Should you glue dovetail joints?

Yes glue them. Its best to have some glue. You may want to pare the pins down a little to make room for the glue. i would use epoxy, not wood gluewood glueWood glue is an adhesive used to tightly bond pieces of wood together. Many substances have been used as glues. Traditionally animal proteins like casein from milk or collagen from animal hides and bones were boiled down to make early glues. They worked by solidifying as they dried.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Wood_glueWood glue – Wikipedia.

Does a dovetail joint require glue?

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.

Do you glue sliding dovetails?

Sliding dovetails provide several advantages over a dado joint. First, they’re stronger because they don’t rely solely on glue. Second, the shoulders of the dovetailed piece hide the edges of the slot, much as a tenoned workpiece hides a mortise.

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.

Do you need to clamp dovetails?

I bang them together with a rubber mallet. I always make sure the side beieing assembled is down on the surface of the table to avoid splitting. In other words I’m hammering the pin board into the tail board not hammering the tail board onto the pin board. No need for clamps if you dovetails are tight.

Does a dovetail joint require glue?

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 type of glue should be used with a dovetail joint?

I use Titebond III pretty much exclusively on dovetails. I have tried polyurethane, but I don’t like the messy clean up either, and if there are any gaps in the joints I find the foam left in any gap a nuisance.

What glue to use on dovetails?

My preference is to glue up dovetails with traditional, hot hide glue. I use it only on the flat grain surfaces, and a bit sparingly. You will need to work quickly.

What are the disadvantages of a sliding dovetail joint?

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.

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.

Is a sliding dovetail strong?

The sliding dovetail joint has a number of advantages: it’s mechanically strong, provides a decent amount of glue surface, is reasonably easy to machine and is attractive when assembled.

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.

Are dovetail joints difficult?

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.

Are dovetail joints strong?

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.

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 is the weakness of dovetail joint?

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.

Do wood joints need glue?

If you removed the glue from the joints, most woodworking projects would be reduced to a jumbled pile of parts. Even the best-planned and well-executed joinery wouldn’t be worth a nickel without the contribution of the glue. However, when gluing up a joint, it’s pretty easy to take a good end result for granted.

How is a dovetail joint assembled?

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.

Do dowel joints need glue?

Wood dowels are a traditional and effective means of jointing wood. Over time the glue that is used to tighten the joint dries out and erodes leaving a vacuum and loose joint. The joint becomes weak and can eventually separate if not glued back in place.

Does a dovetail joint require glue?

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 is a bad glue joint?

Not enough to form a bond. Too much glue. Prevents the surfaces from coming together tightly. Too little clamping pressure. If the joint is properly prepared and the right amount of glue is applied, not much pressure is needed but some is.

What is the most popular dovetail joint?

Single-lap Dovetail The single-lap (known to many folks as a half-blind dovetail) is the best known of the dovetails since it’s used to join the front to the sides of a drawer.

Can you put dovetails in plywood?

A wide variety of methods can be used to make dovetail plywood drawer boxes. They are generally considered by the woodworking industry as time-consuming and difficult to make. The dovetails can be cut by hand with a dovetailing saw and chisel or you can use a dovetail jig and router.

What angle should a sliding dovetail be?

We use a bit with a 1⁄ 2 ” cutting diameter and a 14° angle to make sliding dovetail joints in 3⁄ 4 ” hardwood. When you need a dovetail groove longer than 6″, use a tablesaw or a straight bit in your router to plow a groove down the center of the planned dovetail joint.

Mike Walker

Repair and Construction Expert. WoodiesDIY.tv Owner