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.
At what angle to the horizontal is a dovetail cut?
Percy Blandford, who has been writing about woodworking for a long time, writes in “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 angle is 6 to 1 dovetail?
A 1:6 ratio – that’s one unit horizontal with six matching units drawn vertical – lays out as a 9.5 degree angle. A 1:8 ratio – one unit horizontal with eight matching units drawn vertical – is an angle of 7.1 degrees.
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 for sliding dovetails?
Sliding Dovetails Require Great Precision The different here is setting the 12 degree angle for the walls of the pin. I use a sawing fence with a 12 degree angle on one edge and it makes the sawing really simple. Just keep the saw plate pressed firmly against the fence and voila! You get perfect sliding dovetail pins.
What is a standard dovetail angle?
4. 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. Diagram showing dovetail angles vs strength from Fine Woodworking.
What are the rules for dovetail?
RULES: Dovetail is a better ball stroke play game played with a partner, with each player having their gross score recorded on a minimum of 8 holes. Both partners play the holes individually to the stroke play format and then select which score is entered on the card.
Is 11mm dovetail the same as 3 8?
The 3/8 Inch is measured across the bottom of the dovetail whereas the 11 mm is measured across the top of the dovetail. A 3/8 Inch dovetail is about 12.7 mm across the top. The measurements 3/8 and 11mm are not the same for this reason plus the angles are different.
What size dovetail should I use?
Your tails should be around 18mm > 35mm for fine work like drawers and 35mm > 55mm on larger work like a chest.
What degree is a 1 in 8 dovetail?
It would be extremely difficult to be able to pick these differences up in your dovetails on a piece of furniture by eye. So in closing your 1:4 Saddle-Tail is for all practical purposes 14 degrees, the 1:6 is close to 10 degrees and the 1:8 is about 7 degrees.
How deep should a dovetail joint be?
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.
How thick should dovetails be?
Structurally I have looked for pin strength in dovetails as the dovetailed aspect is always strong because it is always at least as wide and mostly wider than the pins. In my own work I aim for a minimum size of 1/4″ and mostly 3/8″.
How do you mark out dovetails?
Mark out the two ‘half-pins’ at the edges on the first piece of wood. The ‘pins’ are the bits of wood between the tails so there are two half-pins; one each side. The general rule is that they measure half the thickness of timber plus around a mm, so the two dots on the shoulder line are 7mm in from each edge.
What is the common dovetail ratio?
Anything from 1:6 to 1:9 looks good and works well. Too little rise leaves corners with short grain that easily breaks off, too much rise looks like a poorly made box joint.
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.
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.
What is the included angle on a dovetail cutter?
O-ring dovetail cutters have an included angle of 48°. Another common included angle for general purpose dovetails is 90°.
What degree is a 1 in 8 dovetail?
It would be extremely difficult to be able to pick these differences up in your dovetails on a piece of furniture by eye. So in closing your 1:4 Saddle-Tail is for all practical purposes 14 degrees, the 1:6 is close to 10 degrees and the 1:8 is about 7 degrees.
What are the proportions for a dovetail joint?
The only consistent advice I find is keep dovetail length about equal to board thickness. And keep dovetail ratios between 1:6 and 1:8.
Is dovetail 11mm?
Dovetails come in several different types and sizes depending on manufacturer, but the most common are the 11 mm and 3⁄8 inch (9.5 mm). Some other less known, but currently commercially available dovetail mounts, are 12, 13, 13.5, 14, 14.5, 16, 16.5, 17 and 19 mm.
What is the difference between English dovetail and French dovetail?
English dovetails are the most common. They have interlocking joints and allow the most amount of space – usually several more inches of room than you would get with French dovetails. This is because the dovetail groove cannot be put all the way at the edge of a drawer with French dovetails.
Do you need to clamp dovetails?
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. 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.
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. Glue may be applied to the mating surfaces.
Is dovetail 11mm?
Dovetails come in several different types and sizes depending on manufacturer, but the most common are the 11 mm and 3⁄8 inch (9.5 mm). Some other less known, but currently commercially available dovetail mounts, are 12, 13, 13.5, 14, 14.5, 16, 16.5, 17 and 19 mm.
What rifles have 11mm dovetail?
Is 3 8 the same as 11 mm?
10mm = just over 3/8 inch. 11mm = almost 7/16 inch. 12mm = almost 15/32 inch (= almost 1/2 inch) 13mm = just over 1/2 inch.
