Dado alignment

[nodima]

A drawer design calls for vertical dados to allow for the drawer to be divided.  What is best way to ensure they are the same distance from the drawer front?  If they were through dados both pieces could be run through a TS or router table with a fence and miter gauge.  These need to be stopped dados, so how best to set up to ensure alignment?  Is there a way on a RT to safely and easily use a single setting to get both stopped dados?  Or is best practice to use a story stick or piece of wood as a gauge and do separate passes?

For sake of discussion, lets say the drawer sides are 10" long, and the divider needs to be at the 3.5" mark from front of drawer.

[BrokenOlMarine]

I clamp the boards for the drawer sides to the bench side by side, then put my rail clamps across the paired boards, cutting all the stopped dados at once without moving the drawer sides.  Mark the dados, use a jig to align the clamps, This insures perfect alignment. 

   

A plunge cut router will allow you to cut stop cut dados, and clean up and square the edges as needed.

[handi]

A drawer design calls for vertical dados to allow for the drawer to be divided.  What is best way to ensure they are the same distance from the drawer front?  If they were through dados both pieces could be run through a TS or router table with a fence and miter gauge.  These need to be stopped dados, so how best to set up to ensure alignment?  Is there a way on a RT to safely and easily use a single setting to get both stopped dados?  Or is best practice to use a story stick or piece of wood as a gauge and do separate passes?

For sake of discussion, lets say the drawer sides are 10" long, and the divider needs to be at the 3.5" mark from front of drawer.

These will be quite shallow dados, and probably not wide. It is perfectly safe to hold a part against a stop on the fence, lower it onto the bit, then slide it along to make the cut. Work out the set up and practice the cut with some scrap.

The fence will set the distance from the front so cut both sides before moving the fence. Obviously, two stops are needed. One side will start flat on the table, and move across the bit until it hits a stop set on the far side of the bit.
The other will begin tilted against a stop set on the lead-in side, lowered onto the bit and pushed across until the bit exits the piece. (This is assuming the dados are stopped on one end only)

You will need a square piece to guide the parts perpendicular along the fence since you will be riding a narrow end.

[jteneyck]

These will be quite shallow dados, and probably not wide. It is perfectly safe to hold a part against a stop on the fence, lower it onto the bit, then slide it along to make the cut. Work out the set up and practice the cut with some scrap.

The fence will set the distance from the front so cut both sides before moving the fence. Obviously, two stops are needed. One side will start flat on the table, and move across the bit until it hits a stop set on the far side of the bit.
The other will begin tilted against a stop set on the lead-in side, lowered onto the bit and pushed across until the bit exits the piece. (This is assuming the dados are stopped on one end only)

You will need a square piece to guide the parts perpendicular along the fence since you will be riding a narrow end.

What Handi said is exactly how I do it.  As long as you use a square piece to back up the workpiece and keep both tight against the fence it works w/o drama.   

John

[Cooler]

In the past I've used 1/4 round stock to hold the dividers in place.  They make wiping the interior clean easier too.  A micro-pinner is almost a necessity as the stock is very small.

Lowes sells this in a special department with the rope motif small mouldings.

https://www.rockler.com/quarter-round-re...er-molding