What is the difference between half-blind and through dovetails?

Types of Dovetail Joints Half-Blind dovetails: In these, the pins and tails are hidden. Half-blind dovetails are only revealed when moved, opened or seen from a certain angle, like behind a drawer face. In a through dovetail, both the dovetails and pins are visible.

What is the difference between a half-blind dovetail and a through dovetail?

The only difference between half-blind dovetail joints and through dovetail joints is that half-blind joint end grain can only be seen on one side vs. through joint grain that can be seen of both sides of the boards.

What is a half-blind dovetail joint used for?

A half-blind dovetail enables the woodworker to hide the joint from the front end. The tails are housed in sockets in the ends of the board that is to be the front of the item so that their ends cannot be seen. Half-blind dovetails are commonly used to fasten drawer fronts to drawer sides.

What is the difference between a half-blind dovetail and a through dovetail?

The only difference between half-blind dovetail joints and through dovetail joints is that half-blind joint end grain can only be seen on one side vs. through joint grain that can be seen of both sides of the boards.

What is a half-blind dovetail joint used for?

A half-blind dovetail enables the woodworker to hide the joint from the front end. The tails are housed in sockets in the ends of the board that is to be the front of the item so that their ends cannot be seen. Half-blind dovetails are commonly used to fasten drawer fronts to drawer sides.

What is the most popular dovetail?

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.

When did they stop using dovetail?

According to oldcopper.org, coppersmiths kept on dovetailing the seams until about 1900, after which better joinery technology made the time-consuming dovetail process obsolete. This means that a dovetailed pot or pan could have been hand-cut or machine-cut.

What are the cons 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.

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.

What is a half blind joint?

nounJoinery. a corner dovetail joint visible on one face only.

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.

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 dovetail joints need 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.

Are dovetails the strongest of all joints?

Without a doubt, dovetail joints are revered as one of the strongest woodworking joints. The strength lies in the precise shaping of the tails and pins. When these elements fit snugly together and are bonded with glue, the resulting joint becomes nearly impossible to pull apart.

What is an English dovetail joint?

A dovetail joint is a locking joint. The English dovetail construction tends to allow for the largest possible drawer storage capacity. French dovetail construction is used for more elaborate features such a curved, bowed design.

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.

What are the different types of dovetail rails?

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.

What is an impossible dovetail joint?

Press a dovetailed board into another board with matching sockets, and you’ve created woodworking’s most iconic joint. The dovetails and sockets wedge the boards together, so the joint can’t pull apart; the only way to disassemble it is to lift the dovetailed board back out of the sockets.

What is the difference between a half-blind dovetail and a through dovetail?

The only difference between half-blind dovetail joints and through dovetail joints is that half-blind joint end grain can only be seen on one side vs. through joint grain that can be seen of both sides of the boards.

What is a half-blind dovetail joint used for?

A half-blind dovetail enables the woodworker to hide the joint from the front end. The tails are housed in sockets in the ends of the board that is to be the front of the item so that their ends cannot be seen. Half-blind dovetails are commonly used to fasten drawer fronts to drawer sides.

What is the difference between 11mm and 3 8 dovetail?

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 is the easiest dovetail jig to use?

Few other dovetail jigs as simple as the TD330 offer a way to rout through dovetail joints this well. Perfect for drawers, boxes and so much more. The TD330 is easy to use. The e10 guide bushing guides the router with installed bit in and around the comb of the template to rout the dovetails.

Is dovetail the highest quality?

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. Because of the preciseness of each piece, this joint is held into place without the need for extra reinforcement.

What is a Knapp joint?

What is a French dovetail joint?

Fyi, the English dovetail technique is also commonly referred to as a butt joint. French Dovetail: This technique is based on cutting out a slat in the middle of a board and also a corresponding piece of wood that can slide into the middle cutout. English and French Dovetail Drawer Construction.

Mike Walker

Repair and Construction Expert. WoodiesDIY.tv Owner