General Woodworking

[Sawdustr]

Good Morning Friends,

Setting up for a perfect half - lap starts with setting up the table saw with dado blades.

Then where do you go from there?

[Beaver Creek Woodworks]

Stock flat, square and true.  From there I take close measurements and use test pieces.  As a hobbyist I cut, test, cuss, cut, test and cuss some more.  Finally I get it dialed in just in time to realize I didn't cut enough stock.  I then repeat all above.

[RussBoyd]

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Beaver Creek Woodworks wrote:

Stock flat, square and true.  From there I take close measurements and use test pieces.  As a hobbyist I cut, test, cuss, cut, test and cuss some more.  Finally I get it dialed in just in time to realize I didn't cut enough stock.  I then repeat all above.

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I can relate to that.  I would set a block on my fence to use as a length guage, then cut the board using my mitre guage so as not to ride on the fence and possible bind.

[pinwheel in MO]

For me, a half lap doesn't start with a dado unless it's wider that my tablesaw blade will raise. I can be much more accurate making 2 cuts with the tablesaw & do it a lot faster.

[greybeard106]

I'm with Pinwheel.  It's either that or use my router and a half inch end mill.  come out perfect every time. ( Well after much measuring and trial and error)

Mike

[Sawdustr]

Good Morning All,

I don't know what happened but the picture did not appear except for a big red X in a box. Evidently it was too large however the answer can be found on page 38 in issue 191 entitled skill builder.

Personally I use my combination square and set the depth on it and place the handle over the highest tooth over the arbor an raise /lower till the bubble in the handle is lever and 9 out of 10 times it will be on the money.

OK, I just found that all pictures must not be over 333 kb so that takes care of that.