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Planing stock to fit standard dados is much easier than trying to find the right chipper and shim combination to fit the dado to your stock. I cut five grooves in a scrap of plywood, using only the blades and 1/8″-thick chippers – no shims or thin chippers – from my dado set.
As I’m thicknessing stock, I just check it in the grooves. This variation on the classic “go/no-go gauge” is more direct and accurate than measuring the thickness. This way, I know that my stock is going to match my dadoes exactly. –Tom Caspar
