Sliding Dovetail Drawer Construction

And i have used this traditional woodworking joint in many.

Sliding dovetail drawer construction. Theyre easy to make using a straight bit and a dovetail bit. For years i thought the joints were for only the best woodworkers and would be difficult if not impossible to master. The sides and back of the drawer should be 12 or 58 thick. Youve probably seen a drawing of the sliding dovetail joint.

In this video i show how to make a sliding dovetail and a housed sliding dovetail using power tools. Its a handy way to fit drawer fronts in projects where the drawers run on metal slides. Sliding dovetail drawers sliding dovetails arent just for building bookcases. The floor panel grain runs crosswise to the drawers depth as is uh was standard in western drawer making.

The sliding dovetail can be tricky to assemble however the thin panel can be flexed to open the dovetail slot greatly facilitating assembly. For a 12 in wide sliding dovetail first remove some waste from the socket with a 14 in. Set up the fence so that the 14 in. First theyre stronger because they dont rely solely on glue.

This technique works extremely well for constructing drawers that will be mounted with mechanical drawer slides. Second the shoulders of the dovetailed piece hide the edges of the slot much as a tenoned workpiece hides a mortise. While they do take some planning and careful setup they are achievable for the average home woodworker. Sliding dovetails provide several advantages over a dado joint.

Strong and versatile the sliding dovetail joint has many applications from case construction to leg and rail joinery. How to make this joint is a question i get asked all the time. When you follow these in structions youll end up with an inset drawer that has a perfect 12 wide space for a drawer slide. And the exposed dovetail provides a visible signature of your craftsmanship.

After you watch this take a look at mitchs video with the link above. Bit is centered exactly in the dado and use a backer board if it is a through cut. I dont even need to taper the sliding dovetail. A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery carpentry including furniture cabinets log buildings and traditional timber framingnoted for its resistance to being pulled apart tensile strength the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the fronta series of pins cut to extend from the end of one board.

For the woodworker building furniture and cabinets the sliding dovetail is a joint well worth mastering. In general the drawer front should be 34 thick unless its a drawer with a false front false front drawers are a simple drawer box with the front screwed to the box.