Dovetails on benches

[Richard Hutchings]

I see these all the time. My bench just has the end boards screwed on and has work fine all these years. Are these normal breadboards with dovetails just at the face end? I've always wondered about this. I really can't imagine making a double dovetail all the way across a bench but someday, I would like to attempt the look, just for fun.

[chris carter]

In some cases these dovetails are just decorative. Other times it’s structural. In my case it’s structural because the dovetails, along with a breadboard M&T, is what holds on the inner chop of my vise. The vise hardware is attached to the inner chop so pinching something between dogs literally wants to rip the chop off the bench.
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Here’s a shot of the breadboard. You’ll see that the half-blind dovetail sockets are in there.
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The pieces that have the tails are separate. So the top is glued together without the final front and back pieces. Then they are glued on to the sides of the bench and into the half-blind dovetail sockets.
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Because of the twin screw vise this was rather complicated. But if you were just capping off the end of the bench it would be the same thing, just a lot simpler.

[Derek Cohen]

I see these all the time. My bench just has the end boards screwed on and has work fine all these years. Are these normal breadboards with dovetails just at the face end? I've always wondered about this. I really can't imagine making a double dovetail all the way across a bench but someday, I would like to attempt the look, just for fun.

I wrote this up when I made mine …

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/BuidingaBench4.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[John C Cox]

The ends and tops of benches take a giant beating. I've seen many with sacrificial tops made of some semi-squishy 1/2" thick paperish stuff. (I forget the name now, but it's like corkboard made of paper.) It's great because when it gets really beat up, you can re-top it... Same for ends... Bolt them on.... Made out of something cheap and stable that won't ding up your edges/teeth on contact... like white pine...

I would much rather bruise my bench than the work.

[Tom Bussey]

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You can see the dove tails on all four corners.

[Richard Hutchings]

OK, I'm seriously drooling and I think I have enough room for one of those. Of course, I would make it out construction lumber. Having used my construction lumber bench for so many years now, I don't think I could be happier. Oh man, now you've got me thinking about going down this rabbit hole.