Thread: Cutting Dadoes by Hand

Originally Posted by msiemsen

I cut dadoes by hand with a dado plane. Nail a stick on for a guide and plane your slot. It has cross grain nickers and a depth stop. Mike

At the risk of sounding like an agency for the sale of Terry Gordon's planes, I will just mention that he has recently introduced his new range of dado planes.

There is a very good demo of Mike's method right
here:

USING A DADO PLANE

These pictures are from terry's website:

Originally Posted by Scribbly Gum

...... Theoretically, a rip saw should work best on tenon cheeks. Just like dovetails the cut is made down the grain. However, even though it cuts slower, my S&J works just fine on the tenon cheeks.
It is filed X-cut and has about 12 TPI from memory......

SG, as someone else said, what works for you......

A crosscut can cut long grain pretty well, depending on a few variables, just not as well as a rip that is sharp & well-set & has an apppropriate number of tpi for the width being sawn. I've demonsttrated to myself a few times that there can be virtually no difference in speed of cut for the same tpi in some cases. In general, though, my habit is to add a little more set on a crosscut, because the fibre ends cause more friction, and so you need a wider kerf to keep the blade 'free' (especially in softwoods). But on long-grain cuts this extra set makes it a little more 'wobbly' so it isn't as easy to cut to the line, & as a result, the cheeks may end up a bit (or a lot!) rougher, when I'm too lazy or impatient to switch saws. Not a big deal if you usually trim to fit with chisel or plane, but it may be, if you want a good fit off the saw (which an old cabinetmaker I knew used to insist on).

I know what you mean about using saws that you are well accustomed to, I certainly have a few favourites that I will often use even when a different saw might be more suited to the job. I guess there is only one way to become familiar with a saw, though......

Cheers,

Originally Posted by Scribbly Gum

To paraphrase the Bard
What's in a name. That which we call a housing. By any other name would fit as sweet.
SG

maybe true and is diplomatic, but somewhat of a shame (if not inevitable) that our local languish or traditions are eroded. of course due to the internet and TV and our lower numbers and smaller presence in those media. i always called them (as did everyone else i knew) housing joints, still called them housing joints even when i had to buy Dado bits or blades to do them with, heck, i thought dado was just the strange name for the expensive blade lol, so i used a dado blade to make housing joints . sheeze i hope we dont start calling rebate's , rabbets its like scraping finger nails across the blackboard to me, i always figured the yanks called em 'rabbets' because one day they heard someone from the Britton speak with a heavy accent and never understood what he said properly, it probably sounded like rabbits so they called em rabbets

cheers
chippy

Originally Posted by IanW

SG, as someone else said, what works for you......

A crosscut can cut long grain pretty well, depending on a few variables, just not as well as a rip that is sharp & well-set & has an apppropriate number of tpi for the width being sawn. I've demonsttrated to myself a few times that there can be virtually no difference in speed of cut for the same tpi in some cases. In general, though, my habit is to add a little more set on a crosscut, because the fibre ends cause more friction, and so you need a wider kerf to keep the blade 'free' (especially in softwoods). But on long-grain cuts this extra set makes it a little more 'wobbly' so it isn't as easy to cut to the line, & as a result, the cheeks may end up a bit (or a lot!) rougher, when I'm too lazy or impatient to switch saws. Not a big deal if you usually trim to fit with chisel or plane, but it may be, if you want a good fit off the saw (which an old cabinetmaker I knew used to insist on).

I know what you mean about using saws that you are well accustomed to, I certainly have a few favourites that I will often use even when a different saw might be more suited to the job. I guess there is only one way to become familiar with a saw, though......

Cheers,

or, use no set at all

its not for everyone and the saws are practically extinct nowadays anyways, but i sometimes use an Acme 120 smooth cutting saw (has no set but a well tapered blade), just cut to the line (shoulders and cheeks) and done, very nice finish

to skin a cat eh!

cheers
chippy

Originally Posted by msiemsen

I cut dadoes by hand with a dado plane. Nail a stick on for a guide and plane your slot. It has cross grain nickers and a depth stop. Mike

I have some British old dado planes. They are cheap, fast and efficient. Only 1-2 min for cutting a net housing. I find, in this case, the different way simply better.


Ciao
Giuliano

Here's a piccie of the shelves fitted in their housings/dadoes.

More on the Cabinet's progress on my BLOG

Cheers
SG

For cutting a groove/housing, I take the last saw I used off the nail and start cutting. If that doesn't go well, I use one of the other saws hanging on the nail. That done, I knock the waste out with a chisel and then level the bottom with an OWT.

Not being a trained cabinetmaker, I don't know if that's the 'proper' procedure, but it gets the job done neatly and swiftly.

My better half was watching BH&G tonight and their chippie did a stepladder - circ saw for the cuts and one pass with the chisel. Wonder how much work they didn't show getting those joints flat before they showed him assembling it.