Dado plane

[Mark Rainey]

Does anyone have success cutting dados without scoring the lines with a knife first? I know Derek recommends scoring first. I set up my Stanley 46 with nickers just beyond the blade. It was difficult because there is no adjustment to make the nickers wider, so I shimmed them with paper. When the skates are together, it measures 3/8 inches, and the blade is about 3/8 inches, so set up was pain to make sure the blade was just outside the skates on both sides. I think they are, but I do not have a micrometer. I should buy one.

[Flamone LaChaud]

When I do dados, I usually score first, saw second, and depending on depth - either a quick chisel to take out most of the waste, or router plane third, but router plane always bats cleanup. This way it doesn't matter the width of my dado - the process is still the same.

[Warren Mickley]

When we make grooves, the blade cuts the sidewalls and must be outside of the skates. With dados it is a very different situation: it is the nickers that form the side walls of the dado. The blade has to be inside the nickers so it does not interfere. It can also be slightly inside the skates if that is helpful. I do not use a knife to score dados that are to be cut with a dado or combination plane. That is what the nickers are for.

You don't need a measuring device to set up a plane for dados. You just need to be able to see the appropriate clearances. The first time I ever actually measured clearances on a dado was last week for dado schooling thread.

[steven c newman]

Or...just read the instructions that came with the Stanley No. 45.....no need to shim the spurs, skates are supporting the corners and edges of whatever width cutter you use....rub the skates with a plain candle...draw the plane backwards 3 to 5 times....then just cut the dado.

The only time I have a cutter wider than the skates, is for the match cutters to make a tongue, or when using the sash cutter....the wide filister cutter has the moving skate where it supports the cutter as in making a wide rebate, that isn't as wide as the cutter....nice to have both skates riding on the wood, too.

Stanley did make a dedicated dado plane...called the No. 39. You needed to buy the width of the plane, to match the width of the dados you wanted to make. I have the 3/8" width one.

No need to make cutting a dado any more complicated than it should be....I may post a blurb about how I set up and use the No. 45 to cut dados....really not all that hard to do, actually..

Found a few from the last time..
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Skates support the edges of the cutter...
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Spurs are way ahead of the cutter. "flat" of the spurs are to the outside....spurs have a counter sink design, and only face one direction. Flat face of the spur is in-line with the outside face of the skate.
405719
Depth stop and fence define where the dado will be....
Now, about that Match cutter..
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Spurs are rotated up out of the way. Cutter actually sticks out beyond the main stock ( cleaner cut) and the moving skate also sits inside of the edge of the cutter, as I want both skates to rest on the wood...
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Skates here are just under 3/4" apart.
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About the same idea, when setting up the sash cutter..
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YMMV

[Mark Rainey]

When we make grooves, the blade cuts the sidewalls and must be outside of the skates. With dados it is a very different situation: it is the nickers that form the side walls of the dado. The blade has to be inside the nickers so it does not interfere. It can also be slightly inside the skates if that is helpful. I do not use a knife to score dados that are to be cut with a dado or combination plane. That is what the nickers are for.

You don't need a measuring device to set up a plane for dados. You just need to be able to see the appropriate clearances. The first time I ever actually measured clearances on a dado was last week for dado schooling thread.
Thanks Warren. I think my 3/8 skewed blade on my 46 is the same width as my skates pushed together as tight as they will go. I will not worry about having to have the blade wider than the skates. It looks like the nickers line up close to the edge of the blade or right to the edge, and I read the other dado thread and was trying to get a little space ( perhaps 1/64 inch ) because the nickers or blade were ripping up my sidewalls. I will try again, but these dados just don't seem that easy.

[Mark Rainey]

Or...just read the instructions that came with the Stanley No. 45.....no need to shim the spurs, skates are supporting the corners and edges of whatever width cutter you use....rub the skates with a plain candle...draw the plane backwards 3 to 5 times....then just cut the dado.

The only time I have a cutter wider than the skates, is for the match cutters to make a tongue, or when using the sash cutter....the wide filister cutter has the moving skate where it supports the cutter as in making a wide rebate, that isn't as wide as the cutter....nice to have both skates riding on the wood, too.

Stanley did make a dedicated dado plane...called the No. 39. You needed to buy the width of the plane, to match the width of the dados you wanted to make. I have the 3/8" width one.

No need to make cut a dado any more complicated than it should be....I may post a blurb about how I set up and use the No. 45 to cut dados....really not all that hard to do, actually.. Thanks for the information Steve. I was getting significant tear out cross grain on cherry yesterday. It was frustrating. On your 45, can you adjust your nickers width wise? Or does it line exactly with the blade?

[steven c newman]

Trying to edit the post....but, spurs are not made to be shimmed on the No. 45. I also support the edges of the cutter with the skates...
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Note: Spur's flat is to the outside, "sharpened" face is to the inside. Bolt holding the spur is way to short to "shim", as the bolt's length is only to match the thickness of the skate...