The simplest option for cutting grooves for drawer bottoms or other parts of furniture is usually to use the router table with a slot cutter bit that matches the thickness of our bottom. However, without a router table, we always think of doing this task with the table saw, even if it is a homemade table saw like mine. The first time I did this task, I used my circular saw attached to a Wolfcraft Master Cut 1000 workbench, and the result was not very good because the lateral guide leaves a lot to be desired and cannot be adjusted well.
Now that I have my homemade table saw with its sliding fence, it is quite easy to adjust the distance between the fence and the saw blade, and since I have a blade height adjustment system, I can also set the cutting height with great precision.
The problem with cutting grooves with the table saw with precision is that the teeth of the blade are usually thinner than the thickness of the bottom. This forces us to cut the groove in several passes, so it is important to have a lateral fence that we can move laterally with ease in intervals of even less than 1 millimeter. Additionally, the fence must stay fixed in place so that we can push our workpiece against it without the fence moving, or the resulting groove will not be the same width along its length.
Before starting to cut, we must also consider the type of joint we have. If the joint is a finger or box joint, the end of the groove will be visible from the outside. If it is a box, one option could be to insert a small piece of wood into the visible gap to hide it. Placed well and once varnish or paint is applied, we might be able to camouflage that small defect.
Also, with a through dovetail joint, where the tails and pins extend through both boards, the end of the groove will be visible from the outside. If it is a drawer, we can place another board on the front, achieving a completely smooth drawer front. But if the joint is a half-blind dovetail, if we make sure to align the groove with one of the tails between pins, the groove will not be visible from the outside, and we will have a completely smooth drawer front without having to add another piece of wood to the front.