Is there a single tool that will cut a groove?

[Frederick Skelly]

Good evening folks,
Ive bought a number of hand tools this year and Im in a pretty good place. That is, I have a basic set of hand tools that are CAPABLE of doing a lot more things than I have skills. Im happy with that because itll keep me busy learning new skills for some time to come. (I get bored unless Im learning stuff.) But Ive recently realized that Id ld like a relatively quick way to manually cut rabbets and dados; e.g., for small boxes and drawers. I realize that I can cut the sides with a handsaw, then chisel the waste, then smooth the bottom with my (NEW!) Router Plane. But by the time I do that, I probably could use my electric router.

Is there a single tool that will do the entire operation? I dont think a shoulder plane will do it - too much material to remove. Is a plow plane going to do it? Or do I need something else? ( I see the posts on building a grooving plane, but my attempt at building a router plane gave me a workable but not "good" result. So Ill wait to build one.)

Thanks very much!
Fred

[steven c newman]

Most any plow plane will do. Go all out and buy a Stanley #45. Record made one, too. There are a number of plow planes that can just make grooves. Right now, I can't afford one, soooo, I too, just plug in the corded router. Running out of bits though....

[Chris Griggs]

From your description it sounds like you want a single tool for dados (cross grain) not grooves (with grain). You want a dado plane. Contact Joshua Clark at hyperkitten.com. I bet he could dig you up one for a fair price.

[Frederick Skelly]

From your description it sounds like you want a single tool for dados (cross grain) not grooves (with grain). You want a dado plane. Contact Joshua Clark at hyperkitten.com. I bet he could dig you up one for a fair price.

Thanks Chris. I appreciate the lead. Ill drop him a note. Id like to be able to cut across the grain and with the grain. I just seem to run into cases where it takes longer to set up a router than I think it would take with the right hand tool.

[John Powers]

I don't know the answer but I do know that Stanley 45 probably isn't it. Think long and hard before buying a Stanley 45.

[Jim Koepke]

For me dados seem easier and less messy sawing, chisel and router. Though a finish with a router plane really isn't needed. The key to doing this quickly is being able to hold the work quickly through all the changes.

For grooves a plow plane is your best bet. If you will be doing stopped grooves a Stanley #45 can do the work but it is a bit tricky. For through grooves a #50 is nice for smaller work. Through grooves can be hidden by using half blind dovetails on drawer fronts and such.

If you want to use a router plane to cut grooves it is easiest with a fence and scoring the edges of the groove before starting. Advance the blade a little bit on successive passes as needed. If you are doing more than one piece set them up so you can work many pieces together to save time.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

I don't know the answer but I do know that Stanley 45 probably isn't it. Think long and hard before buying a Stanley 45.

The Stanley 45 isn't very good at dados. It is pretty good for rabbets/rebates and ploughing grooves. For cutting 1/4" grooves that are end to end on a piece I prefer a #50.

There are a lot of small plough planes available old and new that are a good addition to one's tool arsenal.

jtk

[Sean Hughto]

Grooves and dados are different as noted above. Grooves are quite easy and fun with a grooving plane like a Stanley 248 or a Record 043. User models can be had for reasonable prices.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3239/3097160830_2423421e86_z.jpg?zz=1

[Hilton Ralphs]

Fred, if you're trying to cut a dado at the end of a relatively narrow board you could just pretend it's a big tenon and cut one cheek and then the shoulder. For such a short depth your saw cute would probably be pretty accurate so not much need for clean-up.

[Jim Matthews]

I don't think you need another plane, rather - you need a proper saw with a guide (batten)

If you have a solid marking knife, or a fine kerf backsaw, you can score a line quite deeply anywhere you like on a board.

You already have a router plane - with a batten clamped on as a guide it would be straightforward to remove waste with one.
Our Man in Perth, Derek Cohen has a tutorial here (http://www.inthewoodshop.com/toolreviews/the%20veritas%20router%20plane.html) demonstrating the technique.
(Scroll down half way to get to cutting the dado.)

I highly recommend a browse of Derek's collection In The Woodshop - he's made seeing a process simple.
Bob Rozaieski's excellent podcast over at The Logan Cabinet Shoppe is invaluable to see similar techniques
in video form. The pace can be slow, so pay attention to the sound of what's happening in each step.