The sliding dovetail is an nonpareil joint for joining shelves to amp case opus legs cut sliding dovetail joints to a bernard maas demonstrates the steps to press clipping the dovetail shaped mortise. Sliding dovetails and dovetail keys are close cousins of. There are a few methods for creating through dovetails, from hand cutting to machining with a jig. A sliding dovetail joint is one that is not commonly used, but in specific instances, a sliding dovetail joint can be just what your project needs. It is not by chance that i spent some time today turning the veritas small plow into a plane to shape the male section of a sliding dovetail. Limitless jointing system produces the following joints. And if one use of the dovetail stands proud above all others, it is in drawer construction. Last weekend i was demonstrating hand tool joints while building a bedside table night stand at the perth tool event formerly the ln tool event.
The tapered sliding dovetail is one of the most difficult joints in woodworking. Fitted to it, using large sliding dovetails, were three lumps of oak probably about 170 x 70mm. Nov 29, 2014 the dovetail chisel jig blackburn shows is a block with the end cut down to the dovetail angle. Its much easier to assemble when both parts are tapered. Now mark the angle of rear slope by marking a bisecting line, horizontally across the top of the leg. Tapered sliding dovetail using variable angle guides and shims. How to create various dovetail joints the spruce crafts. In order to provide mechanical strength, the side of the board that receives the slope must be the same side of the board that will receive the force. The sliding dovetail joint is typically used for shelf support or drawer construction. A classic through dovetail is beautiful and very strong and adds a touch of class to any piece. Quick and easy setup with the included 4 brass setup bars. Sep 25, 2014 for a table thats not going to take a lot of abuse, i like to use sliding dovetails to join the aprons to the legs. You run the chisel flat across this angled face into the endgrain of the dovetail tongue. Sliding dovetails are assembled by sliding the tail into the socket.
This secretary desk from about 1780 was built by a good country carpenter, notice the dovetails on the side of the drawer, and holding the top and side planks together as well. These are no different from more familiar dovetails except that they are long and solitary. With a router and a dovetail jig you can cut a perfectfitting joint in seconds. The sliding dovetail joint has a number of advantages. Of all wood joinery methods, the through dovetail may be the most revered. Make a variety of professionalquality dovetails and joints with the portercable 12 in. Section 10 casework 280 architectural woodwork standards 2014 awi awmac wi 2nd edition, october 1, 2014 10 table of contents compliance requirements continued general continued.
Sliding dovetail this joint adds a shoulder to the dovetail and requires you to make a. First, theyre stronger because they dont rely solely on glue. Then the dovetail bit set at the same depth as on the joint above is used to cut the dovetail. They assemble easily, and with this process, they are easy to make too. How to cut sliding dovetail joints finewoodworking. A little glue cements the connection, and a good dovetail joint has great strength and durability. Jan 24, 2015 tapered sliding dovetails by hand the slot january 24, 2015 february 26, 2016 alex a. This joint provides the interlocking strength of a dovetail.
With the pieces removed from the jig, test the fit of the joint. Square lines on the upper and lower faces of the top indicating where the left and right cheeks were gauged. Woodworking cut sliding dovetail joints pdf free download cutting the both operations are cut sliding dovetail joints done with the router and to. This is the method i used, and it worked well for me. You dont need a whole lot of fancy tools to create it, just a router, router table and a dovetail bit. A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking. A properly made dovetail joint should terminate at each end with a halfpin, not a halftail. A sliding dovetail joint consists of a long groove with angled sides to serve as the tail for the sliding dovetail joint, while a corresponding long pin is cut into the end of the adjoining board. Sliding dovetail joints are commonly referred to french dovetail joints. If youve got a router table, you can easily make a sliding dovetail and get many of the strength advantages a halfblind or through dovetail would provide.
For accuracy, present the leg to the top and take the marks directly. Sliding dovetails candle stand and the sliding dovetail. For the leigh d4r pro 24 dovetail jig leigh dovetail jigs. Candle stand and the sliding dovetail project guides the. As the tail slides into the socket, the joint gradually locks into place until its rock solid. For this exercise, start by milling a clear piece of wood 1. Apr 02, 2014 the best option i can see is to use is a sliding dovetail joint. For speed and accura cy, a dovetail jig is hard to beat. I mean people who want to make an immoveable joint across the full width of wide boards with as near flawless accuracy as possible. The table consisted of one solid slab of oak, probably over two metres long and over a metre wide. Using the incra routertable fence, you can rout a striking double dovetail joint.
Although this jig can execute finger joints, sliding dovetails, and even throughdovetails when equipped with suitable. Sliding dovetail joints are stronger than dados, and they look better. The sliding tapered dovetail is a very strong joint that is commonly used in drawer dividers, joining a table top to the legs and more. Now i have seen many sliding dovetails thought my lifetime of working wood but the flaw levels in one part or another were always too high. These will enable me to quickly and easily slide the various presses on. It is often used to attach shelves to the sides of a bookcase. An important special type of joint density is one that is constant over a given range a region in the xyplane, and 0 outside outside this. Nov 17, 2009 a sliding dovetail joint has two mating parts. The connection between the legs and the column is formed by sliding dovetail joints. The template guides the router in and out as the dovetails and pins are routed simultaneously. They are easy to make with a router table, and are a self clamping joint when properly made. The sliding dovetail is a method of joining two boards at right angles, where the intersection occurs within the field of one of the boards that is not at the end.
Through sliding dovetail a more complicated joint, this is made in three steps. The only problem is that it can be very fussy to cut. Cut a wide variety of joinery for drawers, boxes and furniture in stock from 14 to 118 in. Check out my websites for further woodworking informati. Interlocking dowel joints and staples rely on the tension and adhesive strength of small areas inside the sections of wood to provide strength. Theyre easy to make using a straight bit and a dovetail bit. This is identical to a sliding dovetail joint however the slope is only on one side of the tongue and slot. Sliding dovetails with the veritas small plow plane. The sliding dovetail is a method of joining two boards at right angles, where. For a table thats not going to take a lot of abuse, i like to use sliding dovetails to join the aprons to the legs. There are very few jigs that can cut this joint, but with our angle guides and shims, router boss can easily cut tapered sliding dovetails.
Recently, i had a project that involved making repetitive precise. This free download sends you on your way to building dovetail furniture with variations of the sliding dovetail and variablespaced dovetails. They are an excellent choice for bookshelves and cabinet making. This pin and slot combination gives the joint great strength and aesthetics but it requires good precision and accuracy during the construction of the. Make dovetail joints without a jig weekend with wood 2015. Jan 19, 2015 the sliding tapered dovetail is a very strong joint that is commonly used in drawer dividers, joining a table top to the legs and more. And, thats a shame, because its a great joint, giving lots of flexibility. May 28, 2015 im often asked how to create sliding dovetails. The sliding dovetail is a method of joining two boards at right angles, where the intersection occurs within the field of one of the boards, that is not at the end. Dovetail joints provide considerable mechanical strength because when the. Nov 17, 2016 the sliding dovetail joint is a beautiful woodworking technique as it does not show visible evidence of how the wood was joined together. The first time i encountered this simple joint was in a table made of 600 year old spanish oak. The key to making them properly is to use the right technique, and having a well tuned router table. The sliding dovetail joint is used when you want to join two pieces of board away from the edges.
But a well fitting joint can be near impossible to slide together. Its a great help to keep a fulllength sample corner on hand for reference. I adapted this slightly, planing the edge of a board to this angle, so that i could set up the board in one spot and move the chisel along it. The relationship between dovetail angle and joint strength pdf. It features a design with template alignment lines as well as router bit depth gauges for easier and efficient projects. Second, the shoulders of the dovetailed piece hide the edges of the slot, much as a tenoned workpiece hides a mortise. It looks intimidating, but let me assure you a 7th grader can make this joint. Sliding dovetails the legs attach to the column by means of dovetails that slide. May 17, 2016 the sliding dovetail joint is a locking joint.
Learn the keys to a quality through dovetail joint and how to create them. Aug 30, 2015 hand cut sliding dovetail joint watch how easy it is to cut a sliding dovetail joint with hand tools. Youll only be able to use sliding dovetails for drawers on which the front will overlay the sides of the opening. In this video frank takes the mystery out of this seemingly. Tapered sliding dovetails aw popular woodworking magazine. How to make a sliding dovetail popular woodworking magazine. This is the total opposite of the through joint insofar as it is completely.
Dont tackle your next halfblind dovetail assignment until you check out this expert advice. Clamp short boards on your leigh dovetail jig adjustable width. If you havent made a sliding dovetail joint before, this is a perfect place to start. A soft mallet can then be used to drive the joint home. This is a common joint in cabinetry, particularly with drawers.
Your woodworking with a french dovetail axerophthol sliding dovetail spliff thats made totally on the router table with essentially one setup. The sliding dovetail joint is created by joining 2 wood boards at 90 degree angles, where the they intersect different than other types of dovetail joints. Sliding dovetails provide several advantages over a dado joint. With it, the slender sides of a large drawer can be so securely joined to the front and back that, overladen as it might be, when you pull the handle, the entire drawer follows. Sliding dovetails slip perfectly in place paul sellers blog. Alternative types of the joint, with the dovetail joint transformed into 3d to accommodate 347 or 25 members joining in essence the geometric transformation that creates the universal dovetail joint is a global grammar covering the cases where the dovetail joint is transformed for polygonal arrangements of members. They intersect by sliding the tail of one board into the middle socket of the other.
It is common to slightly taper the socket, making it. As you might expect, it is the right option for wooden drawer slides as you can simply slide the drawer in and out but not up or down. Dovetails a clue for dating antiques the harp gallery. The dovetail joint is one of the hardest if not the hardest woodwork joint to construct and as its name suggests the joint consists of pins that look like dovetails which interlock into slots. Make sure the cutter can rotate without touch ing either the guidebush. And the exposed dovetail provides a visible signature of your craftsmanship. Uncategorized sliding dovetails, the woodwright shop in my continuing quest to not be embarrassingly bad at hand tool work i decided to add a learning project to the queue of house projects demanding attention. This is the joinery i opted to use for the assembly of the press stands.
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