Handcutting Dados
Sunday, October 15th 2023
Project
I haven't featured woodworking before on this blog. But I do enjoy doing some from time to time. I try to learn new techniques whenever possible. Sometimes taking on projects just so I can learn something new. Right now I'm working on building a display shelf for items found in a advent calendar. So I thought I would make a simple grid shelf design. The goal is to try and make everything by hand using only hand tools. Also to limit the use of mechanical fasteners. In order to do this, I needed to learn how to cut dados.
What are dados? A dado is a type of joint. You may have seen them before on bookcases to hold the shelves. It's this little groove that allows another piece of wood to fit into. They're not too hard to make. But making small dados can be challenging. I ended up finding a great video to help make this process easier. You can check it out below. The biggest advise I can give is take your time. Being in a hurry just makes mistakes happen faster. Below are the steps that work for me. These notes may be more useful for myself, but I thought I'd share them and the video I found helpful.
Steps
- Mark cut lines with a pencil.
- Using a knife, score the lines.
- Go back over the lines with a chisel.
- Chisel and bezel a saw guide on the top lines (inside out).
- Saw down to the side lines.
- Check both sets of side lines.
- Remove a layer of material a time with a chisel.
- Clean and clear material until proper fit.
Categories: Woodworking
Tags: youtube