, then this short-grain stuff just flies out.

I wouldn't do it with a router. It's hard to get such neat straight edges, and there's a real risk of an accidental divot in at least one place. You also have to make the first cut on both sides of the bit, so one side is climb milling.

If you rout it, make a good guide jig to control the router.

Personally I'd also use a cutter about 2/3rd of the dado width, and I'd make one pass for each side. If you have the rigidity and the confidence, then do it in one pass.

A router is obviously preferable if it's a bigger piece of timber than you want to be sliding around on your saw's table.

[Jim]

A router can make good dados. Jim

[Guess who]

What model number? I've never seen one that wouldn't accommodate a dado.

1. Power Router and guide.
2. Depending on width [fixed/variable] a good clean molding set.
3. Nibble with repeated saw cuts.
4. Hand Router [the old-fashioned way.] Better than chiselling out backsaw cuts.

[Barry Parsons]

If you lived in the good old UK you would have no choice; all our saws have short arbours so that we can not use dado blades. Apparently our Health and Safety Executive believes we can't be trusted with them! Routers work great but better still with a jig; using guide bushes and different size blades you can get just about any width exactly. It still doesn't make me feel any less jealous when I see Norm Abram making a dado in abot a quarter the time it takes me! Barry Uk

[Andy Dingley]

Only the recent ones (mine has no trouble), and not the production-grade ones. Even Machine Mart will cheerfully sell you a dado head.

They don't like them, but that's not why we don't have short arbors. It's to do with the spin-down time regulations of PUWER 98 (Google this ng for details)

If you haven't already seen it, this is worth the read.

[dadiOH]

Depending on depth of dado, it is normal to do the cutting in multiple passes.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[dadiOH]

Other than a router, you could halve (or more) the passes with your saw by using two or more blades on it.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[mrcomp_ca]

No Guns, no knives, no pointy sticks and no dados. Something smells fishy!!

[lgb]

I just cut some grooves by cutting both sides with a normal saw blade and hogging out the middle with an old Stanley #70 (?) "router".

OK, I did it just for the fun of using the router plane, but it worked :-).

[AAvK]

That's exactly what I would've said... only I thought of a chisel to slam out the rest.