A dado is a slot cut into the face or end of a piece of
wood; the
joining piece fits into this slot. In a simple dado joint, the slot
goes completely across the wood, and the edges of the joining piece are
visible along the edges of the base piece. In a stopped or blind dado,
the joint does not extend completely across the face of the wood and is
not visible from the edges.
Dadoes and stopped dadoes are often used for shelving. The dovetail
dado is a dado with a slight dovetail at the bottom; it's a fancy
cabinet joint, strong and especially good-looking. In very old
furniture, a dovetail dado joint is a real work of art because of the
time the cabinetmaker had to spend to cut it.
In the dado joint, used for shelving, a slot or groove is cut into one
piece to hold the end of the joining piece. The groove of a stopped or
blind dado does not extend completely across the wood. The dovetail
dado is cut with a dovetail at the bottom for extra strength.
