Table of Contents
What is a dovetail router bit for?
Use a dovetail bit in your router table or along with a dovetail cutting jig for the easiest way to cut dovetail joints. For machining dovetails, there’s really only one choice, but it’s a perfect one. Dovetail bits make dead-on angled slots in a single pass, and they can be used with a number of jigs and templates.
How do I choose a dovetail router bit?
The dovetail bit’s working depth must be equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the pin board or drawer front. Always choose the smallest dovetail bit relative to the pin board thickness, along with the matching straight bit, for that hand-cut look.
What is a dovetail bit?
Dovetail bits come in an array of cutting angles—usually 7-14°—and heights (see photo, above), on both 1⁄ 2 ” and 1⁄ 4 ” shanks. Generally speaking, the greater the cutting angle, the stronger the joint.
What angle should a dovetail be?
Lower (7° to 9°) angles are often advised for joining hardwoods, while higher angles (10° to 14°) are recommended for softwoods and even higher angles (14° to 18°) for half-blind dovetails.
How many dovetails do I need?
For drawers, boxes or trays 2″ or less I generally like a single dovetail. For 3″ to 3 1/2″ and less two dovetails, for 4″ three dovetails, for 5″ to 6″ four dovetails and for 6″ four or possibly five.
What cuts do router bits make?
A router is arguably the most versatile portable power tool you can buy. With this single tool you can shape decorative edges, trim laminates and veneers, rout hinge mortises, and cut a wide variety of woodworking joints, including dado, dovetail, rabbet, mortise-and-tenon, and tongue-and-groove, to name a few.
Can you use a Palm router for dovetails?
The nice thing about using the jig for miniature work is that there’s not much of a learning curve. Everything works on the same principles used for cutting normal-size dovetails, just on a smaller scale. A palm router has all the horsepower you need to make great-looking miniature dovetails.
What are pins and tails dovetail?
There are two parts to a dovetail joint, pins and tails. The tails look like the tail of a dove (hence the name), and the pins are on the opposite board and fit in between the tails to create a joint that is impossible to pull apart in at least one direction.
How deep should a dovetail joint be?
For the basic sliding dovetail, that height should be about two-thirds of the width of the case side. If you’re making a shouldered dove- tail, allow for the 3/16″ shoulder depth in your layout.
What ratio is a 14 degree dovetail?
The new 14° marker is designed to approximate a 1:4 ratio, for those who prefer this angle when working in thinner stock, as it not only provides stronger material interlock than traditional ratio angles but produces a slightly exaggerated dovetail joint that many find attractive.
Is dovetail the strongest joint?
Dovetails are probably the strongest method for joining two pieces of wood, surface to surface, with the grain running in the same direction. The dovetail joint provides considerable mechanical strength because when the joint is assembled, it can’t be twisted or racked.
Can you use a router bit in a drill?
It’s possible to use a straight router bit for drilling because it can be used on a variety of projects and materials. When you’re ready to drill, make sure you plunge the router straight down into the piece; don’t move the router in any other direction because this will increase the size of your hole.
Can you plunge with a straight router bit?
Straight router bits with cutting edges that extend half to all of the way across the base of the bit, will allow it to plunge cut.
What are the most used router bits?
1. Straight. Straight bits are perhaps the most frequently used type of router bit since they can be used in a wide variety of applications. While in a class of their own, straight bits are usually used for cutting different types of square-shaped grooves.
Can a trim router cut dovetails?
A trim router will do dovetails if that’s all you have.
What is English dovetail joinery?
Dovetail drawers use locking joints. Also referred to as an English dovetail, these dovetails are offset on adjoining sides of the drawer box so that they that interlock with one another when put together to create a box. The interlocking edge pieces are also referred to as tails and pins.
Do dovetail joints need glue?
Michael Dresdner: The only areas that require glue on dovetails are the diagonal faces. All the diagonal faces are long grain, all the square faces are end grain, and all the flat faces abut end grain. Therefore, you need only apply glue to the diagonal faces on the tails or pins, or both.
Which part of a dovetail do you cut first?
When you cut any dovetail, the first half of the joint is the pattern for the second. So your first part doesn’t have to be precise when it comes to its angles. It just needs to be clean and neat. If you cut your tails first, that means your first cuts are angled.
Do you cut pins or tails first?
Cutting pins first makes sense to Frid, who says it’s easier to hold the pin board in place to mark the tails than it is to hold the tail board against the end of what will be the pin board. Becksvoort finds it more efficient to cut the tails first, taping two boards together.
