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Finishing before cutting dadoes?

Still planning for some shelf units. I built a simple jig for routing out the dadoes. I cheated a bit, leaving out the adjustability for now, but I'm quite pleased with the results. The test dadoes are nice and snug and the process is very quick.

The scrap ply that I used to test the jig happened to be finished; I guess it was a shelf for an older project. I was impressed by how cleanly the router cut the dadoes. It has me wondering if there would be any problem with prefinishing the uprights and routing the dadoes afterward. I had already planned to prefinish the pieces before assembly, but this would eliminate the need to mask (or otherwise avoid) the insides of the dadoes during the finishing process.

Reply to
Greg Guarino
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You can prefinish before cutting the dado's but there is a chance that you will scratch the finish and if the edge need to be sanded at all you have to refinish. I would suggest finishing prior to assembly but not before completing all cuts.

Reply to
Leon

NP, why would there be?

Reply to
dadiOH

I try not to assume that I - by sheer force of intellect - can predict what will happen better than other (more experienced) people can

*remember* what *did* happen. While it's nice to learn from your own mistakes, it's cheaper to learn from someone else's.
Reply to
Greg Guarino

It varies with the project and finish. if you're going to pre-finish, it makes sense to do it to the point that you try to only do each step once.

Reply to
Swingman

I figure that if I choose to prefinish the shelves as well, I'll need to mask the parts that fit into the dadoes. Glue wouldn't stick otherwise, would it?

Reply to
Greg Guarino

No ...

Reply to
Swingman
[about routing dadoes on finished wood]

If 'finish' is wax or oil or varnish or lacquer, probably it's fine.

If 'finish' is shellac, heating at the cutting edge can cause it to melt, adhere to the router. And if it's paint, there are some pigments that can abrade a steel router bit (but probably OK on carbide).

So, it's not the wood I'd look at, but the router bit, for gunk or wear.

Reply to
whit3rd

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