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.
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.
What is the most common dovetail bit?
The MATCHFIT System was designed around a standard ½”, 14-degree dovetail profile because it is one of the most common dovetail router bits on the market. Despite its benefits, readily available dovetail bits presented a challenge – they cut to a sharp tapered point.
Where are dovetails most commonly used?
A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery (carpentry), including furniture, cabinets, log buildings, and traditional timber framing.
What is the most common dovetail angle?
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.
Where are dovetails most commonly used?
A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery (carpentry), including furniture, cabinets, log buildings, and traditional timber framing.
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.
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.
What size dovetail should I use?
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.
How big should a dovetail joint be?
How do I choose a dovetail bit?
Through Dovetail Bit Selection The dovetail bit’s working depth must be equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the pin board or drawer front. Always choose the smallest dovetail bit relative to the pin board thickness, along with the matching straight bit, for that hand-cut look.
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.
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.
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.
What dovetail ratio is best?
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 does 1 in 6 dovetail mean?
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.
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 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 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.
Are dovetail joints the best?
Dovetail joints are the most durable; however, they can also be the most difficult to make.
What is the best material for dovetail drawers?
Dovetail drawers are typically made of solid wood or plywood. Solid wood is the traditional material for dovetail drawers, but plywood is becoming more popular because it is more stable and less likely to warp.
Where are dovetails most commonly used?
A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery (carpentry), including furniture, cabinets, log buildings, and traditional timber framing.
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.
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 is stronger dovetail or finger joint?
Although the finger joint is not mechanically interlocking like a dovetail, the joint is amazingly strong. Today’s modern adhesives and the large glue surface make the finger joint equally as strong as the dovetail throughout the life of the adhesive.
Can I make a homemade dovetail jig?
All you need is some standard, off-the-shelf hardware, 5 board feet of hardwood , and a piece of hardboard to make your own “comb” template. However, as I got into the project further I found some improvements I could make over manufactured dovetail jigs along the way.
