Dovetails on thick (50mm/2" +) wood?
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Tagged: dovetails, thick wood, workbench
- This topic has 4 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 12 months ago by Jukka Huuskonen.
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26 April 2018 at 6:15 am #533412
Hi,
I’m making a small workbench and connecting top with dovetails with wood that is over 50mm/2″ thick and 200mm/8″ wide. Wood is Nordic pineDoes the thickness cause some problems?
I’m planning to make 2 dovetails with 1/6 ratio. Does that sound feasible or is there something that I should take into consideration with it?
Any input is appreciated.
26 April 2018 at 7:06 am #533418I have several dovetails on my bench through 4”x3” in walnut and cherry.
Should be no problem.
The only thing I remember is that fitting took a little longer.
I’d fit them the same day I cut them, so wood movement isn’t an issue.
- This reply was modified 6 years ago by Larry Geib.
- This reply was modified 6 years ago by Larry Geib.
In addition to Larry’s good advice above, when dovetails get really thick, sawing squarely becomes more and more of an issue, as you can imagine. If even just a single dovetail is just a little bit wedge-shaped, the wedging action will be magnified by the thickness of the wood, and so it’s easier to split the pin board. Or, if the wedge is pointing the other direction, you’ll have a tight fit initially, and then a gap you cannot close when the tail is fully seated.
For thick dovetails, I’ll use a dovetail blade in my little combination square (like this: https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/prodimg/ms/big/MS-DSQ_R_big.jpg) and check both angled sides of each dovetail and the floors between them. Take the time to really perfect those tails and you’ll be rewarded during the fitting process.
I imagine using a dovetail sawing guide might help this issue if you have one, but can’t say for sure.
As for the angle of the tail, I think it’s meaningless, as long as it’s not something ridiculous like 1 in 4000 or 1 in .0000001. Pick one that looks good to your eye.
26 April 2018 at 4:44 pm #533612Thanks guys,
I’ll try to keep your advice in mind. Unfortunately I don’t have that small combisquare, so I’ll have to do with my 300mm combisquare. At least the tails will be quite big, so I think I can manage with it.
1 May 2018 at 4:46 pm #537917Hey guys,
I’m thinking about making the dovetail with shoulder like in the pic here (except mine will be with 2 tails)
[attachment file=537918]
Does it actually add any strength/stability to the joint? Is it worth trouble making it?
Or should I just make the dovetail full length?
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