Dovetailing for a hand-cut look

Home » Knowledge Base » Knowledge Base Article





	Today's Sponsors: RouterCAD Royce Ayr Cutting Tools RT Machine Co. Safety Speed Cut Sand-Rite Manufacturing Sandman Products Saw Trax Mfg. Sawmill and Woodlot Magazine Schmalz, Inc. Schultz Forming Products SCM Group USA, Inc. SCM Group SCM SDN Contracting Seagrave Coatings Corporation Sears Trostel Lumber Co. Shade Dri Shomaker Lumber Company ShopBot SII Dry Kilns Silvaris Simantech SIS Machinery SK-USA SketchList SlipCon USA, Inc. SnapDragon Associates, LLC SNX Technologies South State Machinery South Texas Moulding Southeast Tool, Inc. Specialtytools.com SprayGunWorld.com NPO BARS Nydree Flooring Nyle Dry Kiln Systems O'Shea Lumber Company Old Mississippi Brick and Heart Pine Company OMGA, Inc. Omnitech Systems Onsrud Cutter Opti-Sand Original Saw Company Osolnik Machinery & Supplies Patton Cabinet Doors Paul Saws and Systems People Logic Software Corp. Pinske Edge Pioneer Lumber Company Planit Solutions Inc. plastiMACH Plogic Solutions Ltd. Pond Cove Paint Porter-Cable Precision Drive Systems Precision Saw Sharpeners Premium Specialty Hardwoods Pricecutter.com Prime Estimating and Software Services, LLC Pro.Woodworker.com Pro100 Professional Hardware & Supply Co. Quality VAKuum Products, Inc. Quick Machinery Company Quickscrews International Corporation QuickScribe QuickWood QuikDrawers Quis Machinery R&R Drummond, Inc. R.A.W. R.D. Billhofer Company Rangate Rawles-Aden Lumber Corp. RazorGage Restoration Specialists Rex Lumber Company Riethmiller Lumber Ritter Manufacturing Inc. Rockler Woodworking and Hardware Roger Shaw and Associates Rose Machinery Routech

WOODWEB DISCLAIMS any and all RESPONSIBILITY and LIABILITY for the accuracy and application of the information below. Readers agree to evaluate the significance and limitations of the information provided, and accept full responsibility for the application of this information. Read More ...

Would you like to add information to this article?
Interested in writing or submitting an article?
Have a question about this article?

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

Would you like to add information to this article? ... Click Here

If you have a question regarding a Knowledge Base article, your best chance at uncovering an answer is to search the entire Knowledge Base for related articles or to post your question at the appropriate WOODWEB Forum. Before posting your message, be sure to review our Forum Guidelines.

Questions entered in the Knowledge Base Article comment form will not generate responses! A list of WOODWEB Forums can be found at WOODWEB's Site Map.

When you post your question at the Forum, be sure to include references to the Knowledge Base article that inspired your question. The more information you provide with your question, the better your chances are of receiving responses.

Return to beginning of article.

Refer a Friend || Read This Important Information || Site Map || Privacy Policy

Letters, questions or comments? E-Mail us and let us know what you think. Be sure to review our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Contact us to discuss advertising or to report problems with this site.

To report a problem, send an e-mail to our Webmaster

Copyright © 1996-2008 - WOODWEB ® Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without permission of the Editor.
Review WOODWEB's Copyright Policy.

The editors, writers, and staff at WOODWEB try to promote safe practices. What is safe for one woodworker under certain conditions may not be safe for others in different circumstances. Readers should undertake the use of materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk.

WOODWEB, Inc.
RR4 Box 265A
Montrose, PA 18801

Contact WOODWEB