Childrens Toy Box

[Matt Brawley]

I was commissioned to build a children's toy box (my first paying project :)), and I have a question about some of the joinery. I was thinking to connect the sides to the front and back with a sliding dovetail joint, but I am a little afraid that this will break along the grain since it will be running with it. Anyone done this before, or am I just over analyzing this?

[Lee Schierer]

It will depend on how close to the edge you make the joints. If you try to make the corenrs flush then you will end up with a pretty weak joint. Move the joint back 1/2" and the joint will be siginificantly stronger.

[Greg Hawthorne]

Build a prototype and test to destruction (which is what the toybox owners will probably do). At the same time, try a butt-jointed box glued with Kleiberit 303 and subject it to the same abuse. Choose the option that proves the most robust (my money is on the latter).

[Jamie Buxton]

I was commissioned to build a children's toy box (my first paying project :)), and I have a question about some of the joinery. I was thinking to connect the sides to the front and back with a sliding dovetail joint, but I am a little afraid that this will break along the grain since it will be running with it. Anyone done this before, or am I just over analyzing this?

So you're saying that the grain direction in the sides, front, and back, all run up-down in the box? A glued butt joint will be stronger than a sliding dovetail. If the grain directions are something else, then other joints may be justified.