What is reccomended gap in thousandths of inch for dovetails?

[Marcus Ward]

Sean: Frank Klausz appears to eyeball his, some people use a gauge that has the proper angle on it. You can make one pretty easily too. Lee Valley sells some nice stuff for marking dovetails.

http://blog.lostartpress.com/2008/03...il+Angles.aspx

And the 14 deg marker:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,42936,50298

No I meant pulling our leg about caring about a .0015 gap in your dovetails. At what humidity did you determine that? Have you plotted it at other humidities? What I'm trying to say is, "Put it together and keep going, it doesn't matter as long as it's snug."

[Sean Rainaldi]

Sean: Frank Klausz appears to eyeball his, some people use a gauge that has the proper angle on it. You can make one pretty easily too. Lee Valley sells some nice stuff for marking dovetails.

http://blog.lostartpress.com/2008/03...il+Angles.aspx

And the 14 deg marker:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,42936,50298

No I meant pulling our leg about caring about a .0015 gap in your dovetails. At what humidity did you determine that? Have you plotted it at other humidities? What I'm trying to say is, "Put it together and keep going, it doesn't matter as long as it's snug."

Never plotted humidity but I live in Michigan - we have humidity extremes here.

Thanks for all the great info!

I will probably get into hand cut dovetailing at some point seems like a lot of fun - I will prob get that DVD – maybe do it on an heirloom project like a blanket chest.

In the mean time though, if I don't get the kitchen cabinets done soon my wife will kill me so I think I better get a dovetail jig and get going on the 11 drawers I owe her. It seems I have started to turn the kitchen re model into my hobby.

I can only imaging her fury were I to tell her - honey - I want to laboriously and slowly cut each and every dovetail by hand...

[Marcus Ward]

Expediency is important. Good luck!

[John Keeton]

Expediency is important. Good luck!

Most surely when a wife's "fury" is added to the mix!! Get a jig - quickly!

[Chris Padilla]

Frank says it is SO EASY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-o4jryTkUc

[Frank Drew]

In the mean time though, if I don't get the kitchen cabinets done soon my wife will kill me ...

Sean,

I wouldn't hand cut dovetails for normal built-it kitchen cabinets, and unless it was a freestanding unit that would go with the client when they moved, probably not machine cut ones, either. Maybe for a reproduction hutch or whatever meant for a kitchen I'd hand cut.

My basic "good" drawer for pieces like wall units, library bookcases or closet fittings, better quality kitchen non built-ins, were machine-cut using Baltic Birch for the box and applied fronts; for custom freestanding furniture, always half-blind hand cut.

[Alan DuBoff]

Alan, does this mean that if I am using an 8# sledge, I need to work a little harder on my accuracy?? Just curious.

You don't use the ball pein for force, you use the ball pein to pein the wood together. Sure, you can use an 8# sledge if you like, but I wouldn't recommend it. My $0.02.

[Alan DuBoff]

Ahhh you silly wood machinists. Frank Klausz can cut better looking dovetails than your router in his sleep and he hammers his together. Are you guys all sure the OP isn't just pulling our legs?

In fact, I have saved his quote, because I think it is one of the best quotes I have heard in a while...

"Put some glue on it and put it together. Slap-slap, If it's too tight,
don't force it, just get a bigger hammer...bam, bam,
bam-bam-bam...bam-bam-bam-bam-bam..."
Frank Klausz

That is classic!

Here's the 3-minute dovetail the quote comes from.

[Jim Dunn]

I've got to agree with Dave on this one...

Me too.....

On another note as an X tool room machinist, haven't been in a tool room for 20+ years, I find myself looking for perfection when none is possible nor necessary.

[Michael Gibbons]

Cool! Do you also use laser diffraction spectrography to determine the gap width?

I'd use a tricorder if I were you...

[mike holden]

Sean said: "In the mean time though, if I don't get the kitchen cabinets done soon my wife will kill me so I think I better get a dovetail jig and get going on the 11 drawers I owe her. It seems I have started to turn the kitchen re model into my hobby.

I can only imaging her fury were I to tell her - honey - I want to laboriously and slowly cut each and every dovetail by hand... "

Eleven drawers - Piker!

Try 60! Only 55 show, there is a hidden drawer in each as well. You CAN do eleven! Go for it!

Mike

60 dovetailed drawers.JPG

dovetails.JPG

[joe milana]

What about glue? I find that by the time I get all the glue (titebond I) spread and everything fitted, the wood swells and I have a hard time "pounding" things together. Would a slow set epoxy or poly glue act as a lubricant?

[Harry Goodwin]

I'm with David. I wonder why rules and scales used in woodworking for former generation included 64ths at the most. If you can't see it to read the scale its a metal working term. Thousand's are probaby the rsults of people who want to sell a great array of new tools. Somethings simply have to be right other measurements can vary and never be noticed or have any negative elements. Harry