How to Cut a Dado Groove

A good sharp blade is best for cutting a dado groove.

A standard in cabinet and furniture making, a dado typically refers to a cut across the grain of wood no deeper than half the thickness of the wood 1/4 inch or wider. These days, a dado is loosely referred to as any channel cut across or with the grain of wood. A dado groove, however, is usually a channel cut the length of a specified board along the edge of the board. The dado groove is used as a receiver of another piece of wood, glass or any number of materials that might be installed in the groove.

Things You'll Need

• Table saw with 1/8-inch combination blade
• 1 piece poplar 3 by 48 by 1 inches

Instructions

1. Place the tape measure alongside the blade vertically as you crank the handle on the saw to raise or lower the blade to 1/2 inch in height.

2. Loosen the fence on the saw and slide the fence over to exactly 3/8 inch from the cutting edge of the blade to the fence.

3. Stand the poplar board on the saw behind the blade on its edge, pressing the face of the board against the fence with the fingers of your left hand and with your thumb pressing the top edge down against the table.

4. Turn on the saw with your right hand. Reaching behind you with your right hand, grasp the board halfway down its length and begin pushing the board over the saw blade with your right hand as you steady it against the fence and hold it down with your left hand. Push it all the way through the saw until the board is free of the blade.

5. Spin the board around, so that the leading end is now the trailing end. Lay it back down on the saw on its edge and run it through the saw the same way as before, letting the blade cut alongside the first cut, widening the cut to 1/4 inch. The board now has a 1/4-by-1/2-inch dado groove.

Tips & Warnings

• The dado groove can be widened to 1/2 inch by sliding the fence toward the blade, measuring 1/4 inch from the cutting edge of the blade to the fence. Run the board through the saw again. Spin it and run again.

• Always wear safety glasses.

References

• Woodworking History: Definitions of Dado

Resources

• "A Woodworker's Guide to Joints"; Jim Kingshot;1998