Loose half blind dovetail joints

[David Tolsky]

Can anything be done to cure half blind dovetail joints that are a bit too loose? Is there a way to correct that mistake and get away with it?

[Mark Kornell]

Yup - small (wooden) shims fit into the gaps. If you are careful and make them from the scraps of the stock you started with and pay attention to grain orientation, they will be basically invisible.

[Glenn de Souza]

The method I was taught is to cut small wedges to a feather edge with your dovetail saw out of the same species as your pin board, and tap these wedges into the gaps with a touch of glue. Saw off, plane or sand flush and nobody can tell. Done correctly, you've basically filled the gaps with more end grain to match the end grain of the pin board. Very easy to do. I hope this makes sense.

[David Tolsky]

They both make sense. I'm not real good with tedious work so wish me luck! What do you think about Famowood wood filler?��

[Bradley Gray]

Are these hand cut or router cut dovetails?

Have you already glued the joints together?

If they are hand cut and not glued, you have already heard very good advice.

If they are machine cut consider cutting off the pins and re-routing - or make new parts if the size is critical.

[David Tolsky]

They are router cut using an old Porter Cable jig. Cutting off the pins means shortening the length of the boxes which I try not to do. Maybe it is still possible to shim these loose dovetails after the joining pieces are glued. At least I'd have some grain in there as opposed to wood filler which obviously has no grain.

[Gene Davis]

feather wedges and epoxy