Best way to cut a dado?

[john davey]

Ok, as I progress playing with the neanderthal way or working wood it seems dados and grooves are still a mystery to me. I have a #78 rabbet plane and am able to use it as well as a shoulder plane to clean the rabbet. I understand a plough will do grooves with the grain and am in search of one. I also have a 71 1/2 router plane and have played with saw kerfs to chisels to the 71 1/2 for dados. I know this method works but not for me at this point. It seems that Lee valley and Lie-nielsen make rabbet and ploughs but I don't see anyone making a dado anymore. Is this the case or am I just missing something? My understanding is a dado would have a nicker and a skewed blade as it is cross grain. I do see a bunch of old wood dado planes on eBay but really don't know enough about them yet. I don't need new and know Stanley has the 39's (and I am sure some combo plane) that do dado's. I guess I was wondering what options for dado's are out there and how do you do them. And also a second question about anyone still making dado planes? Thanks, John...

[Mark Baldwin III]

I asked the same question and got some good advice. Here's a link to that thread:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?151786-Dado-cutting&highlight=

[Robert Rozaieski]

Ok, as I progress playing with the neanderthal way or working wood it seems dados and grooves are still a mystery to me. I have a #78 rabbet plane and am able to use it as well as a shoulder plane to clean the rabbet. I understand a plough will do grooves with the grain and am in search of one. I also have a 71 1/2 router plane and have played with saw kerfs to chisels to the 71 1/2 for dados. I know this method works but not for me at this point. It seems that Lee valley and Lie-nielsen make rabbet and ploughs but I don't see anyone making a dado anymore. Is this the case or am I just missing something? My understanding is a dado would have a nicker and a skewed blade as it is cross grain. I do see a bunch of old wood dado planes on eBay but really don't know enough about them yet. I don't need new and know Stanley has the 39's (and I am sure some combo plane) that do dado's. I guess I was wondering what options for dado's are out there and how do you do them. And also a second question about anyone still making dado planes? Thanks, John...

The only one making them new that I know of is Old Street Tools (formerly Clark & Williams). Other than that, you're looking at the old tools market. I just did a podcast on using plow, rabbet and dado planes you might find of interest. I touch on some little tricks that have helped me. They may not all be the "correct" way to do it (or maybe they are, who knows), but they're things that have helped me get the most out of them. If you are interested, you can watch it here:
Plow, rabbet & Dado Planes (http://www.logancabinetshoppe.com/1/post/2011/02/episode-32-entertainment-center-case-joinery.html)