Dovetail Joinery

[Thomas Beechler]

I would like to try some hand made dovetails. Instructions I have say "slopes" should be done using 1:6 ratio for soft wood and a 1:8 ratio for hard woods. What does that mean and how do I apply it to the project itself? I would appreciate any comments ar suggestions.

[J. Z. Guest]

They're talking about the angles. Hardwood needs a less drastic angle because it doesn't smoosh out of shape as easily.

When you're laying out the lines, you'll just set your angle gauge differently, that's all. Of course, those are just recommendations & starting points. Different folks prefer their dovetails to look different.

Welcome to Sawmill Creek!

[Maurice Metzger]

Hi Thomas,

See if this makes sense - take a scrap board or a piece of paper, go to a corner, measure 1" in on the bottom, and go up 8". Draw a line between the 2 points and that's your angle.

I think 6:1 is 14 degrees but I'm not sure.

HTH,
Maurice

[Mark Singer]

Check here:
http://wkfinetools.com/contrib/mSinger/z_art/miteredDovet/miteredDov.asp

[Grant Morris]

If you are going to not use power tools, why not step away from the traditional angles and use something a little more unique? Draw some scale test stuff on some paper and see what looks good. Learning to cut dovetails at 7 degrees will be the same learning experience as a different angle...

[Chris Friesen]

If you are going to not use power tools, why not step away from the traditional angles and use something a little more unique?

While there's no reason to be locked in to the regular angles, there is a reason why those ratios are chosen...they tend to maximize the strength of the joint while minimizing the amount of short grain that is exposed at the ends of the tails.

Too much of an angle and the tail tips break off, too little and the joint is basically a finger joint and is totally dependent on glue.