Dovetailed bin

[Richard Verwoest]

Has anyone used a PC dovetail jig for drawers sides wider than 12 inches? I need to make some laundry bins about 28" deep. Was thinking there has to be some way to at least use the template separate from the base.

Thanks,

Richard

[Doug Hepler]

Richard:

You are on the right track. There is an Advanced Instruction Manual available on the internet that describes, among other things, how to use the templates without the jig, e.g., on a router table or with a template mounted on a clamping board. Use of a clamping board allows the template to be brought to the work and allows joints to be cut in boards of unlimited length.
www.portercable.com/jigs/dovetail/SupplementalManual.pdf

Doug

[Cody Jensen]

Just out of my own curiosity, do you really need dovetails on a joint that long? It seems like there would be better (faster) ways of making that joint that would be strong enough. I am still doing mostly "construction" type projects, so I could be wrong on this.

[Richard Verwoest]

Thanks for the link Doug. Lots of good info in that manual. Though my plan was to use half blind dovetails. Got my wheels turning though.

Cody, any suggestions? These bins will be used for laundry. So I am guessing they would get a lot of use and abuse.

Richard

[Doug Hepler]

Richard,

Consider a simple rabbeted joint, but if you think they will be knocked around, consider a tongue-and-rabbet joint AKA blind rabbeted joint (see http://www.rockler.com/how-to/basic-rabbet-joints/) Or you could use a favorite of mine -- a corner tongue-and-groove (see figure) This joint is straightforward to make. It is strong and will hide plywood ends. I have made them on a TS with a dado stack. You can also make them on a router table, of course. After that, I would consider box joints, dovetails, and finally lock miter.

Lock miter will be the most elegant but will be the most difficult to master if you are not familiar with them. They require a specialized bit, and specialized push shoes. Setup is a bit of a PITA and you have to cut them precisely. But I have found the investment of time and money worth it because now they are my go-to joint if I have to make more than one or two larger plywood boxes. It depends on your priority to learn a new joint or get the job done.

If you want to take the plunge into lock miter joints let me know because I have some notes that might interest you

Doug

346768

[Richard Verwoest]

Thanks for all your effort Doug. I do have a lock miter bit. Tried it once, not very successful. That may be the better route though. Yes, I am interested in your notes. If it helps, I plan to make these out of 5/8 ply, with 5/8 ply as the bottom also.

Richard