How do dovetails work

Reply 2 years ago. They look great, they are really fun to make and the results are impressive. If you want to be strictly practical, you can usually find a manufactured product that's close enough for less than it would cost to make, especially if you put any monetary on your time.

Or better yet, realize that you really don't need it anyway. I think most of us make things because we enjoy the process and the pride in the finished item. We like making it look and work just the way we want it. We love learning how to do it. With those values, there really aren't any obsolete joints or technologies. Also, I've used a similar technique for other things, like garden boxes.

It is quite versatile. An unglued dovetail joint in dimension lumber works better when left outside in the rain than an unglued box joint in dimension lumber left outside in the rain.

Reply 4 years ago. Two points here. First the test is full box joint vs half blind dove tail joints. Second, one cannot imaging 'vigorous' pounding using a wedge inside any box built with either joint! Not to mention that all the joints in the test were machine cut and that there are hundreds of thousands of examples of hundred year old furniture built with hand-cut through dovetail joints that lasted for generations without such failure as demonstrated.

Be thankful that the author shared and took the time and effort to create a detailed set of instructions. By the way, look at Frank Klausz cut these joints without measurements and a chisel and back saw:.

Reply 5 years ago. I can't speak for the strength of dovetails in general, but the site you referenced isn't using the same type of joint as this instructable. This dovetail is cut so there's a full board width interaction between parts. On the site you listed, it's a jig-cut dovetail lookalike.

I'm now curious to see how a real dovetail fares compared to a box joint. I'm looking to get into trying to make dovetails by hand and wasn't sure if I'd need both. Reply 6 years ago. So I know it's been four months since your question but in the case you have not found an answer somewhere else I'll try to my best ability to explain.

So a marking gauge is generally a single point, something like a small nail tip or similar to a large quilting needle or leather needle. The purpose is to just mark a line. They work well both cross grain and with the grain. Sliding dovetails are assembled by sliding the tail into the socket.

It is common to slightly taper the socket, making it slightly tighter towards the rear of the joint, so that the two components can be slid together easily but the joint becomes tighter as the finished position is reached.

Deciding which type of dovetail to choose for your project is dependent on factors such as function and design. With technology advances as they are today, woodworking on a high level has become much more accessible.

Creating dovetails by hand is a master skill in of itself. But, we are now able to use jigs, routers and specialized dovetail bits to ensure that the joint can be made perfectly and replicated an endless amount of times.

So, when creating special projects you wish to last generations, you can be sure that dovetails will help ensure they will be long lasting. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. The following are the different types of dovetail joints: Through dovetail Half-blind dovetail Secret mitered dovetail Sliding dovetail Full-blind dovetail.

Through Dovetail. Half-Blind Dovetail. Dovetails are considered a signature of craftsmanship and are an attractive feature of all Probox Bespoke and Classic range drawers. Dovetail joints are very strong by design and they also offer an attractive finish that is a true sign of craftsmanship. Professionally cut and glued dovetail joints are virtually impossible to separate. Dovetail joints are traditionally cut by hand with a saw and chisel.

Probox achieve precision cut dovetails on leading edge machines. As part of the set up the dovetailing machine is programmed with the exact drawer box height and style of dovetail required, then it quickly and efficiently cuts dovetails before the craftsman hand glues and finishes the drawer. Dovetail joints can be cut by hand as they have been for thousands of years, but power tools such as a table saw or a router and jig make the job much faster and accessible for total beginners.

In the video below a woodworker describes how to cut dovetails using a table saw for a more hand cut look which consists of "wide tails and narrow pins". A different technique to cut dovetail joints is to use a router and a jig. The jig can be used over and over again which makes cutting the dovetails a more time efficient activity. If you really want to challenge yourself, master woodworker Paul Sellers shows you how to cut dovetail joints by hand. It's a challenging and time consuming process, but it's also rewarding and there is no greater sense of pride than showing off dovetails you cut by your own hand.