Cutting deep dados

[mjmwallace]

Building a workbench. Plans call for a dado (4 of them) to hold cross braces at the ends. The dado cut is to be

1 1/2 inches deep by 3 inches wide. My 6 inch dado with the adjustable dial (Freud) can only cut 1 inch deep or less.

Suggestions?

Thought of the following solutions but hope there might be others:

1) use regular sawblade and make the cuts (tedious as the dados have to be 3 inches wide), by going back and forth over the length of the cut.

2) use a router

3) use the Freud dado and use a router for the last 1/2 inch.

4) chop them out - saw and chisel - ala mortise/tenon.

5) buy a 8" dado set. Expensive for a good set. I'd like to see if there is a $50 solution first.

- How about it? Is there a good way of doing this?

MJ

[Gerald Ross]

What I have done in a similar situation is to use the table saw. An accurate cut on each side then multiple cuts in between approximately

1/4 to 1/3 inches apart. Break out the strips with a chisel then level the bottom with a chisel. Quick and cheap. Or quick and dirty.

[Leon]

Is this going to be a 2x4 work bench?

[Larry W]

Only 4 dadoes? Even if they're 3 inches wide, if the workpiece is of a size that can be more or less easily manipulated on a tablesaw, you can cut them all out with regular blade in less time than it takes to set up a router.

[Larry Jaques]

If he only goes 1" on the dadoes, it's going to have a catastrophic failure the very first time he builds a battleship on it.

-- One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love. -- Sophocles

[Puckdropper]

" [e-mail]" wrote in news:d4a62711-075e- [e-mail]:

*snip*

How about doubling that budget? A decent stack dado set runs around $100.

Another option is to cut both pieces instead of just one. (Notch the support and the leg.)

Puckdropper

[k-nuttle]

I built a workbench out of 2X4. It has a piece of 2' X 4' plywood for the top, dado into a 2 X 4 half lapped frame.

Where I was concerned about strenght, I cut the 1/2" dados into both pieced of the 2X4 joint. This gave me an inch overlap for the joint. For reference it is on wheels and is the exact height of my table saw, so it can be used as an outfeed for the saw.

I glued and screwed all joints.

I made the it about 15 years old, and still as stable as the day I finished it.

One other thing, I varished it, instead of painting as my brothers thought I should do. It has darkened in that time but looks as good as it did when I finished it.

One other thing, I used good hard rubbe wheels. But over the years, they have developed flat spots. from the tools that I keep on the two shelves, and the end cabinets. If I was to re wheel or build an new bench, I would use steel wheels or ones with minimum rubber tire on steel.

[Lew Hodgett]

RE: Subject

Hog out the majority of the material with 6 TPI, saber saw then clean up dado with a 10", 24T, flat top, rip blade.

Lew

[Robatoy]

A 1" dado will be enough anyway. Forget about the 1/2 frikkin' inch. Make the piece that is to go into it a half (1/2") shorter fur cryinoutloudalready.

[RicodJour]

Depending on the dimensions of the cross braces, cut them down the extra half inch. That will give the cross brace a shoulder.

R

[dadiOH]

You just have to make things simple, don't you? :)

[MJ]

I tend to be AR (anal retentive) on plans, but your suggestion is the best one. I can do a quick mockup and try this out.

Thanks,

MJ

[Twayne]

Agreed: Even if it required making a sled with holders to slide it thru the table saw. Sleds are extremely handy and with the right configuation, almost a turn-key solution. Only one caveat: It's best of the saw table has T-slots.

[Twayne]

Possibly: Make it two pieces. Glue & screw once you route the dado into each piece.