The angle of a dovetail joint should be between 7 and 15 degrees: too broad and the joint won’t be strong enough, too skinny, and the pin can snap. So the angle of the dovetail mainly depends on the use and wear the joint will get. 5. They are called ‘dovetails’ because they are shaped like the tail feathers of a dove!
What is the typical angle of a dovetail joint?
Lower (7° to 9°) angles are often advised for joining hardwoods, while higher angles (10° to 14°) are recommended for softwoods and even higher angles (14° to 18°) for half-blind dovetails.
What degrees are dovetails?
Although softwoods are more compressible than hardwoods, you needn’t change the dovetail angle to add strength to the joint. Any angle between 7° and 15° will work, regardless of the wood. But stay within that range. If you go below 7°, you’ll start to lose the mechanical strength of the dovetail.
What is the standard dovetail ratio?
Dovetail angles are usually expressed as ratios — the most common being 1:6 and 1:8 (said “one in eight,” and also written as 6:1 or 8:1). As a general rule of thumb: Use 1:6 for softwoods. Use 1:8 for hardwoods.
What is the typical angle of a dovetail joint?
Lower (7° to 9°) angles are often advised for joining hardwoods, while higher angles (10° to 14°) are recommended for softwoods and even higher angles (14° to 18°) for half-blind dovetails.
What degrees are dovetails?
Although softwoods are more compressible than hardwoods, you needn’t change the dovetail angle to add strength to the joint. Any angle between 7° and 15° will work, regardless of the wood. But stay within that range. If you go below 7°, you’ll start to lose the mechanical strength of the dovetail.
Are all dovetail bits 14 degrees?
You’ll need a jig to make most dovetail joints, as well as a guide Bushing for your router. Check the instructions with your Dovetail jig to select a bit with the appropriate angle, which will usually be somewhere between 7 and 14 degrees.
What is the most common dovetail angle?
Percy Blandford, who has been writing about woodworking for a long time, writes in his new book, “The Woodworker’s Bible,” that any angle between 7.5° and 10° is acceptable. The ideal, he says, is 8.5° for softwoods and 7.5° when joining hardwoods.
What are the rules for dovetail joints?
The space between half pins is divided between pins and tails. Fine work the pins 4mm > 6mm, larger work 7mm > 12mm. To have a desirable appearance the pins smaller than the tails. Your tails should be around 18mm > 35mm for fine work like drawers and 35mm > 55mm on larger work like a chest.
What ratio is a 14 degree dovetail?
This 14° marker equates to a ratio of 1:4. When used with thinner stock, the 14° angle results in a better looking joint. This different angle also gives you a slightly stronger dovetail interlock on the thinner material.
Is dovetail joint the strongest?
The advantages of the dovetail joint are that it is the strongest of all joints, has a large gluing area, is interlocking, resists being pulled apart, looks attractive, and would hold together even without glue.
How do you work out dovetail angle?
For those of you unfamiliar with them, the angle at which dovetails are cut is usually referred to by ratio, for example, 1:7 or 1:6. To draw the angle, you layout a horizontal line with a vertical line intersecting it at 90 degrees.
Is dovetail 11mm?
The standard 22 tip-off dovetail in the US is 3/8″ at the bottom and up to 1/2″ at the top. The European 11mm dovetail is typically 11mm at the top and perhaps 8mm at the bottom. The 11mm dovetail typically has a 60 degree angle from the bottom inside corner to the top where the 3/8″ is typically 45 degrees.
How big should a dovetail joint be?
For drawers, boxes or trays 2″ or less I generally like a single dovetail. For 3″ to 3 1/2″ and less two dovetails, for 4″ three dovetails, for 5″ to 6″ four dovetails and for 6″ four or possibly five.
What ratio is a 14 degree dovetail?
This 14° marker equates to a ratio of 1:4. When used with thinner stock, the 14° angle results in a better looking joint. This different angle also gives you a slightly stronger dovetail interlock on the thinner material.
What is the angle of a large dovetail?
Angles used on dovetails On large industrial scale machines the angle is usually 45º. For smaller dovetails the usual angle is 60º. Any less than this, i.e. 60° on a small machine, complicates the design of the adjustment mechanism. The angle produced is set by the dovetail cutter used.
What is a 45 degree angle joint called?
A mitre joint (often miter in American English) is a joint made by cutting each of two parts to be joined, across the main surface, usually at a 45° angle, to form a corner, usually to form a 90° angle, though it can comprise any angle greater than 0 degrees.
How do you find the angle of a dovetail slot?
You could take an over or between pins measurements if it’s the male or female part. Take 2 measurements using 2 different diameter pair of pins. Assuming the edges are fairly straight you should be able to deduce the dovetail angle.
What is the typical angle of a dovetail joint?
Lower (7° to 9°) angles are often advised for joining hardwoods, while higher angles (10° to 14°) are recommended for softwoods and even higher angles (14° to 18°) for half-blind dovetails.
What degrees are dovetails?
Although softwoods are more compressible than hardwoods, you needn’t change the dovetail angle to add strength to the joint. Any angle between 7° and 15° will work, regardless of the wood. But stay within that range. If you go below 7°, you’ll start to lose the mechanical strength of the dovetail.
When did they stop using dovetail?
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.
How deep are dovetail joints?
Typically we use 1 ½” – 2” deep dovetails that are about 2” less deep than the joist, and 4” less deep than the girt – but that is just a starting point – the loads and reactions have to be calculated from there.
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.
Is dovetail the highest quality?
Dovetail joinery is a benchmark of high-quality construction because these fasteners are all potential weak points that can degrade or break-down over time.
Should you glue dovetail joints?
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.
Are dovetail joints worth it?
Dovetail drawers are known for their durability. The joint’s design provides exceptional resistance to the stresses of heavy items, making them ideal for storing dishes, pots, and pans. The construction of dovetail drawers ensures that they will not come apart easily, even with frequent use.
