Found a trick for cutting dados without a router table

I was building a bookshelf last week and needed to cut a bunch of dados for the shelves. My router table's motor died on me halfway through. Got frustrated and tried using my table saw with a dado stack but my fence kept slipping. Ended up just clamping a straight board across the workpiece and running a hand saw down the lines, then cleaning it out with a chisel. Took a bit longer but the fit was tighter than anything I've gotten with a router. Anybody else ditch power tools for hand work on stuff like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly_nelson951mo agoMost Upvoted

Wow, my buddy tried the same thing and said the chisel work was weirdly satisfying!

gavina731mo ago

Wait, is that what happens with good chisels Kelly? It hits different when the tool just bites right in... you don't expect it to be fun but it is. Keeps you coming back to find that next perfect spot.