Dado

Dado Basics

When you need to make a cut that’s wider than a standard saw blade, a dado blade will do the same job for you in a single pass — where it would take several passes to do the job with an ordinary saw blade.

Just adjust you dado blade set to the width you want and go to work creating dadoes (cross-grain cuts) or grooves (with grain cuts) for dado joints, rabbet joints, lap joints, notched joints, tenons, shelf supports, etc.

There are Two Types of Dado Blades
Stacked Dadoes include two outer blades, plus a number of chippers that are stacked to create the desired cut width. Each blade usually makes a 1/8″ cut and chippers include 1/8″ and 1/16″ widths. Fine adjustments are made by inserting paper or plastic shims between blades and chippers.

Wobble Dadoes are comprised of a single blade between wedge-shaped washers. Cut widths are adjusted by twisting the washers in opposite directions (with the blade between them). This varies the degree of “wobble” in the blade, adjusting the cut width accordingly.

Note: Since the teeth of the stacked dado set are wider than their blade bodies, accurate width of cut dimensions can only be pre-determined by measuring assembled blade sets from outer teeth face to teeth face.

Click here for more information on dadoes from Shopsmith’s Power Tool Woodworking For Everyone online edition.

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