Dovetailed drawers -- Can the drawer fronts be wider (taller) than the drawer sides??

[George Bokros]

I have the PC 4216 Dovetail jig and am planning to make drawers where the drawer front is wider (taller) than the drawer sides, can this be done and if so how do you set up the jig. It appears to me that drawer fronts and side must be the same width (height) for this to work. These will be inset drawers not overlay drawers. The drawer fronts will be 4 1/16" tall and the sides were planned at 3 5/8" to work per recommendation in the PC jig manual.

I am planning to use the mini template for cutting the dovetails.

Thanks for the help.

[scott vroom]

I have the PC 4216 Dovetail jig and am planning to make drawers where the drawer front is wider (taller) than the drawer sides, can this be done and if so how do you set up the jig. It appears to me that drawer fronts and side must be the same width (height) for this to work. These will be inset drawers not overlay drawers. The drawer fronts will be 4 1/16" tall and the sides were planned at 3 5/8" to work per recommendation in the PC jig manual.

I am planning to use the mini template for cutting the dovetails.

Thanks for the help.


Don't see why not. Make just enough cuts on the taller drawer front to match the cuts on the shorter drawer sides.

[lowell holmes]

I think blind dovetails are what I would do when the front is wider than the drawer box.

[Dave Zellers]

Here is an example with the extra at the bottom.

294787

I think what I did was make a spacer and used that to position the board in the jig where needed.

[George Bokros]

I think blind dovetails are what I would do when the front is wider than the drawer box.

I am planning half blind dovetails for the drawers.

[Mike Cutler]

Yes

There is an addendum online to the instructions you received with your jig. There are also many You Tube Videos on the jig use.
A spacer equal to the difference in the material width will need to be made, and it needs to be exact.
You will work from the left and right side of the jig. Set the stops on both sides.
The spacer is inserted between the material and jig stop for the tails. Do the tails first, with the spacers. Make sure you mark your sides. The side facing out is the inside of the drawer.
You really, really have to keep track of which side is out, which side is left, right and the orientation of the front.

[George Bokros]

Yes

There is an addendum online to the instructions you received with your jig. There are also many You Tube Videos on the jig use.
A spacer equal to the difference in the material width will need to be made, and it needs to be exact.
You will work from the left and right side of the jig. Set the stops on both sides.
The spacer is inserted between the material and jig stop for the tails. Do the tails first, with the spacers. Make sure you mark your sides. The side facing out is the inside of the drawer.
You really, really have to keep track of which side is out, which side is left, right and the orientation of the front.

Thanks Mike. I have the addendum but didn't see anything in it about this. In will look at it again. For half blind dovetails the instructions say to cut pins and tails at the same time. It sounds like you are saying not to cut them at the same time, is that correct or are you referring to through dovetails?

Thanks

[Max Neu]

Maybe your design doesn't allow for it,but you could just make them the standard way for that jig and make the drawer front a separate piece.

[George Bokros]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have been able to make it work with your suggestions. These drawers are push through so the they have a front on both front and back. Getting the second side pins and tails to line up with the dado for the bottom so it (the dado) does not show is now the challenge.

I will keep it at and will eventually get it.

[Pat Barry]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have been able to make it work with your suggestions. These drawers are push through so the they have a front on both front and back. Getting the second side pins and tails to line up with the dado for the bottom so it (the dado) does not show is now the challenge.

I will keep it at and will eventually get it.
Maybe its too late for you but cutting the slot for the bottom piece could be done last

[George Bokros]

Maybe its too late for you but cutting the slot for the bottom piece could be done last

True however you need the pins and tails in exactly the same place on both ends of the sides and fronts for the dado to come out in the right place and not show. My project has push through drawers so there are fronts on both sides so both the front and back will have dovetails.

[Mike Cutler]

Thanks Mike. I have the addendum but didn't see anything in it about this. In will look at it again. For half blind dovetails the instructions say to cut pins and tails at the same time. It sounds like you are saying not to cut them at the same time, is that correct or are you referring to through dovetails?

Thanks

George

Oops, sorry, I was referring to through dovetails, but it is the tails of the half blind that are your reference. You do have to be careful though because when the materials are not equal width one of two situations happens. You either need to router into the pin board with no material to back the bit, because the tail board is offset, or you don't want to router into the tail board and need to be aware of when to stop the router. I'm no expert at this, believe me.
When I was building our kitchen drawers, which are 1/2 blinds on the fronts, with the face of the drawers being wider than the sides, I had to use that offset spacer and some sacrificial material to prevent blowout. In my case the wider section of the drawer front extends down to hide the bottom mount drawer slides.

[Grant Wilkinson]

What about making the sides the same height as the front and back for the dovetails, then ripping them to final height afterwards?