Dado for wood drawers slide

[Dean Lapinel]

I would like to use a new approach for sawing the two sides of a dado before using the chisel and router plane. In the past I have scribed, clamped a wood block as an outside guide then used a crosscut saw. The edge always needs a lot of work afterward.

I would love recommendations for a better approach. I have heard of marking knives that create a better starting kerf and I should probably be using another saw type but any responses would be appreciated.

[Brian Holcombe]

Dean, I've kerfed them with a flush cut saw, but more recently I've been using an azebiki nokogiri to cut them.

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Dean,

What crosscut saw are you currently using? Not so much the brand as the tooth count and is it a back saw or a standard saw.

Also what are you using for a marking knife?

What many will do for cutting a dado is to knife the line as deep as is reasonable and then cut away some of the wood on the inside of the cut before starting in with the saw. This is often called a 'kerf wall.' This defines the top edges of the dado.

I like to use a chisel that is smaller than the dado width to clear the waste. This helps to avoid the sides of the chisel from lifting up the edges.

Many like to clear the waste by cutting from the center toward the edges making a 'hill' in the center this then makes removing the waste to depth a bit easier.

jtk

[Dean Lapinel]

Howdy Dean,

What crosscut saw are you currently using? Not so much the brand as the tooth count and is it a back saw or a standard saw.

Also what are you using for a marking knife?

jtk

I have tried 4.
Two small UK back saws with little set and about 14 TPI, one larger Backsaw (12") with a wider set as done by Tom Law years ago (still sharp) and the Vertas22 TPI crosscut gents saw.
Blue Spuce marking knife.
Dean

[Brian Holcombe]

Are these through or blind?

[Dean Lapinel]

Are these through or blind?

Blind in the front, through the back.
If it was through I would have considered my large mitre backsaw :)

[Curt Putnam]

Have you considered a dado plane? Start from the stopped end and then clean that up with chisel and router plane.

[Brian Holcombe]

Blind in the front, through the back.
If it was through I would have considered my large mitre backsaw :)

Here is the azebiki in action;


http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/039C74CC-1D5F-4FA1-9F37-425CAD3F85B4_zpsvhdfxmev.jpg

[Phil Mueller]

Brian, I've been intrigued by that saw since I saw a video of it in use. You mentioned on one of your posts, they were hard to get (I think). I've seen then on Japan Woodworker for around $40...I assume yours is something else? Anyway, are these from Japan Woodworker worth a try for what the OP is doing?
Thanks.
Phil

[Dean Lapinel]

Have you considered a dado plane? Start from the stopped end and then clean that up with chisel and router plane.

I tried a dado plane many years ago. It was an old plane but I had it finely tuned and sharp. We didn't get along. She kind of had a rough edge to her. I wish I had tried an HNT Gordon in the past. I've read great reviews on their ease of use.