My old way of cutting stopped dados was a real pain

For years, I would cut the dado, then chisel out the stopped end square. It was slow and never looked perfect. About six months ago, I started using a simple router jig with a guide bushing and a block clamped to the workpiece. I plunge in at the start point, route to the stop block, and lift out. The corners are clean every single time. It probably saves me 15 minutes per cabinet side. Has anyone else found a better method for this specific cut?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie8041d ago

My first shop teacher showed us how to clamp a sacrificial block at the stop line and run the router right into it. That trick alone saved me from years of messy chisel work and gave me clean corners from the start. It's the kind of simple fix that makes you wonder why you ever did it the hard way.

martin.riley1d ago

Man, I was still using the chisel method last week. My stopped dados look like a beaver got to them.

kim.nina1d ago

My uncle built his whole house with just a chisel and a hand saw. The cabinets are still standing thirty years later. A little tear-out on a stopped dado isn't going to make the joint fail. Most of it gets hidden by the other piece of wood anyway. We get too hung up on perfect looking cuts.