Took me 15 years to realize my dado cuts were always off by a hair

I was in my shop in Nashville last Tuesday, fighting with a plywood shelf that just wouldn't seat right. Buddy of mine stopped by, watched me set up the dado stack, and goes 'you know you're measuring from the wrong side of the blade, right?' I'd been doing it wrong since I started out in 2008... never once thought to check my method. Has anyone else had that moment where a simple habit was screwing up your fits for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

xena37317d ago

Nashville's a good town for woodworking. But you're measuring from the wrong side of the blade? That's not really a habit issue. If you were measuring from the wrong side, your cuts would be off by the width of the kerf every time, not just a hair. Sounds more like your fence or your miter gauge is off by a tiny bit, or maybe your blade wobbles when it's running. I'd check the arbor nut for tightness and make sure your blade is flat on the arbor flange. Most dado stacks have shims to adjust for that precise fit, and it's real easy to lose one or put them back in wrong.

terryh2017d agoMost Upvoted

Check the arbor flange for crud. A tiny chip throws everything off.