How to Cut a Dado With a Table Saw
How to Cut a Dado With a Table Saw
Foolproof Dado and Rabbet Cuts
Updated: May 26, 2021
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What is a dado? And what is a rabbet? Dadoes, grooves and rabbets are the workhorses of cabinet and bookcase construction. They're used in woodworking projects to make stronger joints.
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Dadoes and grooves are flat-bottomed recesses that strengthen supporting shelves and connecting panels. A dado runs perpendicular to the grain of the forest while a groove runs parallel to the grain.
What is a Rabbet?
A rabbet is like a dado that'southward missing a side. It'due south substantially a notch cutting into the edge of a board or slice of plywood.
You can cut dadoes, grooves and rabbets in many different means. In this article, however, we're going to show you a simple, foolproof cutting method that requires simply a router, a pattern bit and 2 straight guides.
How a Pattern Bit Works
The chip nosotros're using is called a top-bearing pattern bit or superlative-bearing affluent-trim fleck. The bearing follows along the straight router guide as the cutters carve out the recess. Since the bearing and the cutters have the same bore, yous just line up the edge of the guide or pattern with the marks for the dado, groove or rabbet and run the router scrap forth the guide. Using two guides as nosotros evidence here allows you to cut an exact size dado for any wood thickness that's greater than the flake diameter. The router bit can't go off track either, since it'due south trapped between the guides.
Most home centers and hardware stores don't stock top-bearing pattern bits, just they're readily available online and at woodworking stores. The bits come in different diameters and lengths. Make sure to purchase a fleck that's narrower than the thickness of the spacers. We're using a one/2-in.-diameter bit with one-in.-long cutters (Freud No. l-102).
How to Cut Perfect Dadoes
Make Ii Straightedge Guides
The dado cut method we evidence hither requires 2 perfectly straight guides. You can make your guides any length you want, and whatever thickness is required for your router fleck. Since the bit we're using has relatively long cutters, we needed a 1-in.-thick guide to give the bearing something to ride against and the clearance necessary for the bit to accomplish the lesser of the dadoes.
To make guides similar those shown hither, cutting 4 half dozen-in.-wide by four-ft.-long strips of i/2-in.-thick plywood. Gum pairs together to make ii i-in.-thick strips. When the glue is dry, use a tabular array saw or round saw and straightedge to trim the guides and create one perfectly straight border. Draw an arrow toward the directly edge of each strip to remind you which edge you should apply for the guide.
When yous're done trimming the edges, check the straightness of the guides past placing them side by side to each other on your workbench, with the arrows facing, and press them together. The guides should fit tight with no gaps. If there is a gap, recut one or both pieces until they fit tightly together.
Mark the Location of the Dado
You only need to mark ane border of the dado. Then draw an "X" to indicate which side of the mark the dado goes on. A practiced tip is to brand three, not just two, marks across the workpiece. So when you line up your straightedge with the marks, if ane of the marks doesn't line upwards, y'all'll know you lot've made a layout fault.
Clench the Starting time Guide
The method we're using requires 2 guides, i for each side of the dado. This allows you to cut a perfect-width dado regardless of the thickness of the cloth. Line upwards the guide with the marks and clamp it securely. Be careful to position the clamps where they won't interfere with the router base equally you lot're cut the dado.
Add together Spacers
When yous're cutting out the parts for your cabinet or bookcase, save a few scraps of the material. Then use those scraps every bit spacers. This ensures that the thickness of the material you're using volition match the dado widths perfectly.
Clamp the Second Guide
Press the second guide against the spacer blocks and clamp information technology. Again, brand sure the clamps won't interfere with the router base. Remove the spacers and you're ready to cut the dado.
Rout the Outset Side of the Dado
Since the dado we're cutting is a little less than 3/four in. wide, and we're using a 1/2-in. fleck, it will have two passes, one along each router guide, to consummate the dado. First adapt the router depth. This will exist the thickness of the guides plus the desired depth of your dado. We set the router to cut a i/four-in.-deep dado. If you're positioned every bit shown in this photo, start at the left side and move the router left to right, keeping the guide bearing pressed confronting the guide farthest from you. The rule of thumb is to rout within cuts similar this in a clockwise direction.
Finish up with a Second Laissez passer
Complete the dado by moving the router right to left, keeping the guide bearing in contact with the guide closest to you. Earlier you remove the clamps and guides, inspect the dado to make sure both edges are straight and shine. If y'all notice whatever imperfections, run the router over that area once more. That's all it takes to cutting a perfect dado.
See also, Router Basics.
How to Cut Perfect Rabbets
Position the Guide
There's more than one way to cut a rabbet, including buying a special rabbeting bit. Merely since y'all already take the guide and a blueprint bit, why not use them to cut rabbets, also? Here nosotros're cutting a 1/4-in. x one/iv-in. rabbet in the back of a cabinet side to take the 1/4-in. plywood back. Use a scrap of the same plywood to set the position of the guide, and so clamp the guide into identify.
Rout the Rabbet
Starting at the left finish, run the router left to correct forth the guide to cutting the rabbet. You can use this aforementioned technique to cutting wider rabbets like the one forth the top edge of the cabinet (come across first photograph), merely you'll take to make one laissez passer along the guide, and so clean upwards the remaining wood using the router freehand. That just means holding the bearing a tad away from the straightedge to remove the remainder of the wood. Exist sure to keep the router base tight to the guide at all times.
This video shows an alternative way to cutting a rabbet.
Originally Published: August sixteen, 2017
How to Cut a Dado With a Table Saw
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