Dovetail, hand cut or use a DT jig?

[Roy Harding]

I have the Leigh D4R jig and use it a LOT. BUT - I'm usually making 10 or more same sized boxes at the same time, or blanket chests, which involve a LOT of dovetails. When I have only one small box to do, I'll do it by hand - it's faster than dialing the jig in perfectly. I do like being able to make differently spaced dovetails, when done right it can add some visual interest to a piece.

Although it's true that you cannot achieve extremely narrow tails with it, I'm usually working with red cedar and narrow tails would be prone to failure when assembling anyway - even when I hand cut in cedar, my tails are wide.

All that said - a good jig (like the Leigh) is pricey, you'll have to determine if it's worth the expense in your particular case.

[ken masoumi]

Every part of the hand cut method is a challenge for me,from marking to cutting on a straight line, the proper use of chisels, etc., but what I have difficulty the most is consistency,I make two pieces fit nicely but the next two have gaps .
Here are a few examples:
My very first try was with pine and it looked terrible, I now know pine is not the best wood to learn dovetail :
2015_0616DT0001.jpg

I then used hardwood, Cherry and Maple:
2015_0616DT0002.jpg 2015_0616DT0006.jpg
I still have to sand them down a bit but you can probably see the gaps in the Maple,I guess I have to cover it up with the help of some glue/sawdust.

[Allan Speers]

One more "tip" about DT's :



Box joints are easier, faster, & just as strong once glued. - and no one but you will ever know the difference.

Sad but true.

[Prashun Patel]

It's funny you mention this, Allan. In fact, I find that the ONE thing non-woodworkers seem to know too much about is 'dovetailed drawers'. Most people who handle my desks or casework first open the drawers and look for the dovetails. It's something I think cabinetry retailers have done a good marketing job of. I'm not saying they can tell the diff between hand and machine cut, though.

[David C. Roseman]

It's funny you mention this, Allan. In fact, I find that the ONE thing non-woodworkers seem to know too much about is 'dovetailed drawers'. Most people who handle my desks or casework first open the drawers and look for the dovetails. It's something I think cabinetry retailers have done a good marketing job of. I'm not saying they can tell the diff between hand and machine cut, though.

Agree with Prashun on this. Over the years I've noticed that even folks who've never picked up a saw seem to know about dovetail joints in cabinetry and associate them with good workmanship. Bet very few of them would recognize the difference between machined and hand-cut. I think any well-cut dovetail joint looks impressive to a non-woodworker, as it's not immediately obvious how they are made, in contrast to box/finger joints. Not to take anything away from the latter, as they can be quite beautiful, but I've yet to see anyone open a drawer and say, "Oh, wow, look, the drawers are even box-jointed!"

[Allan Speers]

Well, in my experience, 99% of people who even care if a piece is well made will look at box joints and say,

"Wow, it has dovetails!"

[Tom M King]

I keep a jig for half blinds set up for kitchen cabinet drawers. It has had a dedicated router set up for something over 25 years. We might average building one kitchen a year. I also have a Leigh jig with a couple of dedicated routers set up for it, and it stays set for 3/4 stock. I can pull either one of these setups out and dovetail something with no setup time, other than maybe stepping something off with dividers to space dovetails made with the Leigh rig, which of course can make non repetitive spaced dovetails, but I still use whole number fractional proportions of the width. When the job calls for narrow pins, or to match the rest of an old piece, they are cut by hand.

On one of my hand saw boxes, I made one end with the Leigh, and cut the other end by hand in the exact same proportions. That way I can tell people who poo-poo anything but hand cut dovetails that they can look at the end that was hand cut. So far, I haven't found one of these "purists" who can tell the difference on that box. That box gets slid around on the floor of the tool trailer, so I didn't want narrow pins on it anyway.

[Jim Becker]

I have to answer your question in the title is "yes"...

Both have their applications and I use both methods; the jig for half-blinds for sure, although I do play with the spacing. (Leigh jig) and hand-cut for through dovetails. I've learned how to fix "boo boos" in the latter in various ways, too, so the end result is pleasing. Toward that end, Ken (OP), you can fill gaps with shavings/slivers of wood that are inserted at an angle so you get the "end grain" effect on both edges of the joint. They disappear once the glue is dried and things are sanded/planed smooth...

[Mike Henderson]

I find half blind dovetails easier to hand cut than through dovetails. With half blinds you have a lot less showing. If you make the socket too big in the bottom-back, no one will ever know. With through dovetails, they have to be perfect on all sides.

Mike

[ken masoumi]

I definitely got my answer and will be looking for a decent Dovetail jig , most probably a Leigh jig, I still don't know which one to get but it I'll find that out soon.
Thank you for your comments.
Ken.

[Lou Ortiz]

I've cut them both ways. The leigh is a great jig - i have a D4 - and does allow variable spacing. Keep the manual open at all times...