Cutting dadoes and rabbets..........

[Roy Wall]

Silly question, but I must gain basic knowledge......

Can you use a backsaw (tenon) to score the edges of a dado (or one side of the rabbet) and then use a shoulder plane to clean out to depth?

Use 2x to hold the saw "square" as I'm cutting to desired depth?

IS this procedure acceptable in place of buying a rabbet/dado plane?

Thanks all!!

[Steve Kubien]

If it works then sure it is acceptable. I've done so in the past. My real concern about this that you are finding ways to complete tasks without increasing the size of your tool arsenal. :confused: I am not familiar with this methodology or if it should be encouraged. :rolleyes:

Best regards,
Steve Kubien

[Pam Niedermayer]

This procedure can work if the dados/rebates aren't stopped. If they are, you'll need to start the cut in the middle (roughly, I don't mean precise middle) of the dado. There are special Japanese saws that do this, called Azebiki.

You can also cut the sides with chisels, then route with a router plane (Stanley 71, 271, or Old Widow's Tooth) or shoulder. In the case of the shoulder, make sure the blade is adjusted to just meet the side of the plane, not exceed.

Pam

[Dave Anderson NH]

It's a very common method Roy. A couple of things will make it easier though. First line up a straightedge and score both sides of the dado with a marking knife or utility knife. This will prevent the grain tearing on the surface when you use the saw and result in a cleaner cut. To guide the saw you can clamp a piece of wood along the edge where you intend to cut and this will act as a guide and prevent one of those careless moments where the saw jumps out of the cut and wanders. You can use a rabbet plane to clean out the saw cuts to depth, but a faster method is rough chiseling and then cleaning the bottom with the rabbet plane. FYI, often people confuse a shoulder plane with a rabbet plane. Neither is the optimum tool for cleaning out a dado and often both are too wide to fit in a dado. Usually dados are cleaned out with a plow plane. Remember, a true dado is a cross grained "groove" somewhere in the middle of a board. A rabbet is a step on the edge of a board which can go either with or across the grain. Finally there is a true groove which is in the middle of a board and runs with the grain.

[Roy Wall]

Ahh............the straightedge and knife!!! Finally a use for the straightedge other than checking the sole of a plane:p

Now its coming together - and why we need all these silly tools :)

I'm lovin it!!!!

Now, if I may digress a step further, how does one use a "plow plane" to cut a dado (or 'sliding dovetail')??

Steve K - I love the humor.........I do wish to obtain more tools for sure. This stuff is additive - but I'll stay within reason:)

[Manny Hernandez]

Roy,
In addition to what Dave said above, I find that sawing kerfs in the waste, just prior to chiseling, makes removing the waste a bit easier.

[Jerry Palmer]

I just today joined up here and thought maybe this post (though a couple weeks old) might be a way to introduce myself to the folks here, though I do recognize some names from other forums I visit.

A stair saw makes an excellent tool for cutting the edges of dados, grooves, and rabbets. It even works passably for stopped joints. I've seen a few stair saws on e-bay, and have seen a couple other home made jobs that looked rather nice. I finally got sucked into making one acouple months ago after seeing one made by a fellow at one of the other forums. I discovered with mine, that it seems to work a bit better (for me anyway) to mount the blade in "pull" mode rather than pushing. I also filed the teeth rip as the initial stuff I planned on doing with it were with the grain.

Anyway, here's a pic of my groove/dado/rabbet set-up.

http://home.austin.rr.com/sawduster/Handsaws/My%20Stairsaw%202.JPG

While the router plane does a very nice job of finishing out the bottoms, it is a bit slow at roughing, so I've more recently turned my neandering toward obtaining more chisels. They work much quicker at roughing, then I can go after the fine cleanup with the router plane.

[Tim Sproul]

I've got to ask....as I've not plowed any dadoes, grooves or rabbets by hand....why the seeming preference to use saw and chisel over dado/rabbet/plow planes?

I would think a dado plane set against a fence would be a faster set up than saw, chisel the waste and clean up with a plane ...Perhaps faster stock removal depending on the wood and your chisel skills as well? I think I watched Mario Rodriguez plow out a 6 to 10 inch long 1/2 x 1/2 (I'm guessing at the size) dado in a matter of seconds.

Just asking since I'm thinking about getting some dado planes.... : )

[Jerry Palmer]

While I do have a #78 Rabbet Plane, my #45 is my only "dado" plane and the set-up time for that can be consuming, not to mention I am still in the progress of sharpening the cutters for it one at a time as I need a particular one. :D And the 45 is not known for its performance in other than fairly straight grained workpieces.

With softer hardwoods, I'll reach for the 78 for rebates, but I find a saw and chisels works a bit faster in harder stuff like white oak. I don't find that my 78 is much of a wood hog, especially with harder woods.

The stair saw is also excellent at stopped grooves, dados and rabbets. I can install the blade in the saw to cut on the pull stroke and dig the end of the blade in at the stopped end and pull the saw to get the cut started and to deepen it as I go.

The only pain is extending the blade to run along a board clamped to the workpiece to get the kerf started, thenremoving the guide and retracting the blade into the handle to set the depth. The kerf in the handle is a snug fit on the blade. Gage sticks of different thicknesses for common groove/rebate/dado depths help immensely in setting the depth of the saw.

And besides, the newness of the experience of using the stair saw has not worn off and it is still a joy to use.;)