No need for clamps if you dovetails are tight. I will clamp a board that may have bow a little. Don’t sweat the glue bond, a good dovetail doesn’t depend on glue for much of it’s strength. I bang them together with a rubber mallet.
Do you need to clamp dovetail joints?
GLUE UP AND FINISHING TOUCHES Just don’t overdo it — too much glue causes fit issues and is a pain to clean. Then use a mallet to put the joint together. If it seems tight, you probably won’t need clamps — but if it’s your first few times cutting dovetails, clamps may be helpful.
Do dovetail joints need to be glued?
Michael Dresdner: The only areas that require glue on dovetails are the diagonal faces. All the diagonal faces are long grain, all the square faces are end grain, and all the flat faces abut end grain. Therefore, you need only apply glue to the diagonal faces on the tails or pins, or both.
What are the rules for dovetail joints?
The general rule is that they measure half the thickness of timber plus around 1 mm along the shoulder line. So these two awl dots are 7 mm in from each edge. These two dots, which mark the corners of the half pins, are now converted into a 1:8 slope at each side.
Why are dovetail joints bad?
The disadvantages of dovetail joints are that they can be fairly difficult to mark out and cut, and if they are made badly these joints lose the advantages listed above. Depending on the project, function, and design, there are a number of different types of dovetail joints to choose from.
Are dovetail joints worth it?
Making sure that you pick a drawer joint that can withstand this type of wear and tear is crucial to the longevity of your kitchen cabinets. Dovetail joints are considered one of the strongest joints used in kitchen cabinetry construction and are the best solution for a kitchen cabinet drawer box.
Is dovetail the strongest joint?
And with the dovetail joint being two thirds as strong as that, that’s actually quite impressive. But I think a dovetail joint can never be as strong as an ideal box joint with narrow fingers. Basically, with the dovetail shape of the tails, the tails have an inherent weak spot at their narrow base.
Is a finger joint stronger than a dovetail joint?
For box joint, some people put a lot more fingers than it is possible to do with Dovetail. In this case, the gluing surface is larger, and the joint is likely stronger. Also, some find a way to hide a finish nail in the joint. Dovetail has the advantage of a mechanical lock independent of the glue.
Is a dovetail joint strong or weak?
Dovetail is arguably the strongest joint in millwork. It’s made so that it can’t be twisted or pulled in any direction except for one. This means that it’ll take more force to break or damage the joint.
Is dovetail joint permanent?
The strongest and most permanent right-angled joints made in wood are the ‘dove-tail’ joints, as illustrated below. The so-called tails and pins fit together to form a secure joint.
How deep should a dovetail joint be?
so with our current scenario of 3″ we would have 2 x 3/16″ = 3/8″ plus the full pin of 3/8″ so 3/4″ pin accumulation. This then leaves 2 1/4″ for two tails so 1 1/8″ dovetails. As I said, for me, generally, I simply use 3/8″ equally for all of my pins as my standard size in my more general work.
How difficult is a dovetail joint?
It is a difficult joint to make manually, requiring skilled workmanship. There are different types of dovetail joints. The angle of slope varies according to the wood used, purpose of joint and type of work. Typically the slope is 1:6 for softwoods, and a shallower 1:8 slope for hardwoods.
How tight should dovetails be?
If you can use your fist as a hammer to nudge them together, they’re just right. By the way, when you realize they will fit nice and snug, (hopefully by the time they are less than half way down) take them apart and don’t put them together again until you glue them.
What is the strongest joint in woodworking?
Mortise and tenon joints are widely regarded as one of the strongest and most reliable woodworking joints. They involve creating a mortise, or a hole, in one piece of wood and a tenon on the end of the other piece, which fits into the mortise.
Why are my dovetail joints so tight?
Looseness is adjusted by changing the bit depth. If the joint is too loose, lower the bit by the amount of looseness. If too tight, raise the bit by that amount. Flushness is adjusted by changing the position of the fingerboard.
When did they stop using dovetail joints?
So manufacturers moved away from dovetails. Hand-cut dovetailing was the default until 1860 when uniform machine-cut joints were introduced. But fine cabinetmakers persisted in fitting their joints by hand until the early 1900s, and cabinetmakers in Europe cut dovetails by hand well into the 1930s.
What clamps go in a dovetail slot?
MATCHFIT Dovetail Clamps — designed to match perfectly with 14°, 1/2″ dovetail slots and create a hold-down clamp wherever you need one. MATCHFIT Dovetail Clamp AP (MJG-221)- MicroJig’s latest Dovetail Clamp.
Is a dovetail joint strong or weak?
Dovetail is arguably the strongest joint in millwork. It’s made so that it can’t be twisted or pulled in any direction except for one. This means that it’ll take more force to break or damage the joint.
Is dovetail joint permanent?
The strongest and most permanent right-angled joints made in wood are the ‘dove-tail’ joints, as illustrated below. The so-called tails and pins fit together to form a secure joint.
What makes a dovetail joint strong?
The dovetail joint is very strong because of the way the ‘tails’ and ‘pins’ are shaped. This makes it difficult to pull the joint apart and virtually impossible when glue is added.
Which is better English or French dovetail?
While both English and French dovetail construction are very sturdy and high quality, English dovetail construction is slightly sturdier with the trade-off of being more expensive and time-consuming to produce.
When would you use a dovetail joint?
A dovetail joint is a joinery technique used in woodworking, traditionally used to join wooden furniture. Dovetail joints are known for their inherent strength and resistance to being pulled apart (tensile strength).
What is the weakest joint in carpentry?
A butt joint uses a simple technique whereby two pieces of material are joined together at their ends, without any special shaping or cutting. Although it is simple, the butt joint is also the weakest of the wood joinery types.
How much weight can a dovetail hold?
Standard 9′ cleated dovetail (with wood between the runners) features a lifting capacity of approximately 8,000 lbs and carrying capacity of 4,000 lbs.
What are the disadvantages of a dovetail joint?
Hand cut dovetail joints require precise handsaw and chisel skills, and can be fiddly to mark out and cut. If dovetail joints are poorly made they will lose the advantage of strength and durability.
What is the best corner joint for woodworking?
THE DOVETAIL JOINT Dovetail joints are very strong and resist pulling apart through the use of wedge-shaped interlocking pieces (the wedges resemble a dove’s tail). Dovetail joints are found where the ends of two pieces of wood meet at a right angle, such as along the corners of drawer sides.
