How to Make Cabinet Dadoes

Make sure that your chisel is good and sharp.

When you're building a cabinet, one of the most common ways to ensure that the shelves stay in place is to carve out dadoes. A dado is basically a ridge carved into the wood -- a slot for your shelf to slide into. This helps to support the shelf, keeping it in place. To carve out a dado, you need only a few simple tools that you probably already have in your workshop. No expensive specialty saws or attachments are necessary for this project.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Clamps and vices
• Wood knife
• Hand saw
• Chisel
• Hammer
• Router plane

Instructions

1. Remove the walls of your cabinet that support the cabinet shelf. On the side of each one, mark the depth at which you want the dado. It doesn't have to be particularly deep -- a fourth inch is generally deep enough, but you can go deeper if you want. Make sure that the height of the dado is the same on each side of the cabinet.

2. On the side of the wood that faces the inside of the cabinet, mark a straight line across, using a pencil. Measure down by the thickness of the shelf, and mark another straight line across. These two lines mark the edges of the dado, which you will slide your shelf into later. This is why the gap between the two lines is equivalent to the thickness of the shelf.

3. Tightly clamp your wood to a work bench, using clamps and/or vices.

4. Use a wood knife to carve a groove along each of the lines you drew. This gives you a starting place for your saw to ensure an even cut. Place the blade of your wood saw in the carved-out trough, and saw through your wood until you reach the depth line you drew earlier. Repeat this along the other line so that you have two parallel lines cut in the wood to the depth line.

5. Place a sharp chisel against the side of the wood, and rap it with a hammer. Chisel out the wood piece by piece -- don't start by trying to chisel from the depth line. Work your way down. Otherwise, you could damage your piece, ruining the dado and your cabinet.

6. Once you have almost reached the depth line, stop chiseling, and set a router plane on top of your piece of wood. Set the depth of the router plane to just short of the depth line, and begin passing it over your carved-out dado. Continue until you have a smooth finish at the depth line.

7. Repeat this process for your other piece of wood. Reconstruct the cabinet and slide your shelf into the dadoes.