Dovetail spacing?

[Michael Sobik]

I'm building a copy of an 18th century chest with graduated drawers. Does anyone know how the dovetails were traditionally spaced? My inclination is to make all the pins and tails the same size and use the same number for each drawer, just space them closer together on the shallower drawers. Does that make sense, or should I be adding pins/tails, making fatter pins??? Thanks for the information.

Mike

[Chris Friesen]

If you're building a copy, then look at the original. Otherwise, do it whatever way looks best to you--maybe try drawing it out a few different ways to see what you like best.

[Michael Sobik]

Unfortunately, the pictures of the original I have don't show the drawer sides :(

[Bob Coleman]

I'm a fan of the narrow-ish pins with a fairly wide tail. Here are the ones I did for a blanket chest.

I second the sketch recommendation, with drawers you could certainly do a full scale drawing.

-Bob

(I hope its not too blurry!)

[James Mittlefehldt]

I have not seen a lot of 18th century pieces, but I have seen a fair number of 19th ones. Most of the drawer sides looked like Bob's chest, narrow pins bigger tails.

Nice looking chest Bob.

[Martin Shupe]

I like it when graduated drawers have graduated numbers of dovetails.

I don't have a pic to show you, but I am sure you can find one somewhere.

For example, the tallest drawer might have as many as 7 tails, while the smallest might have as few as 3 tails. Use you eye to graduate the number, whatever looks right, probably is right.

[Calvin Hobbs]

Mike,

Most all pieces I have seen the pins/tails are usually the same basic size throughout all the drawers, so the number of them vary according to the size of the drawer, so Martin's answer is right on. There are plenty of books/pictures out there, so look at a few and get comfortable and go ahead. Dovetails in the 18th century most of the time were pretty much utilitarian and not always perfectly spaced, that's why I usually eyeball it myself. Cal

[mike holden]

Mike,
Stop by the library and get a couple antique furniture books. There will be pics of the dovetailed drawers to get a feel for the spacings.
BTW, the narrow dovetails are/were called "London Pattern" and there is some concern over their longevity (although 200 plus years is pretty good in my book - grin)
The other thing you can do is go to the Society of American Period Furniture Makers website and look through the gallery there.
Or just google Chippendale antiques and spend a day or week just looking.
Mike

[Don C Peterson]

In most of the actual 18th century pieces I've seen the dovetails aren't evenly spaced, or even the same size. They must have been laid out by eye, and I can only assume that the dovetails were not done for asthetic reasons.

[James Mittlefehldt]

In most of the actual 18th century pieces I've seen the dovetails aren't evenly spaced, or even the same size. They must have been laid out by eye, and I can only assume that the dovetails were not done for asthetic reasons.

I think your right Don, and I would think to that a skilled craftsman could produce faster if he did not have to fuss about making perfectly symetrical pins and tails. As I recall Franz Klaus eyeballs his and he is fast.

[Bob Coleman]

My grandfather eyeballed his pins - just stuck the drawer front in a vise and started sawing. Most of the pieces I have of his I can't even tell they weren't laid out with a knife if I use a ruler, much less with the naked eye. 75+ years I imagine one gets pretty good at it!

[Michael Sobik]

Thanks for all the info guys. Guess I have some more reading to do. Martin and Calvin, I like that idea. Increase the number and keep the size/spacing the same. Thanks again!

[Frank Drew]

Michael,

For a reproduction, do as everyone has suggested and make wide tails and narrow pins (as in Bob's photo), and without too exaggerated an angle.

I've always spaced them by eye but use a square and bevel gauge to draw the actual lines.

[Hank Knight]

Gene DiNardo's post in the Projects section may be of some help. Link here: http://70.169.135.35/showthread.php?t=78427 . He has a photo of the drawers in his Chippendale chest on chest. He did a nice job with it and his drawers look good.

[Derek Cohen]

My vote goes to increasing number with a similar spacing.

The only picture I have of this to get a feel is a Shaker chest of drawers I built for my son some years ago. I wonder if you can find the screw up I made of the dovetails. It is notacble that they have held up beautifully over time with no signs of weakening. Cryptic description, which I will leave to you to examine. Just a bit of fun :)

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/ChestofdrawersforJamie.jpg

Close up of the drawers:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Wrongdovetails2.jpg

Don't ask how I did this - I must have been daydreaming at the time!

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Ray Gardiner]

Hi Derek,

I guess, you aren't a fan of narrow pins.

(No bottom or back in the drawers might restrict functionality as well, bottom picture)

Nice one.

And no, it actually doesn't look out of place. Looks quite good.

Regards
Ray

[Derek Cohen]

I guess, you aren't a fan of narrow pins.

Hi Ray,

I don't know about that :)

Here is a recent cabinet drawer ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Workshop%20cabinet/3.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Ray Gardiner]

That looks better, nice contrasting colour.

Beautiful, no machine can do that.

Regards
Ray