What size dovetail should I use?

There should be roughly one dovetail each 25mm or so across the width. There’s no hard and fast rule so it’s up to the woodworker to use his or her judgement to decide how many are needed. The wood here is 92mm wide and as a consequence I’m going to have three dovetails.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.

How big should a dovetail 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 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 size dovetail chisels do you really need?

After years of dovetailing, I noticed that two of my chisels were seeing almost all the action: the 1/4″-wide and a 3/4″-wide tools. I use the narrow one for removing waste between the tails and the larger one for removing waste between pins.

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.

How big should a dovetail 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 size is a standard dovetail rail?

The 11 mm dovetail represents a standard in Europe, while the 3/8” is a standard in the USA. Some rifle manufacturers have made rifles, like CZ 452 and CZ 453, that have variants with an 11 mm dovetail for European customers and 3/8” for American customers. That is why we are comparing these two dovetail types.

What is 11mm dovetail?

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.

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. As long as it looks good, and assembles without breaking, its a good joint.

What is a standard dovetail?

Standard dovetail joints have evenly spaced cut pins and tails, traditional dovetails have wide-cut pins and smaller tails. Standard cut pins and tails offer more strength in the drawer, traditional is not quite so strong but are often specified because of their traditional finish.

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.

Are dovetail chisels worth it?

The triangular cross-section of these chisels make them ideal for paring and chopping away the waste on dovetail joinery. Suitable for other joinery tasks, these affordable chisels are a nice complement to standard bench chisels for creating and fine-tuning joinery.

How thick should a dovetail jig be?

For standard through dovetails, the thickness of the tail stock should be between 8mm to 25mm, and for the pin stock between 8mm and 19mm. For standard half-blind dovetails, stock should be between 12.7mm and 28mm in thickness. When routing standard box joints stock should be between 8mm and 28mm in thickness.

What chisels are best for cutting dovetails?

The Narex Dovetail Chisels are a set of three chisels that are designed for getting into the close corners of dovetails and are modeled after the traditional Japanese style chisels. Narex Dovetail Chisels have a triangular cross-section that’s excellent for removing waste between tails of a dovetail joint.

Should dovetail joints be glued?

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 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 a standard dovetail?

Standard dovetail joints have evenly spaced cut pins and tails, traditional dovetails have wide-cut pins and smaller tails. Standard cut pins and tails offer more strength in the drawer, traditional is not quite so strong but are often specified because of their traditional finish.

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. As long as it looks good, and assembles without breaking, its a good joint.

How deep should dovetails be?

But keep in mind that if you machine the dovetail groove across the work piece you will be weakening it because you are removing some of its thickness. Try to keep the depth of the dovetail groove between 1/3 and 1/2 the thickness of the part.

How thick should a dovetail jig be?

For standard through dovetails, the thickness of the tail stock should be between 8mm to 25mm, and for the pin stock between 8mm and 19mm. For standard half-blind dovetails, stock should be between 12.7mm and 28mm in thickness. When routing standard box joints stock should be between 8mm and 28mm in thickness.

How big should a dovetail 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 is the difference between English dovetail and French dovetail?

French dovetails have sliding joints and are shorter in height. A piece of furniture with a curved front will always have French dovetails, because English dovetails will not work with that shape.

How wide is a tikka dovetail?

The Tikka dovetail style is proprietary and measures 16.5 mm wide. There is a small hole in the front of the dovetail for a recoil pin. The major advantage to mounting to the Tikka dovetail is simplicity.

What’s the difference between dovetail and weaver?

Also called a “tip off” mount, the dovetail rail allows the shooter to easily remove and replace mounted optics. Although dovetail rails come in a variety of sizes, the most common are 11mm and 3⁄8 inch (9.5 mm). Developed by William Ralph Weaver, the Weaver rail was created in an attempt to standardize scope mounts.

Is 11mm and 3 8 dovetail the same?

3/8 inch and 11 millimeters are not the same. 3/8 inch = . 375 and 11mm =. 433 or about .

Is dovetail the strongest joint?

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.

Mike Walker

Repair and Construction Expert. WoodiesDIY.tv Owner