New Dovetail Joint Assignemnt

Dovetail Joints 

 

By: Sam, Lex, Alex 

October 1, 2024 

 

What Is a Dovetail Joint? 

A dovetail joint is a series of overlapping, flared connectors that join two pieces of wood. The connectors are called tails and pins. When viewing the face of the board, the tails resemble a dove's tail. So do the pins when viewing the end grain. 

The gaps between tails are called pin sockets, with the gaps between pins known as tail sockets. Pins and tails interlock perfectly; properly made dovetails slide together and apart in one direction. The multiple points of contact provide plenty of space for glue to adhere. 

Types of Dovetail Joints 

The different types and variations of dovetail joints include: 

• Dovetail lap joints: A half-lap joint cut in the shape of a dovetail. 
• Half-Blind dovetails: In these, the pins and tails are hidden. Half-blind dovetails are only revealed when moved, opened or seen from a certain angle, like behind a drawer face. In a through dovetail, both the dovetails and pins are visible. 
• Sliding dovetails: Also known as "French dovetails," these are essentially dado joints cut as a dovetail. Sliding dovetails do not have pins, just a single deep dovetail and accompanying dado. 
• Mitered dovetails: These join two boards at a right angle, with the material cut to 45 degrees. Mitered dovetails can be blind, half-blind or through. 

Common Uses for Dovetail Joints 

Dovetail joints usually appear when the woodworker wants a particularly strong joint or to show off their skills. 

Far and away the most common use is in cabinetry, especially in drawer construction. Many consumers look for dovetails as a visual shorthand for quality construction. Dovetails are also show up in furniture construction and sometimes in carpentry. 

Dovetail Joint Advantages and Disadvantages 

Like all types of joints, dovetails come with advantages and disadvantages. 

Advantages 

• Beautiful: It's undeniable. Dovetails are attractive in almost any application. 
• Strong: The interlocking tails and pins resist force in all directions but one. They also provide many faces for glue to adhere, strengthening the joint even more. 
• Displays quality work: If you want to impress someone or charge a little more for your work, visible dovetails are a good way to do it. 

Disadvantages 

• Complicated: Though well within reach of most beginner or intermediate woodworkers, it's a skill that requires practice. If the tails and pins are not cleanly cut, the joint will have gaps or pinches, resulting in a less attractive and weaker connection. 

 

 

History 

The dovetail joint technique probably pre-dates written history. Some of the earliest known examples of the dovetail joint are in ancient Egyptian furniture entombed with mummies dating from First Dynasty, the tombs of Chinese emperors, and a stone pillar at the Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple in India. The dovetail design is an important method of distinguishing various periods of furniture. 

The etymology of the name comes from the resemblance between the tenon or mortise of the joint to the shape of a dove's tail .[2] In Europe, the dovetail joint is sometimes called a swallowtail joint, a culvertail joint (culver also means 'dove'), or a fantail joint.[ 

 

Dovetailed woodworking joints on a Romanian church 

 

 

Stone pillar at the Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple 

 

Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple 

Dovetail Joint Tools 

. Dovetail Saws or tenon saw 

. Dovetail markers 

. Coping saw 

. Chisels 

. Router 

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