Mitred dovetails
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Hi all,
I’ve been trying to make a picture frame dovetail box with a raised panel lid and bottom which i am going to make in one piece and cut in half. The box is only small 8″ x 8″ and 4″ high. It’s made from 1/2″ pine.
I thought it would look good to make mitred dovetail joints on the top and bottom but it’s not going well!
Does anyone have any tips / experience of making mitred dovetails that they can share?
The tails and pins are comming out OK but you could drive a coach and horses through the gap in the mitres 🙁
Are we going to see mitred through dovetails on WWMC at some point?
Currently wishing I’d just gone for the ‘ordinary’ through dovetail.
Bill, I’m not sure what you are trying to do, could you post a picture?
-Canada
I believe this is what you’re looking for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGPhO0TmYXo
And another one by Chris Schwarz, tails first this time 🙂
Thanks @nir – I had come across these videos, which is one if the reasons I thought of giving it a try.
I’m wondering if my problem is that having the mitred corner makes the joint less forgiving of even slightly cupped boards or boards of slightly varying thickness- I prepare everything by hand as best I can.
I’ll just keep practising I think – maybe I need to improve my basic dovetails first!
It’d be good to know if Paul will be showing a joint like this in any of the upcomming projects on WWMC.
I’ll try and post a picture of how I get on.
The secrete mitre dovetail probably hardest joint to do.
Timber must be perfect for the mitres to work.In the end the mitres of the joint are more important than the dovetails.
I would improve on through dovetails first. Then lapped dovetails after that.Dagenham, Essex, England
Thanks Mark.
I’m not even going there with secret mitred dovetails yet. I’m just trying to make through dovetails but with mitred shoulders.
You’re right about having to get the timber dimensioned accurately though or, even if the dovetails fit well, the mitres can still be out.
I was cutting the mitre at 45 degrees using my combination square to mark the angle. After thinking about it a bit it is obvious that the angle of the mitre will only be 45 degrees if the two joining pieces are exactly the same thickness.
I think I’m getting there but this is going to take a little practice!
Try the saw kerf trick, spread the boards so there is just a smidgen of a gap, then saw down at 45 or there abouts, it should make em fit snug.
-Canada
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