"Richard" wrote in message
oups.com...
Is there any rule of thumb about how deep to cut a rabbit or dado? I
have typically cut them to half the thickness of the stock, but I'm
wondering if this may be overkill. Does the strength of the joint
increase with the depth of cut?

The deeper you go, the stronger the joint is, but the weaker the side piece
is.
It is all a compromise; the depth depends on the particular piece. If an
adequately deep dado will make the side too weak, I have used a shallow dado
with either biscuits or pocket screws.