Dado in a concave drawer front

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I am building an end table that has a convex drawer front and a resultant concave interior edge. I am looking for a safe way to put a dado in the concave inner surface to attach the drawer bottom.

This drawer has no sides, merely a front and bottom which will have 2 circular recesses for silicon coasters and a rectangular recess to hold remotes.

I have a rabbeting bit with a bearing that I can use to make the dado.

Any other ideas, suggestions or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[Bill McNiel]

I would use a slotting bit with bearing in a router. Actually, it is pretty easy.

[Carl Beckett]

I have done a couple like this where I just let the router ride on each edge of the base, and simply adjust the bit for the depth needed. In this case the smaller the router base the better (trim router is great for it or add a spacer that has a small footprint) Just take care when coming off the ends..If it is a shallow curve, it guides essentially the same as a flat piece. (Since the depth does not have to be the same all the way across)

[Mick Simon]

Here's how I do it. I make a convex curve to match the radius of the piece you're putting the dado into. Using a slotting cutter, I tack it to a scrap piece with a cutout and move it push it through to the depth needed.

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[Bill Dufour]

Unless you care about it showing on the side when the drawer is pulled out I would do it with a groover on the shaper. You could use some scrap wood to plug the open slot outside the drawer bottom if desired. If it has to be a stopped groove I suppose you could use a router bit in the shaper with some stop lines.
Bill D

[johnny means]

I do things like that on the router table with an infeed fence, but no outfeed fence. The indfeed serves as a starter pin of sort.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Here's how I do it. I make a convex curve to match the radius of the piece you're putting the dado into. Using a slotting cutter, I tack it to a scrap piece with a cutout and move it push it through to the depth needed.

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Mick, I truly like your idea and plan on copying it!

Thanks everyone for the ideas!

[Jim Becker]

I would use a slotting bit with bearing in a router. Actually, it is pretty easy.

Bingo!!!!!!!!

[Bill Dufour]

Or just bend a small square strip of wood and glue and nail it near the bottom for the drawer bottom to rest on. No real need to trap the bottom from the top as well but you could. If you do the top piece I would round over one corner before gluing or bending.
Bill D