Advice Needed: Cutting big wide stopped Dado

Hi
I'm after some advice - I'm making a bench and my last 4 joints are stopped dados that will house the long stretchers. These are half-lap joints, and the vertical piece will end up being laminated to another to make a leg with a mortise to receive the stretcher's tenon.

Anyway, I need to chop a 80x70x30mm piece away from the leg. I've done 1 using a router (3 passes) to cut the sides and back and chiseled out the rest. My issue with that approach is that it's loud, messy and slow.

Any advice on a hand-tool approach that will make less dust and is more "sleeping baby" friendly ? How do I start the sides and get the bottom even?

I work in the garage and only time I get to fire up machines is when our baby up - so free time is when she's asleep. Sawing and chiselling is relatively quiet compared to a router and shop vac.

Thanks
Pete

The days of hand tools are not yet over as you have just found out.
Te basic method it to mark the joint out with a marking knife. Cut the walls with a tennon saw and chisel out the waste. Use a router plane to get the bottom nice and flat. Couple of links will help explain and save me a long winded explaination. The second link is how to make a poor mans router plane in case you dont have one.
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/te...-dados-by-hand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_2a_FwjAgk


Regards
john