# good looking empty dados



## treesner (Oct 5, 2015)

Hey guys i'm trying to do a cabinetry project with lots of dados for optional/moveable shelves. Is there any way to make the dados look a little bit nicer?

I was thinking maybe routing the inner edge of the cabinet so the ends of the open dados are rounded over or mitered. This would mean my shelves would not go all the way to the edge but meet at the inside of the routed edge but may look nicer.

Also considered having some wood inserts to go in all the empty dados, maybe they latch in with magnets or something


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

Not sure what you're trying to do but if it's adjustable shelves they are usual done with rows of small holes and shelf pins.


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## JBrow (Nov 18, 2015)

treesner,

Like AlaskaGuy I am a little confused. If the design only requires the distance of the shelves as measured from the floor of the cabinet to be adjustable, I typically employ AlaskaGuy's suggested method.

If the design calls for shelves that slide forward and in so doing ride in dados, there are a couple approaches to giving the dados a more refined look. Since you propose rounding over the edge of the cabinet, I can only guess that either there is no face frame or the face frame edges set flush with the inside sides of the cabinet.

The simplest approach is use sand paper and round over the sharp corners of the dados. Obviously this is a tedious job best done by hand sanding and which could take a lot of time. Alternatively, cutting some narrow trim strips and adding whatever profile you like could then be applied along the upper and lower edges of the dados on the face of the cabinet side. A slightly different variation is to cut a rabbet in a piece of stock, profiling it as you like and then setting the rabbeted edge on/over the lip of the dado, top and bottom. In this case the dado would have to wide enough to accommodate the rabbeted edges and the sliding shelf. In either of the trim options, the trim could be glued or screwed in place.

If, in addition to sliding shelves, these shelves are designed to be re-positioned vertically, your idea of insert strips sounds like a good approach to fill in unused dados. Another option for covering unused dado slots is a piece of stock that spans the width and overlaps the dado. A couple of short blocks sized to fit in the dado could be glued at opposite ends of the wide trim. These blocks would set inside the dado,, registering the covering trim in line with the dado. Overlapping dado-covering trim allows the filler trim strip to be screwed in place, making it a little more secure that magnetic catches.


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## cabmaker (Sep 16, 2010)

I have been at this game for a long time amigo…..your idea is….well….

Whats the purpose ?


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## devann (Jan 11, 2011)

Might you be overthinking your shelf project? Seems like a lot of work. AlaskaGuy gives an example of a commonly used method for adjustable shelving in a cabinet. Another common method, one that uses dados, places standards within the dados and uses clips for the shelves to rest on.

Ether way, holes with pins, or standards with clips, will be simpler to build and give the project a cleaner look without the need for dado inserts.


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## jdh122 (Sep 8, 2010)

For adjustable shelves I like to use wooden shelf standards. You can buy them but they're pretty easy to make yourself. I think they make for a more traditional look than the rows of holes.


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## treesner (Oct 5, 2015)

> Might you be overthinking your shelf project? Seems like a lot of work. AlaskaGuy gives an example of a commonly used method for adjustable shelving in a cabinet. Another common method, one that uses dados, places standards within the dados and uses clips for the shelves to rest on.
> 
> Ether way, holes with pins, or standards with clips, will be simpler to build and give the project a cleaner look without the need for dado inserts.
> 
> - devann


yes overthinking it, but that's what i tend to do, try to experiment with all the different ways of doing it, exhaust all the solutions and find something that works for me for a long time. I don't really like the look of all the holes drilled but I do think it does look better than all the dados sticking out which don't have shelves in them.

the reason i want to go with something dado like is that i would like to the option to pull the drawer out (on friction) and also since these are also little crates if i turn them on their side i want the shelves to act as dividers


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## treesner (Oct 5, 2015)

I made this prototype as well where instead of plywood and dados i just spaced out the pine strips to make grooves for the dados. I like that it feels like a crate and the slots for shelves look more like aesthetic. However it's overbuilt/heavy/expensive. might try to redo with plywood cut out strips instead










Was thinking that maybe if i just cut all the pieces at a 30* then i'd have a french cleat system within the cabinet, or the outside of the cabinet which would mea i could hang things instead of just relying on a shelf to hold things, might be cool to experiment with this


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## treesner (Oct 5, 2015)

> For adjustable shelves I like to use wooden shelf standards. You can buy them but they re pretty easy to make yourself. I think they make for a more traditional look than the rows of holes.
> 
> - jdh122


is that this type of thing?


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## jdh122 (Sep 8, 2010)

Basically yes, although those ones are not very pretty. I prefer the look of a sawtooth pattern (the ones in the picture are easier to make, since you drill a hole in the middle of a board and then rip it in two). Like these ones:
http://www.leevalley.com/en/Hardware/page.aspx?p=69005&cat=3,43648,43649&ap=1


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

Each to their own. I haven't seen anything here so far that looks better that standard 5mm shelf pin holes. Most of the "other stuff just looks clutter. JPO.


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## treesner (Oct 5, 2015)

> Basically yes, although those ones are not very pretty. I prefer the look of a sawtooth pattern (the ones in the picture are easier to make, since you drill a hole in the middle of a board and then rip it in two). Like these ones:
> http://www.leevalley.com/en/Hardware/page.aspx?p=69005&cat=3,43648,43649&ap=1
> 
> - jdh122


yeah i like the look of this, although makes things more complicated than they need to be 









This version looks really nice


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## treesner (Oct 5, 2015)

> Each to their own. I haven t seen anything here so far that looks better that standard 5mm shelf pin holes. Most of the "other stuff just looks clutter. JPO.
> 
> - AlaskaGuy


agreed, still thinking about it.

I wonder if theres any kind of rear mounting system I could use. I can't think of anything strong enough.

maybe if the back plate was made out of those giant peg board and inserted 2 long dowels as support
not sure if that would support the 15" deep shelves


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