Half blind dovetails

[Bruce Nash]

ok..a newbie question..is it necessary to clamp HB dovetail joints?...and do you clamp them from both directions if you do?

[Bruce Page]

Bruce, I don’t use any clamps at all, as long as everything is square & tight.

Welcome to SMC

[Jim Rimmer]

Bruce, I don’t use any clamps at all, as long as everything is square & tight.

Welcome to SMC
I clamp mine from both directions but wonder why? As Bruce says, if they are tight, why would you need to clamp?

[John Grabowski]

I dont clamp them either...Yeah, if they are tight, clamps are not needed.

John G

[Lee Schierer]

I sometimes use a clamp to push a dovetail into position if the glue swells the tails a bit. Whatever you do make sure you check for square before the glue sets up. DAMHIKT.

[Mike Henderson]

It depends on how well you made the dovetails. If they're nice and tight you can generally just glue them without clamps. But if you cut them a bit loose, you can use epoxy (for gap filling qualities) and clamp them tight. This may leave a small bit of a gap between the pins and tails but the epoxy will fill.

Of course, you want properly fitting dovetails if they will show, but sometimes, especially with half blinds, you're putting them in a place where no one will see them (example, attaching the bottom of a chest or cabinet to the sides) so you can "cheat" a little. What's important in these hidden dovetails is how the side and bottom look at the intersection from the inside, not how the dovetails themselves look - so you want the boards pulled tight.

Mike

[bob hertle]

I tend to cut them a bit tight, and usually need a clamp to push them home, but then I remove the clamp. I check for square before the glue sets up as Lee said.

Bob

[Frank Drew]

Once I'm confident of the fit, I apply some glue and tap the joints home with a hammer and a block of wood. Then check that the diagonals are equal and put the assembly on a flat surface, like your work bench top, to make sure it doesn't dry in wind.