How many dovetails needed?

[Frederick Skelly]

Hi guys.
Im making a couple dozen small drawers in which to store nuts and bolts. Each drawer is 1 1/2" wide, 5" long and 1 1/4" high. Using 1/4" thick poplar. I am making a single, 3/4" wide through-dovetail at each corner. I got to wondering if there is any reason that I need to make 2 or more tails on each corner?

I've already made 2 of them and the joints are very strong as is. They are also quick to make because I only have to cut a single DT for each corner. Any real advantage to having more tails on s project this small? (This is garage furniture.)

Thank you!
Fred

[Todd Trebuna]

I'm having trouble understanding, but it sounds like you are making a single tail in each corner with a pin on either side. Which I would think is fine, considering the width of your stock. I believe, There are two reasons to consider more pins and tails, the width of the stock requires more glue surface and aesthetics. If neither of these are a factor for you, then I'd say you've done well.
I am not a dovetail expert, but I do alot more reading than I do practicing, making me an accomplished armchair quarterback.

[Jim Matthews]

I got to wondering if there is any reason that I need to make 2 or more tails on each corner?

Fred

Dovetails are necessary if you don't have good glue and screws. For the purposes of increasing long grain glue surface area for your drawers, one is plenty.

I would want the pins to retain at least 1/2" of material from the top of the drawer at the "narrow" cut out of the pin.

See Ed Santos beautiful desk for a persuasive argument for simple drawer construction.

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....ighlight=Alder

[Phil Mueller]

Fred, I think one is going to be just fine. Here is one of the first dovetail boxes I made. Doesn’t get the use of a drawer, but certainly plenty to hold it together.

BB2AFE7C-BF9D-4044-AEDC-B9EB9B0856FB.jpg

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Fred, A picture would really help to see what you are doing.

It took me a few readings to visualize a tail in the center of the joint with two ~1/4" pins.

If you already have one made, put it to the test. Fill it with some heavy parts and move it around a bit.

jtk

[Frederick Skelly]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate the check on my thinking. I was running to get to work this morning or I'd have included a picture. Re-reading, I can see why the post could be confusing!

Just for completeness, here's a picture. And again, thanks to all of you!
Fred

20210125_163413.jpg

[Jim Matthews]

That'll do. Proportions look right.

[Tim Best]

I am not expert, not even a rank novice, but looks good to me. Also, I personally really enjoy working with poplar. In my opinion, it is a fun and relatively forgiving wood.

[Frederick Skelly]

That'll do. Proportions look right.

Thanks Jim!

[Frederick Skelly]

I am not expert, not even a rank novice, but looks good to me. Also, I personally really enjoy working with poplar. In my opinion, it is a fun and relatively forgiving wood.

I agree Tim. I enjoy working with it and it's relatively cheap and readily available at the BORG.

[Scott Winners]

The pic doesn't look 1.5 x 5 x 1.25 to me. I believe you, but the proportions don't look right.

I have build some similar boxes for my benchplanes. Poplar sides, on tail with two pins, mostly the bottoms are red oak with a rabbet all the way around for the sides to sit on.

I think for mostly empty drawers, or ones you don't open very often one tail is probably fine. I would be inclined to make a few drawers with two tails and three pins for the items you use a lot or have a lot of.

Pic is my 4 1/2, box is all red oak. Usually I leave the box on the bench shelf and just bring up the plane. When I am moving both I have most of the mass held between thumb and forefinger at the tote and keep the box sort of clamped to one side of the plane with one or two of the smaller fingers. The floors have two gutters in them, so I can set the plane in either way and have the honed edge not touching anything but air.

End of the day the more weight you have in it and the more often you will slide it, the more tails you will want I think.

20210125_213338[1].jpg

[Frederick Skelly]

The pic doesn't look 1.5 x 5 x 1.25 to me. I believe you, but the proportions don't look right.]

Scott, you have sharp eyes Sir - and you are right. I was going from memory when I wrote that, and I remembered wrong. The width is 2.75", not 1.5". It's still 5" long and 1 1/4" high.

I understand and agree about weight and use. These will each contain a few ounces of nuts/bolts/fasteners, so I think I'm ok.

Thanks for your thoughts.
Fred

[Brandon Speaks]

I have planes and other items in open top shallow boxes hanging on french cleats behind my work bench. Most are single tail boxes much like what you are showing made from walnut that is generally resawn to 1/4 or 3/8. They have held up fine and were quick and easy to make, I think you will be fine. Sometime ages ago I watched a paul sellers video on making chisel boxes with single tail boxes.

[Don Coffman]

Proud to see this thread, I've been wrestling with different drawer construction methods for a while. For the last several months I've embarked on tool chests and drawers typically small I've tried small dados, box joints (fingers I call them), and have seriously considered thru dovetails to be more eye pleasing. I have a PC 4216? DT jig, but machine cut DT's I still haven't warmed to.

Fredrick, I think your spacing looks good & I think as the width approaches 2.75-3" its time to consider multiples, at least I'm thinking that direction.