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Dovetailing for a hand-cut look       Advice on getting a hand-cut look when dovetailing by machine, and reasons not to do it. June 13, 2001

Question
I'd like to give my dovetailed drawer boxes a "hand-cut" look but need to keep my methods production oriented. Any ideas?

Forum Responses
Variable dovetail spacing can be achieved with the Leigh jig. You might try irregular spacing and run a scribe line along the tails to imitate the line required to hand cut them.



Keep your pins thin. Quality hand-crafted dovetails always display this feature.


I second the Leigh jig for the situation you describe. The ability to space the dovetails where you want them will definitely give the look of a hand-cut dovetail without sacrificing production that is needed when building several drawers at once.


Why not be honest and let hand-cut dovetails look like hand-cut dovetails and let machine cut dovetails look like machine cut dovetails? If you are trying to get the aesthetic quality of hand-cut dovetails, machine cut dovetails can be very beautiful without imitating hand-cut. Let's be honest in our industry and leave some room for real hand craftsmanship.


No woodworker can dovetail with the precision of a machine. "High-end" and "hand-made look" are seldom compatible goals. Do it right. Build to last. Cabinetmakers of yore cut dovetails by hand because they had no choice. We have better tools -- use them. If it will ease your marketing conscience, you can always faux-finish the drawer sides with cupids and putti. But if the drawer is functioning 200 years from now, it won't end in a landfill, fashion follies notwithstanding.


The comments below were added after this Forum discussion was archived as a Knowledge Base article (add your comment).

Comment from contributor A:
Cut the dovetails with your tablesaw. Have a blade resharpened for the angle you want. I have mine ground for 9°, but cut most of mine at 7°. The narrower angle leaves a very small amount to pare out. It will look hand cut, because no router bit will let you get beneath 1/4 wide for the base of your pins, and with a sawblade, you can get down to about .071".

I have homemade router gadgets for making the little pins for this. You wouldn't want to cut a million tails or pins like this, but they will look hand cut - every one will have a slight variation in width. Of course, no one will apreciate the difference, unless you take the time to explain it to them.


Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below?
  • KnowledgeBase: Cabinetmaking

  • KnowledgeBase: Cabinetmaking: Commercial Cabinetry

  • KnowledgeBase: Cabinetmaking: Custom Cabinet Construction

  • KnowledgeBase: Cabinetmaking: General

  • KnowledgeBase: Woodworking Miscellaneous

  • KnowledgeBase: Woodworking Miscellaneous: Accessories

  • KnowledgeBase: Knowledge Base




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