Cutting a rabbet on a table saw

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

My method (I have an Incra fence):

I cut on the far side from the fence. I first set my height by creeping up on it on the outer edge. Once my height is good I lock the height adjustment wheel in place.

Then I move my fence until I'm almost at the right width. Then, with the adjustment wheel in the Incra, creep up on the right width. It can be a little slow, but with 1/1000" increments per click of the wheel, my rabbets (and dados, too) are perfect.

Once the inner location is set, I cut it on however many pieces I need, such as four for a small box, and then cut away the rest, a pass at a time.

I use a flat ground blade so that the bottom is perfectly smooth.

I don't know the advantages or disadvantages, aside from being a bit slow, but it works great for me.

[Pirate]

I use the combo blade and make 2 cuts, most of the time.

[ez-duzit]

I keep a 1/2" carbide dado setup in my contractors saw. Two passes for anything wider. Anything narrower gets cut with multiple passes using a standard carbide blade on one of my Unisaws.

[Eric Commarato]

cutting a rabbit on a table saw, wouldn't that be kind of gruesome?

[mike4244]

I learned a long time ago that the way to cut a rabbet on a table saw was with an auxiliary fence that "buried" some of the dado cutters.     Do you use any different method -- for example with the rabbet being cut on the far side of the workpiece, and not against the fence?  If so, are there advantages or disadvantages to doing it your way?
Thanks.

I use your method with one difference. I made a wooden insert with a slight hump ( about 1/16" in 6" ).This assures the dado or rabbet is the same depth over the length of the dado. Often the dado is not completely cut to the depth due to a warp in the board. The hump is centered on the blade circumference. I learned this method 50+ years ago in the first shop I worked in. If you use a large power feeder this is not necessary as the weight of the feeder should flatten the board. Most home shop wood workers do not have a 3/4 hp or larger feeder so the method I described will work.

mike

[Steve N]

cutting a rabbit on a table saw, wouldn't that be kind of gruesome?

Ahhhhhhhhh Bugs cut up everyone in the entire state of Florida. Whats wrong with a little give and take

[Stwood_]

Ahhhhhhhhh Bugs cut off everyone including Fred in the entire state of Florida. Whats wrong with a little give and take

[GeorgeV]

Router table, and a straight cut bit with the rabbet's width revealed can work. If a person had some stock that wasn't 4 square, and wanted to run a rabbet for some reason they could use finger boards to make it work.

Most conventional way is how you described, and I can't figure what you would be doing to need a rabbet on non prime stock.

And of course the beer powered method. Like this




Or you could even use one of those Stanley thing-a-ma-jigs.....

You know the ones where most of the parts are usually missing.
 78's........




My preferred method also!