Dado joints won me over after a shelf disaster

I thought screws were enough for shelf support in cabinets. After a shelf COLLAPSED, I tried dados and the difference is NIGHT and day. What joint methods do you prefer for shelf stability?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy8903d ago

Swore by pocket screws for years until a bookcase leaned like the Tower of Pisa. Had to take it apart and reinforce everything with proper mortise and tenon joints (what a pain). Now I mix methods, like using dados for fixed shelves and screws for adjustable ones. Actually found that a bit of glue in the dado makes it rock solid, even without screws. Still hate sanding the ends of those tenons, though.

dylan3703d ago

Read somewhere that mixing joinery methods like that is smart for different stresses. Glue in dados does seem to hold well without screws. Sanding tenons is always a chore though.