How do grooves differ from dados in cabinet making, and what are their common applications?

• A. Grooves are decorative only and have no structural use.
• B. Grooves are narrow channels for panel movement or edge support; dados are wider grooves for shelves or back panels; grooves are used for sliding fit or joinery.
• C. Dados are narrow channels for panel movement.
• D. Grooves and dados refer to the same feature.

Answer: (B)

Grooves and dados are both channels cut into wood, but they serve different roles in cabinet construction. The main distinction is how they run and what they’re meant to hold.

A groove is a narrow channel milled along the edge or face of a piece. It creates a track or edge recess that can accept a panel or provide support for a sliding component. Because it’s shallow and slender, a groove guides and aligns parts or lets a panel sit neatly without sticking out.

A dado is a wider channel cut across the width of a board, typically into the side pieces of a cabinet. This cross-grain groove is designed to receive a shelf edge or a back panel, creating a strong joint where pieces interlock and sit flush.

In practice, grooves are common for allowing movement or registering a panel along an edge or frame, such as a panel that slides or a panel mounted with edge support. Dados are used to support and position shelves, or to house a back panel, forming sturdy, square joints in cabinet carcases.

So, grooves are narrow tracks for movement or edge support, while dados are wider cross-cut channels that hold shelves or back panels.