Basic dovetail layout info needed.

[Rob Matarazzo]

I am going to be using hand cut dovetails to make a small cabinet (roughly 13" x 7") out of 1" nominal pine. I've been researching the technique and finding a ton of info on making the cuts. However, I'm coming up empty regarding guidelines on laying out the dovetails. While I realize this is not super critical, there must be some basic rules of thumb right? Specifically, for a given size joint, type of wood, etc.,, how wide should the tails be and how many of them should there be?

[Sean Hughto]

There is lots of room for variation. In a small carcass 7" deep, I would say as few as three or as many as maybe 9. All of the tails don't have to be the same either. You can make a design statement with a larger one in the middle etc. There are no rules on numbering or spacing. With pine, I would suggest a slope oaround 1:6 however, as opposed to the 1:8 ratio often used in hardwoods.

[David Turner]

Rob: I make boxes for Christmas each year that measure 6 to 8" high X 10 to 14" long X 6 to 8" deep and never use materials thicker than 7/16" and usually only 3/8" thick so I wonder about your 1" nominal material. All boxes start and end with a half pin and typically have 1 1/4 to 1 1/2" spacing between the remaining pins. My pins for the 3/8 or 7/16" thick material is 1/8" at the outside edge and 1/4" at the inside edge whatever angle that ends up being.
Hope this helps.

David Turner
Plymouth, MI.

[Sean Hughto]

Here's a pic of a drawer box I made that is roughly 6" high. These are overkill as far as strength, but to judge looks it may be useful - I dunno.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2427/3575129018_e4d888a0cc_z.jpg

[john brenton]

It depends on what kind of look you're going for. I like the look of dovetails spaced by eye, and I'm not sure about the spacing, but I would probably do five pins on something 6", half-tails on the outside. One pin in the middle, two pins close to the outside, and the other two on either side inbetween the middle pin and the outside pin. My pins are usually much smaller than the tail. This way has more a country craftsman look to it than a refined furniture look.

[Jim Koepke]

Dovetails are one of the things that each person must make their own decision on the size and spacing. The use and needs of the project should be the deciding factor.

Mine tend to get spaced so the bottom of the tail is slightly wider than the chisel to be used for clearing the waste on the pin board. The tails are spaced to allow for a bit more room than the chisel used to clear the waste between the tails.

For some hanging cabinets I wanted the pins and tails to be approximately the same size. This is not as visually pleasing as having very small pins between the tails, but it does help with the strength.

Since this is something that is often repeated in my shop a guide was made for the lay out. It can also be used with smaller work.

203732

Good thing you didn't ask about whether you should cut the pins or the tails first. IMO, it doesn't matter.

jtk

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Last time I did dovetails, I started feeling lazy and after laying out a pattern, I decided not to cut out some of the middle pins, leaving one large tail in the middle. It ended up looking nice. (maybe it was the other way around; a large pin and not a large tail? I don't think so, though.)

I will say, if for some cockamamie reason, you decide to cut other elements of the joinery (say a groove for a back or bottom) after doing your pins and tails, remember to lay them out and see how they may or may not impact things or reveal themselves later. It'd be a shame to end up with a situation where you end up with a groove that has to be stopped or hidden to prevent it from being shown in both the tails *and* the pins. DAMHIKT.

Jim also has a good point in bringing up sizing your joinery around the tools you have - if you've a limited set of chisels at your disposal, it can be a hassle when you cut your joinery too small to use one chisel, but large enough it takes too many passes with the next size down. (The obvious answer here of course, is to buy more chisels.)

[Rob Matarazzo]

I should add that in this particular case, the visual aspect will be relatively unimportant since the joints will be covered in the finished item. (It will be a guitar amp.) So I'm looking for guidelines based on structural concerns. The original item that this is being modeled after used machine cut finger joints. I'm using dovetails because I'm doing it by hand.

[John A. Callaway]

Use a sliding bevel or order a dovetail marker from LV , and you will need a wheel marking gauge. For your situation, there is no need for super fine pins. Pins and tails can be about the same size, and a little big to make the joints easier to cut and to clean out with chisels.

[Trevor Walsh]

I agree DT marking gages are sexy.
203782

[Rob Matarazzo]

Thanks for the advice gentlemen. I've decided on four tails with pins and tails about equal size.

[Mike Henderson]

Thanks for the advice gentlemen. I've decided on four tails with pins and tails about equal size.
I'm a little late but here's (http://www.mikes-woodwork.com/ThroughDovetails.htm)a tutorial on dovetails that also includes layout. I prefer pins smaller than the tails.

Mike

[Rob Matarazzo]

Perfect Mike. Thanks much!