I recently built some floor cabinets and ran into a bit of a hiccup. I cut dados a few inches up on the side panels for the bottom panel to fit into, but I accidentally made the depth of the dados 1/16th inch too shallow. This causes the bottom shelf to stick out. I've already disassembled the dado blade setup and moved my fence, but I remember the shims I used. I'm considering a couple of options: either deepen the dado by placing the back panel onto the dado blade and adjusting the fence, or I could just trim 1/16th off the bottom panel instead. What would be the best approach?
4 Answers
If you don’t have a router plane yet, I wouldn’t rush out to buy one just for this. It's great for cleaning up joinery like dados but maybe not worth it for one fix.
Resetting the dado blade is doable, but getting it perfect can be tricky. A little inconsistency might not matter much since it's the bottom panel. If you’re into hand tools, a router plane could deepen the dado neatly. Just score the edges first so the cuts clean up nicely. Another option is to use a panel cutting sled if you have one to trim down that 1/16 inch from the bottom panel; it could work well for you if you’re careful!
One option you might try is using a pattern-following bit in your router. The bearing on the bit will follow the sides of the existing dado, letting you cut down a little deeper easily. It's a pretty clean solution if you have the tool!
Honestly, I say just trim off 1/16th from your bottom panel. If all your dados are the same depth, it's likely the bottom panel was made slightly too large. It's a simple and effective fix!
You from across the pond? Only ever heard Brits use the 'Bob's your uncle' line lol.