How can i fix a sliding lid with a dado groove in a keepsake box?

[Chloe.H]

I’ve been trying to build a small wooden keepsake box with a sliding lid, but I can’t get the lid to move smoothly without sticking or feeling too loose. I’m using 1/4 inch plywood for the lid and a simple dado groove, but my test pieces keep binding.

[DennisL]

That lid sounds tight enough to bind. The usual culprits are the groove being a hair narrower than the lid or the lid finishing being thicker than expected.

[LoganSP]

Sometimes the problem is not the cut but the box being out of square; if the groove runs off axis, one corner will bind.

[Stephen_B]

Check with calipers: measure the lid thickness and the groove width; if the lid is thicker, widen the groove a little or sand the lid edges so it clears.

[ScottPL]

I had better luck when I rounded the leading edge of the lid and the entrance to the groove so it slides in without catching.

[Jerry_R]

Question: have you checked if the plywood cupped or bowed after cutting and finishing? If so, that could push one side higher and bind.

[AmeliaYC]

I drifted into thinking about the finish, then realized the groove edge needed a small chamfer to stop catching.

[Emma_G]

If nothing else works, I’ve swapped to a slightly thinner lid or used a short runner under the lid to keep it aligned, but that changes the look.