Troubleshooting Dovetail Joints

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Made test cuts today to learn about cutting DT's. Going to start my drawers tomorrow. I had very good luck starting out with oak scraps. A joint was loose and I flipped the scrap around and cut a new pc after raising the bit 1/64, that tightened it perfect. My question..(since im out of scrap) if I start with a loose joint, can I bump the bit higher 1/64 and re cut the same joint and make it tighter. I did re cut some joints today and corrected different problems. I was thinking...I work hard and mill my drawer parts and sand ect...Make a cut and it is to loose..(wasted material) can I raise the bit and recut that joint? (tighten it up) If I had more scrap I would test myself to see if it would work.
Thanks
Johnny

[Edward Oleen]

which jig are you using? I use the Keller jig, and the joints come out the same tightness each and every time.

[Johnnyy Johnson]

I am using a somewhat new Rockler,making half blind joints...Thanks

[Jason Beam]

The answer to your specific question is no. A loose dovetail joint is missing wood, cutting more away won't fix it :)

[Jim Dwight]

If you haven't already cut your parts to size, leave them long. Then you can recut the joint, if necessary, after trimming the "bad" joint off. I also dovetail the backs. If that is your plan but you've already cut to length, you could cut the less conspicuous back joint first.

I like to start with parts a couple inches long, just in case. I also have a little jig in a drawer under my dovetail jig that I use for depth. It is just a U shaped piece of scrap with a screw in the middle of the U. When I had the depth right of the router bit, I adjusted the screw to just touch the bit. Now I can reset to that depth much more easily. I also have a face piece with the joint cut correctly in the drawer for checking the side stops. Setup is critical but much easier with simple setup jigs.

[Thomas Wilson]

Just get some 1/2 plywood project panel from Home Depot. The wood does not have to be the same thickness to test the depth of cut. You will have to adjust the clamps to the thickness.

I have a formula for calculating the depth. I can type it up and send it if you are a mathematically inclined woodworker.