Out of alignment dados

[rnelson0]

I cut some closed dados for shelves in a jewelry box last night. Since I do not have a router table, I did my best to get everything lined up on every cut. While the cuts are very close to parallel (the sides are a bit oversize so a little planing/sanding will make up the difference), one of the cuts is not at the same height as that on the other side. This will give me my top and bottom shelf in parallel and the middle shelf will be out of whack. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Since the shelves are really dividers for the drawers, I am inclined to put a small rabbet on one side of the shelf so that it lays flat, in parallel with the other two. While this would weaken the join a bit, since it is just holding jewelry I cannot imagine it will affect it in any reasonable time frame. Being on the inside, I am not *too* worried about the visual look, either.

Unfortunately, starting over is not an option at this point. I do not have any Cherry left and I am way over budget due to some learning efforts. Barring some really cheap Cherry on CL, this is what I have to work with...

[LarryG]

You could cut a filler strip the size of the dado, being careful to match the grain as closely as possible, then glue it in and re-cut the dado in the correct location. That might be a less obvious fix than an unequal rabbet.

In future, if your stock width permits, or if you're gluing up panels for the ends, start with a piece wide enough to make both end panels. Rout the dadoes first and then rip the wide panel down to create your two ends. Alignment guaranteed, every time.

[JR]

+1 on Larry's dutchman approach. It sounds like this is inside the case, so it won't show. You'll then be able to do the dado over again. Just make sure not to do whatever is you did before!

JR