Dado stack setup jig I made for $3 that changed my workflow

I was always a skeptic about those homemade setup bars for dado stacks. Figured I'd just measure and eyeball it like I been doing for 20 years. But last month I had to cut 12 identical dadoes for a bookshelf job in Arlington and kept getting slight width variations. Got frustrated enough that I grabbed a scrap of 3/4 plywood and cut a precise notch in it to match my dado stack width. Now I just slide that little jig against the fence to check spacing before every cut. Four bucks in materials and it saves me from wrecking good hardwood. Anyone else got a simple shop trick they avoided for too long before trying?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer_west9d ago

Man I felt that "always a skeptic" line haha. I fought using a speed square for dadoes for years cuz I thought it was just for roofers. Now I won't even start a cut without checking with it first.

blaked798d ago

Nah, speed squares are legit for way more than rafters. But gotta say, a speed square's actually kinda rough for dadoes since it's not designed to ride along the edge of a workpiece for those cuts. A combo square or a dedicated dado jig would give you way better repeatability. Plus the speed square's lip can throw off your angle if you're not clamping it down perfect. Not knocking the tool, just saying it's a square, not a guide for stopped cuts. Still use mine for quick 45s and 90s on framing all the time though.