Determine the Ideal Depth for Any Dado Cut

Dadoes provide an excellent way to join cabinet sides to shelves, but in order for the joint to be strong the dado cut needs to be right. There are two common conventions for determining the depth of a dado cut, and we’ll explain them here.

Why a dado?

Dadoes are significantly stronger than a butt joint, thanks to way a dado completely houses the mating piece. Not only do you get a mechanical advantage between the two pieces, you also increase the glue area, a lot, making for a very strong joint that works great for cabinets, and boxes in general.

Tooling

The table saw, paired with a dado head, is one of the easiest ways to cut accurate dadoes. There are both 6” and 8” dado heads on the market.