A dado is a rectangular channel used in woodworking joints. A dado blade on a table saw can cut grooves to the required depth and width for the joint. Different types of dado blades create different joints, with chipper or stacked nut blades leaving flatter bottoms than swing-style blades. Woodworkers may also use a router or hand tools to create dado cuts.
A die is like a rectangular channel cut into one board to receive the end of another. Woodworkers use different methods to achieve this type of cut, but a common choice is to use a dado blade. The dado blade attaches to a table saw to cut a groove in the material to the required depth and width for the joint.
For a successful dado joint, it is important that the size of the channel is such that the material fits snugly within it. The sides of the nut joint are called shoulders. The best joints have straight, even shoulders and flat bottoms.
While the nut is a joint itself, the blade can also create other types of joints. Lap joints and butt joints are simple variations for which a dado blade can be used. With a little more skill and patience, even more complex joints can be created, such as mortise and tenon and box joints.
One type of dado blade is a swing-style blade. The teeth of the blade cut side to side in an oscillating motion to the width determined by a dial setting. While this type of dado blade is usually less expensive, it can present challenges for making a clean dado cut on less substantial table saws. Due to the nature of its cut, it usually leaves the bottom of the nut slightly concave rather than flat, which is preferred.
Another common style used is a chipper or stacked nut blade. In this type, multiple blades along with chipper blades are placed together with shims or spacers between each blade. Adding and removing the number of chipper blades adjusts the width of a die cut. Cuts made with this type of dado blade usually leave a flatter bottom than swing-style blades.
Most dado saw blades require initial setup and adjustment. The required nut width and depth are calculated and the blades configured appropriately. Many different manufacturers offer dado blade styles, and blade tuning can vary between different table saws.
Woodworkers sometimes use a router to create a dado cut. Special bits, such as a plywood cutter, inserted into the router to cut a predetermined nut. These types of cuts tend to have specific dimensions and are less flexible with die width adjustment.
Of course, there were die cuts before there were power tools. In this method, the shoulders of a nut can be defined by a back saw, sometimes called a tenon saw, and then a chisel removes the material from the channel. Usually, a good deal of experience is required to use this method to make consistently accurate dado cuts.
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