the waste side of the line. Start the saw and bring
and make the shoulder cut. Then, reverse the piece
the piece into light contact with it. Then stop the
end for end and repeat the procedure to make the
saw. Look at the stock to make sure the cut will be
opposite shoulder cut. Take out the remaining
on the waste side of the line. Adjust the fence if
waste between the shoulder cuts by making as many
recuts as necessary.
necessary.
When the fence position is exact, make the cut.
Grooved Joints
Reverse the piece and proceed to set and test as
before for the cut on the opposite side of the
A groove is a three-sided recess running with
groove. Make as many cuts as necessary to remove
the grain. A similar recess running across the grain
the waste stock between the side kerfs.
is a dado. A groove or dado that does not extend
all the way across the piece is a stopped groove or
Grooving with the dado head is the same as
a stopped dado. A stopped dado is also known as
dadoing, with one exception. The dado head builds
a gain (refer to fig. 3-15).
up to take out all or most of the waste in a single
A two-sided recess running along an edge is a
cut. The two outside cutters alone will cut a groove
rabbet (refer to fig. 3-16). Dadoes, gains, and
1/4 inch wide. Inside cutters vary in thickness from
rabbets are not actually grooves, but the joints are
1/16 to 1/4 inch.
called grooved joints.
The circular saw can cut a stopped groove or
stopped dado. You can use either a saw blade or a
Grooves on edges and grooves on faces of
narrow stock can be cut by hand with the plow
dado head as follows: Clamp a stop block to the
plane. The matching plane will cut a groove on the
rear of the table if the groove or dado stops at only
edge of one piece. It also cuts a tongue to match it
one end. (This will stop the piece from feeding
on the edge of another. You can cut a dado by
when the saw has reached the place where the
hand with the backsaw and chisel. Use the same
groove or dado is supposed to stop.) If the groove
method used to cut a cross half-lap joint by hand.
or dado stops at both ends, clamp a stop block to
Saw rabbets on short ends or edges by hand with
the rear of the table and a starting block to the
the backsaw.
front. Place the starting block so the saw will
contact the place where the groove is supposed to
Cut a long rabbet by hand with the
start when the infeed end of the piece is against the
rabbet-and-fillister plane by using the following
block. Start the cut by holding the piece above the
procedure: First, be sure that the side of the plane
saw. Place the infeed end against the starting block
iron is exactly in line with the machined side of the
and the edge against the fence. Lower the piece
plane. Then, set the width and depth gauges to the
gently onto the saw blade. When the piece contacts
desired width and depth of the rabbet.
the tabletop, feed it through to the stop block.
NOTE: Be sure to measure the depth from the
When you are cutting a rabbet, the cut into the
edge of the plane iron, not from the sole of the
face of the piece is the shoulder cut. The cut into
plane. If you measure from the sole of the plane,
the edge or end is the cheek cut. Make the
the rabbet will be too deep by the amount that the
shoulder cut first. Set the saw to extend above the
edge of the iron extends below the sole of the plane.
table a distance equal to the desired depth of the
shoulder. Set the fence a distance away from the
saw equal to the desired depth of the cheek. Be
Next, clamp the piece in the vise. Hold the
plane perpendicular, press the width gauge against
sure to measure this distance from a sawtooth set to
the face of the board, and plane down with even,
the left of, or away from, the ripping fence. If you
careful strokes. Continue until the depth gauge
measure it from a tooth set to the right of, or
prevents any further planing.
toward, the fence, the cheek will be too deep.
Cut a groove or dado on the circular saw as
Place the face of the piece that was down for
follows: Lay out the groove on the end of the
the shoulder cut against the fence and make the
wood. For a dado, lay out the edge. Set the saw to
cheek cut. Make the cheek cut with the saw at the
the depth of the groove above the table. Set the
same height as for the shoulder cut if the depth of
fence so the saw will cause the first cut to run on
the shoulder and the depth of the cheek are the
3-21