Sliding dovetail vs. M&T

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Thanks all for your precious feedback. I learned a few lessons!

[Brian Tymchak]

So, reading thru this thread, it strikes me that I should be able to construct a nice piece of some sort with no glue and no steel fasteners. Ok, sufficiently inspired! It's on the list of things to do in the future.

Thanks all for the inspiration.

[Jim Becker]

Brian, with some careful thought and planning, you can "key" things together in such a way that glue is "redundant" and maybe even retain the ability to knock down if required.

[Doug Dawson]

Brian, with some careful thought and planning, you can "key" things together in such a way that glue is "redundant" and maybe even retain the ability to knock down if required.

Attaching a table top to a frame using sliding dovetails is something that I've done before, in the interest of recreating "a church not made with hands". It handles wood movement nicely. Would I do it again? No.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

So, reading thru this thread, it strikes me that I should be able to construct a nice piece of some sort with no glue and no steel fasteners. Ok, sufficiently inspired! It's on the list of things to do in the future.

Thanks all for the inspiration.

Brian, actually the table I shown in the first post for this thread was mounted with no glue and looked plenty solid - just at the day before to send it to my mother in lay I glued the four legs but obviously not the tabletop.

[Jim Becker]

Attaching a table top to a frame using sliding dovetails is something that I've done before, in the interest of recreating "a church not made with hands". It handles wood movement nicely. Would I do it again? No.

Oh, yea...it's definitely a challenge and requires some hard work to do that! I was just pointing out that it's certainly possible if one has the intestinal fortitude, patience and attention to detail necessary to pull it off. I've seen photos of some pretty amazing joinery done (primarily by Japanese craftspeople) that made me blink!

[Curt Harms]

Brian, with some careful thought and planning, you can "key" things together in such a way that glue is "redundant" and maybe even retain the ability to knock down if required.

I remember an article about a guy that made and sold real solid wood furniture that was shipped flat like Ikea but was assembled using tapered sliding dovetails. The furniture could be disassembled for moving or storage. The joinery was cut with a router, dovetail bits and clever jigs. No glue obviously for pieces that may need to be disassembled/reassembled.

[Jim Becker]

I remember an article about a guy that made and sold real solid wood furniture that was shipped flat like Ikea but was assembled using tapered sliding dovetails. The furniture could be disassembled for moving or storage. The joinery was cut with a router, dovetail bits and clever jigs. No glue obviously for pieces that may need to be disassembled/reassembled.

I kinda remember something like that, too. Some of the more complex stuff I've seen "at some point" required very careful "assembly in order" because at the end, the joinery was also mostly interlocked and invisible to the eye and not just for between two flat surfaces. But I'm going by recall here. I wish I could remember the sources, but it was a long time ago.

[Brian Holcombe]

Just have a look at Chris Hall’s They Carpentry Way’ and you’ll see what can be made without use if metal fasteners and very minimal use of glue.