Al Navas
09-28-2006, 10:45 AM
This is for drawers where, for example, the width of the front board is greater than the side and back boards.
Asymmetric dovetails in my example means simply that the width of the drawer front is a different width than the width of the sides and back; there are many types of asymmetric dovetails, so this case is limited. See the first photo for the existing drawer I was trying to reproduce. I needed four drawers for cabinets we bought at an auction locally.
In the case of a drop-front drawer, the front half-pin is much wider that the top half-pin. In this case, one would use the right-hand side of the D4 dovetail jig, to transfer the layout (Figure 13-16 of the D4 User Guide). I did not want to do this, because I wanted as simple as possible :D .
I found it quicker to simply cut a spacer to the proper width - see photos 2 to 4. I can cut a space much quicker than I can transfer the layout to the right-hand side of the D4. In my example, the difference in board widths was 0.910", easy enough to cut on the table saw.
The left side of the front board and the side boards (tails) are all routed with the spacer in place, since the layout must remain identical.
For the right side of the drawer fronts I removed the spacer, which gives a perfect layout for the pins.
The 5th photo shows the finished half-blind dovetails (sides) in one drawer front, as it sat on the turntable in the finishing room. It looks like a good fit! :cool:Important stuff to remember (my suggestions):
Always work with test boards to ensure you are happy with the layout and you get the fit just right.
This will ensure you get the procedure correctly. To illustrate: By the end of the day, tired, I easily got confused and was NOT able to properly cut the pins for the drawer fronts. I called Leigh, talked to Barry in Tech Support, sent him photos, and he set me straight (below):
ALWAYS mark the IN surfaces of the side boards (TAILS in my example); ALWAYS mark the OUT surfaces of the BACK boards (PINS in my example). AND always ensure that the marked surfaces are OUT in the jig. This way you always make sure that you are cutting the proper side of the boards, which is CRITICAL when cutting dovetails.I hope this helps someone some day;) . Enjoy!
Al
Asymmetric dovetails in my example means simply that the width of the drawer front is a different width than the width of the sides and back; there are many types of asymmetric dovetails, so this case is limited. See the first photo for the existing drawer I was trying to reproduce. I needed four drawers for cabinets we bought at an auction locally.
In the case of a drop-front drawer, the front half-pin is much wider that the top half-pin. In this case, one would use the right-hand side of the D4 dovetail jig, to transfer the layout (Figure 13-16 of the D4 User Guide). I did not want to do this, because I wanted as simple as possible :D .
I found it quicker to simply cut a spacer to the proper width - see photos 2 to 4. I can cut a space much quicker than I can transfer the layout to the right-hand side of the D4. In my example, the difference in board widths was 0.910", easy enough to cut on the table saw.
The left side of the front board and the side boards (tails) are all routed with the spacer in place, since the layout must remain identical.
For the right side of the drawer fronts I removed the spacer, which gives a perfect layout for the pins.
The 5th photo shows the finished half-blind dovetails (sides) in one drawer front, as it sat on the turntable in the finishing room. It looks like a good fit! :cool:Important stuff to remember (my suggestions):
Always work with test boards to ensure you are happy with the layout and you get the fit just right.
This will ensure you get the procedure correctly. To illustrate: By the end of the day, tired, I easily got confused and was NOT able to properly cut the pins for the drawer fronts. I called Leigh, talked to Barry in Tech Support, sent him photos, and he set me straight (below):
ALWAYS mark the IN surfaces of the side boards (TAILS in my example); ALWAYS mark the OUT surfaces of the BACK boards (PINS in my example). AND always ensure that the marked surfaces are OUT in the jig. This way you always make sure that you are cutting the proper side of the boards, which is CRITICAL when cutting dovetails.I hope this helps someone some day;) . Enjoy!
Al