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.
How big should dovetails 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 are standard dovetails?
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 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?
Chisel Sizes – – 12mm / 1/2″ – This will do the majority of your morticing, and come in when cleaning out the pins on those dovetails. – 19mm / 3/4″ (or above) – A nice wide chisel is very useful, and I’d probably aim at an inch, though somewhere between 3/4″ – 1 1/4″ will fit the bill.
How big should dovetails 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 are the rules for dovetail joints?
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 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.
Are 3 8 and 11mm dovetail the same?
However, that is not the only difference between the two dovetails. They also have different groove angles as shown below. The 11 mm dovetail has a 60-degree angle, while the 3/8” dovetail has a 45-degree angle.
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 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.
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 a dovetail joint be?
After setting up the jig, I installed the recommended dovetail bit and carefully set it to 3/8-inch depth. My jig specifies this depth is measured from the template, not the router base. I set my depth with a combination square so I laid the template on the router base and measured from that surface.
Are dovetail joints worth it?
This adds extreme strength to the drawer box joints. It is almost impossible for the joints to break because of the dovetail cuts as well as it being made from solid wood. In addition to this, most companies will also add the full extension, undermount, soft closing drawer guides.
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.
Which chisel is best for dovetails?
Fishtail Chisels are perfect for reaching the back corners of half-blind dovetails and paring other hard-to-reach areas. Their unique shape offers versatility for right and left hand recesses.
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 a dovetail joint be?
After setting up the jig, I installed the recommended dovetail bit and carefully set it to 3/8-inch depth. My jig specifies this depth is measured from the template, not the router base. I set my depth with a combination square so I laid the template on the router base and measured from that surface.
How deep should dovetails be?
Try to keep the depth of the dovetail groove between 1/3 and 1/2 the thickness of the part. For example, if the gable of a chest of drawers is 3/4″ thick, machine the dovetail groove between 1/4″ and 3/8″ deep. Any deeper and you will weaken the gable too much.
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 dovetails 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.
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 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.
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.
