Extreme(?) crosscut dadoes

[RayV]

The one I use is more like this but the width is adjustable

[tom]

That's probably a large part of my fear, these "hundred-dollar-plus" sheets of cherry ply. I've been known to justify certain things for certain costs, and just these couple of cuts might justify a new big dado sled, even if only for the 3-4 cuts so far from the fence. Thank you for your input. Tom

[tom]

That's what I'm shooting for, accuracy to boot. Both sides of each piece have a good bottom edge from which to measure, and it's really only in the top carcass that I get so far away from the fence that it gets "scary". I'll wax the heck out of everything(again), and try some dry runs with the blade down. Thanks. Tom

[tom]

That is probably my safest option for the cuts, even if I really only needed it for about 4 cuts out of 14. With the cost of this ply, it'd be worth it. Thanks. Tom

[B A R R Y]

Don't forget that the sled doesn't need to be super wide, only deep enough for the parts. None of my sleds are wider than the cast iron top of my General 650, but I use counterweights and clamped blocks to stabilize the work and the sled.

With proper counterweights, I can dado six inches from the end of a

7'-8'long, 16" wide bookcase side without supporting the end that hangs off! This eliminates lots of issues with the moving work hitting or hanging up on supports. If the sled fits the miter slots well and the saw / sled contact points are waxed, the whole thing moves like a high-end sliding table.

My favorite counterweights are full one gallon finish cans and 10 lb. chromed (not black painted) gym weight plates. The chromed plates have smooth faces, don't leave black marks on the work, and are relatively inexpensive in big-box sporting goods stores, like Sports Authority or Dick's. The weight plates have all kinds of shop uses, but I normally keep 40-50 lbs. near the table saw. You can lay the plates right on the back of the work, making a really stable setup.

[Lew Hodgett]

As Swingman suggests, you can cut lower dadoes using bottom edge as reference, then switch and use top edge for the upper dadoes.

As long as you cut the dadoes in matched pairs, NBD since any errors get washed out.

Have fun.

Lew

[tom]

Well, the top edges were trimmed with my existing crosscut sled, and maybe they're "close enough for government work", but I know that over the 23+ inches across, they're out of square about a 16th or a little less. It's possible that I do worry too much (insert smiley-face here). Tom

[tom]

Success, with only one little problem. It was in one of the four dadoes I was worried about, but not one of the farthest. Perhaps I was getting complacent. FWIW, the problem area will be under one side of a shelf, just a few inches below my wife's eye level. Pics of the problem at

in the works in progress album. Thanks to all for letting me fret some! Next up, pattern routing the shelves(and here we go again). Tom

[Swingman]

Problem? You call that a problem? That's not a problem, this is a problem:

!!

... and why I make a couple extra of every part.

I wouldn't worry about it. It's a pretty easy fix once the shelf is installed ... and a craftsman is only as good as his fixes. ;)

[tom]

Well, I did say it was a little problem. That problem of yours, was that a blade height issue? Tom

[Lee Michaels]

Well, you wouldn't have those kinds of problems Mr. Dundee, if you would keep the crocs out of the shop. They apparently have been chewing on your parts there. You should kill the crocs and go back to making each part perfectly. ;-)

[Swingman]

The part was not secure enough in the jig and slipped as the router bit grabbed it on a climb cut.

[The Davenport's]

So tell me that Clem is NOT the problem and you didn't dado his tail!

Or is he your silkysmoother?

Mike