Dovetail: theory and practice. Dovetail spike connection: a guarantee of the constancy of carpentry structures Features of the Japanese carpentry connection

Dovetail, detachable spike connection (trapezoidal grooves), used in mechanical engineering and joinery for reliable fastening of parts to each other. In this material, we will consider the manufacture of devices that facilitate the production of grooves in a tree using a manual milling cutter.

Do-it-yourself wood router accessories

The machine itself is a very ancient invention of mankind, descriptions of the principles of milling appeared in the 16th century, and the prototype of the machine was the invention of Leonardo da Vinci, who proposed rotating a round file to increase the processing of the product, which can be considered the first analogue of a cutter.

And already the American inventor Eli Whitney over the years of his life from 1765 to 1825 brought to mind all the scattered attempts to create a full-fledged machine, for which he is rightfully considered the creator of the first milling machine although not all scientists agree with this statement.

And since the machine has such ancient roots, there are a great many devices for the manufacture of various parts, it is not possible to describe them all in the light of this material, and therefore we will consider only some of them, in my opinion, the most important and useful.

Universal device for tongue and groove connection

factory plate for making tongue and groove joints

It is used with a router for cutting the corresponding grooves and spikes, it is installed in a vise, and the part is pressed against the device with a clamp. Usually sold in stores.

appearance of the connection

Consider slot milling fixtures

Cut out the top piece, a 18mm plywood table top 40cm long and wide enough to handle the thickest piece you plan to cleat.

Cut two 5x10 cm bars, sawing them the same length as the top. In the future, the bars will play the role of clamping the workpiece and centering it relative to the groove in the tabletop. To prepare the top, draw a line through the center of the top, then cut a groove along the line from one end.

schematic representation of the tooling

note

The notch should be the same width as the copy ring you will be using with your cutter. The notch should be long enough to match the length of the longest slot you are going to cut.

Then mill two adjustment slots perpendicular to the center line. Finally, drill a viewing hole between these two slots. To assemble the entire structure, screw the bolts into the jaws and secure the top to the bars with wing nuts and washers.

To use our equipment, draw a groove on the workpiece and mark the center line on it. Loosen the thumbs and set the blanks between the bars so that the center line connects with the top line of the fixture, check that the edge of the blank is against the edge of the top.

Hold the lambs. Align the router bit with one end of the slot drawing, then mark guide lines on the top surface of the table along the edge of the router base.

How to work with snap-in tongue and groove

Repeat this one more time to mark the lines of the other end. Mill the slot at the bottom, starting the cut by aligning the base of the router with the first auxiliary line, and stop milling when the insert reaches the second auxiliary line.

Let's make a device for making spikes with our own hands

Spike making product

Made of wood and plywood, the jig shown above allows cutting rectangular spikes with two shoulders. The object to be machined is located with the front surface below the jig, while the router moves along the stop from above, removing the excess in two passes.

The piece consists of two parallel base bars, a stopper and a stop, all made from wood the same thickness as the piece, in this case 25x75mm bars, and a top and support made from 18mm plywood.

Base bars should be approximately 400 mm long; cut the top surface of the plywood approximately 200mm x 250mm and screw it to the joists as shown in the picture. Screw the stopper on the ends of the base bars along with the support. Set the stop approximately 25mm from the end of the top surface.

cutting out a thorn with a device

Countersink holes for all screw heads and make sure to make all corners square. Drill an inspection hole in the top surface to accurately place the workpiece exactly on the marking.

If you want to make solid wood furniture, you will have to take certain precautions against warping the wood. The list of such measures includes the selection of the appropriate compound.

There are many known ways to connect wood parts so that they do not deform in the future. One of the most effective is the dovetail. The parts are connected to each other in such a way that it is almost impossible to separate them even without glue. Each thorn is clamped as if by pincers. The strength of the connection is further enhanced by the fact that the area of ​​the docking areas covered with glue is much larger here than with a simple connection without spikes.

In addition, the dovetail connection can rightfully be called decorative, since it can decorate any piece of furniture, of course, provided that all the teeth are carefully and accurately made. And this will require painstaking work with a saw and a chisel. All grooves and tenons must fit exactly together, and all fugues must be equally narrow. From the first time, such accuracy is hardly achievable: first try to gain experience by processing simple boards.

Many interesting and beautiful examples dovetail joints can be seen when looking at old furniture.

The dovetail joint is considered the most beautiful, reliable and durable corner joint. It is not so easy to execute it.

It's done like this

• Cut out pieces of the desired length from the boards.
• On one of the boards, mark the spikes and grooves.
• Transfer the markings from the front face of the board to the end and then to the back face.
• Saw grooves and cut them out with a chisel.
• Using the processed board, mark the location of the spikes and grooves on the other board.
• After processing the second board, try to connect both parts without glue and make corrections if necessary.
• Apply glue to the joints, carefully connect the parts and hold under pressure until the glue seizes.

WHAT YOU NEED

materials:

Wood blanks Clay.

Tools:

• Ruler.
• Pencil.
• Awl or knife.
• Square.
• Tenon saw.
• Chisels of suitable width.
• Workbench.
• Clamps.
• A hammer.
• Mallet.

The shape of the grooves and spikes in the dovetail connection

The beauty of this box is in the harmony of the material and the corresponding design using the dovetail connection.

Homemade stud bevel marking tool: Cut out a template from a thin metal sheet and shape it accordingly.

Carry out marking on the part having the required length

Before marking the spikes and grooves, measure the part again, it must have the required width. If the width of the part is larger than it should be, then the markup will be inaccurate and, therefore, unusable.

Choose the right chisel

Before you start grooving, check if the chisel you have is the right size for them. Take care of the right tool in advance if you plan to make very thin spikes. Chisels come in various widths - from 4 to 40 mm.

Bar protects against damage

When connecting parts, never hit the mallet directly on the wood. Use a small piece of wood to protect parts from damage.

Learn more about the dovetail connection

When making a dovetail connection, both parts are interlocked by means of a special form of teeth. The upright board shown in the figure has spikes that fit into the grooves of the horizontal board. Connecting and disconnecting boards is possible only with the vertical position of the spikes. Otherwise, this cannot be done.

The boards connected in this way react differently to the load. And therefore, it does not matter in which part to make grooves, and in which - spikes.

In drawers, spikes are made on the front board, grooves - in the side walls. Since the greatest load on the box occurs when it is pulled out, the connection will be most durable precisely with this arrangement of the spikes.

In a hinged shelf, the maximum load falls on parts located horizontally.

They should be with spikes that will hold curly grooves in vertically arranged parts.

The spikes should always be narrower than the grooves, especially when using dense and durable wood. The peculiarity of the dovetail connection is also that the spikes and grooves in the finished product look different than when unfolded - as shown in the figure below.

Uniform distribution

Products with dovetail corner joints are not covered with colored varnish. Therefore, the location of the spikes and grooves must be uniform across the entire width of the parts. Extreme spikes may be slightly wider or narrower. All other spikes and grooves should be the same.

Drawing dovetail spikes

Experienced carpenters can distribute the teeth almost by hand. For those who are just starting to master this method of connecting parts, we recommend using a ruler.

For boards up to 15 cm wide, mark out, for example, four spikes and three grooves or five spikes and four grooves. For boards up to 20 cm wide - five spikes and four grooves or six spikes and five grooves. An approximate distribution scheme is as follows: the ratio of the average thickness of the tenon to the average width of the groove is 1:2.

You can very accurately draw the spikes and their bevels according to the scheme shown in the figures on the right.

Other ways of division are also possible. You can choose, for example, a smaller width of the spikes. In the so-called English connection, the spikes are very narrow, and the grooves are wide. However, in any case, the studs should not be beveled too large to damage the narrow parts of the grooves.

Mark the thickness of the board on the part parallel to the end edge, then half the thickness and then draw a line, the distance to which from the end is equal to the thickness of the board multiplied by three. To now accurately distribute the four spikes and three grooves, put marks on the oblique auxiliary line, the distance between which is a multiple of 10. Then transfer this division to the marking lines.

Here, dashed lines show the middle lines of the grooves: the points of their intersection with the auxiliary line at a distance of “triple thickness” of the board are very important for the final marking.

From the points of intersection of the middle lines of the grooves with the auxiliary line, draw lines through the points on the marking line "half the thickness of the board". Thus, the spikes and grooves will be marked very accurately.

markup

So, you have outlined the spikes and grooves on the front face of the board. Now you need to transfer the markup to the end side.

To do this, you need a square and a well-sharpened pencil, awl or knife. Depending on the type of wood, it may be useful or even necessary to cover the front side of the board with chalk: the markings will be more visible on a white background. From the end side, the markings are transferred to the back of the board.

The marking will be more accurate if the part is fixed on the workbench.

Marking from symmetrical elements on one part should be applied simultaneously so that, for example, the contours of the spikes in the corners drawer matched.

With the help of a sharpened pencil (or awl) and a square, the marking lines are transferred from the front face to the end side of the board.

Grooving

After transferring the marking lines, before starting to cut, shade the drop-out areas on the details - the gaps between the spikes. So you will not confuse anything with further sawing and working with a chisel.

The part should be fixed on the workbench in such a way that the marking lines of the bevels parallel to each other take a strictly vertical position. This is easy to do if you use a square. Saw first the grooves on one side, then turn the part over, fasten and saw through the remaining bevels of the grooves.

Install the saw not on the marking line, but close to it on a drop-down section of wood. From time to time check on both sides of the board if the saw is pointing correctly or if the cut needs to be corrected.

The grooves are cut with a chisel, which should be held strictly vertically. In this case, the position of the part itself must be horizontal. It is possible to more accurately guide the chisel when another board is fixed on top of the part, the edge of which runs along the line marking the depth of the grooves.

First, the grooves are processed with a chisel on one side of the part. After a recess is made about half the thickness of the board, it is turned over and the grooves are completed. This method avoids cracking of the board, as well as inaccuracies in the processing of grooves.

Fasten the part so that the marking lines take a strictly vertical position. Check with a square.

To cut grooves with a chisel, fix the parts on the workbench in a horizontal position. The part must not slide.

Saw only the sides with the same slope. Turn over and fasten the part, saw through the other sides.

spikes

Experienced carpenters prefer to first make the spikes and then cut the grooves on another board. But you can do it differently: use the ready-made grooves in order to mark spikes on another board.

At the same time, it is also recommended to cover the end side with chalk so that marking lines are not lost on a dark tree with catchy growth rings. The latter must be carried out very accurately. To do this, you can use an awl or a well-honed pencil.

Transferring layout lines

Marking lines from the end side of the board to the front and back plates are transferred strictly at right angles to the end. The length of the spikes depends on the thickness of the grooved board. These marking lines must also be perfectly accurate. It is better to mark the depth of the spikes not with the help of a board with grooves, but by measuring the length of the spikes from the end edge, transfer these dimensions to the corresponding part. Otherwise, the spikes may turn out to be longer than necessary.

When marking, keep in mind that the front should be the best side of the board, and the marking lines should be as accurate as possible.

It is advisable to cover the dark wood details with chalk so that the marking lines are better visible and the cuts are more accurate.

Compound

To cut spikes on the part, it is again firmly clamped, but this time the position of the board should be strictly vertical, as well as the cuts, which are only slightly beveled in a different plane, either to the left or to the right.

Fixing the part

To make cuts, the saw is also installed close to the marking line on the drop-down area of ​​​​wood. After completing the work with a saw, the part is fixed on a workbench in a horizontal position and proceed to the processing of intermediate sections between the spikes with a chisel. As with grooving, the notch is made only half the thickness of the board, after which the part is turned over and the “extra” wood is removed from the opposite side. At the same time, you can slightly correct the cuts if there is more than necessary between the marking lines of the wood.

First, make cuts only on the left or right side spikes, then parallel cuts on the other side.

After excavating the intermediate sections between the spikes, carefully trim the saw cuts with a chisel.

Gluing

Before you evenly and thinly apply glue to all the spikes and grooves, lightly sand the surfaces to be glued with sandpaper, without rounding the edges. Then try to connect the parts without glue. You will immediately see if they fit together and what else can be corrected.

Carefully connect the boards so that the spikes and grooves do not split. Keep in mind that the grooves are especially often cracked.

Glue is applied evenly in a thin layer over the entire surface of the spike. To do this, use the spout of a bottle of glue or a thin brush.

Joiner's putty will help correct mistakes

With an ideal connection of spikes and grooves, all butt joints are very tight, without the slightest gaps, which not only reduce the strength of the connection, but also spoil the appearance of the product. However, even experienced carpenters do not always achieve a perfect result, so you should not be upset if the connection needs to be corrected in some places.

Proceed as follows. Spread a plastic sheet under the workbench and shake off the sawdust on it. From sawdust and glue, make carpentry putty, which will help you make small adjustments.

Although ready-made carpentry putties and mastics of various colors are available for sale, home-made putty has advantages: it contains sawdust of the wood with which you are currently working, that is, this putty will fully match the tone of your product.

Putty should be applied carefully, in small portions, filling only the cracks. It is better to compact and level the puttied areas with a chisel blade, and not with a spatula.

Homemade putty will help you correct errors such as chipped chips or inaccuracies in work.

Sample

Wedge-shaped spikes can be quickly and accurately cut with a milling cutter if using special nozzle for drill and template. In this case, during one working operation, two parts are processed at once, installed with a slight offset to each other. True, their connection is noticeably different from the dovetail connection made traditional way, since when machining parts, all the spikes and grooves are the same. For this reason, the connection cannot be considered decorative, but it is also beautiful in its own way, and most importantly, very reliable. The distribution of tenons and grooves in such a connection depends on the size of the cutter used.

You can quickly cut the spikes with a cutter if you use a special nozzle for a drill.

This is how a template is used for cutting spikes with a cutter fixed in a drill.

From different kind connections of two removable parts to each other in mechanics and the wood industry, dovetail fastening is the strongest and most reliable. In woodworking, this type of connection or lock is used in all forms of production.

Ways to use the dovetail mount:

1. furniture manufacture;
2. connecting workpieces to each other;
3. connection of bars;
4. fastening timber in the construction of houses.

With large-scale production, the design of this lock is quickly and successfully performed by a dovetail cutter. At home, in the absence of milling equipment, it is easy to make a dovetail with your own hands. At the same time, the ability to produce this design with high quality is considered a high-class craftsmanship.

This article provides detailed description the manufacturing process, with a step-by-step listing of all the techniques, so that a master of any level understands how to make a dovetail.

Preparation for work

Before starting, prepare the following materials and tools.

materials

Tools

The list of tools that are used in the manufacture:

• a circular saw;
• belt sander;
• manual eccentric sander;
• Miter saw;
• band-saw;
• manual frezer;
• workbench with clamping vise;
• straight chisel;
• jigsaw manual;
• finger cutter 10 mm;
• clamp;
• joiner's square;
• ruler:
• pencil;
• file;
• sandpaper grit 100.

Description of the manufacturing process

The design of this carpentry lock is a tight joint of two parts. At the end of one bar, a V-shaped protrusion is made, resembling a dovetail (where the name comes from). On the second bar, a cut is made according to the shape of this protrusion. The thickness of this spike can be the full width, and the floor of the tree. The spike and cut are made at an angle of 10-12 degrees.

This article describes the manufacturing process of this joinery joint in a wood floor. The type of product that should be obtained as a result is shown in the figure.

1. Using a circular saw, cut out 2 identical bars.
2. They are processed on a grinder.
3. Trim the ends of the bars with a miter saw.

Advice! In the event that several connections are required, it is recommended to make a dovetail template from a thin, dense material, which increases productivity. In the described example, a single production of this design is given.

When the protrusion is ready, a slot must be made under it on the second workpiece. To do this, markup is made on the second blank, using the first as a template. It is necessary to make the markup as accurately as possible, since any play between the parts is not allowed. The design will be unreliable. For this reason, the top lines are drawn with a cutting knife. The middle is marked with a pencil.

Next, you have to choose in the bar, according to the marks made with a jigsaw, a slot for a spike. This can be done in two ways. In the first case, the slot is selected using a chisel, cutters, file and sandpaper. Here it is necessary to show extreme accuracy, because. it is necessary to maintain a perfectly flat surface for joining and gluing parts.

If a hand router is available, then it is much easier to make a dovetail with a router, since in this case it is much easier to get a perfect result than manually.

In order to complete the connection of the dovetail, and to ensure a tight and reliable connection of the parts, on the workpiece 2, using a chisel, carefully trim the edges of the sides, periodically trying on the spike and trying to insert it into the slot. The spike should be inserted tightly, but without excessive force.

Important! After the spike has entered the intended place, the parts should be separated. In order to do this, it is necessary to clamp the workpiece 2 in a vise, and with the help of wooden hammer carefully knock out the bar with the spike from the slot, as shown in the figure. If you try to do it by hand, you can break the spike.

Finally, wood glue is applied to the surface of both parts to be joined. The parts are connected to each other and pressed tightly with a clamp.

After a certain time, necessary for the glue to harden, the part is cleaned of adhesive residues using a chisel. Manual eccentric grinder bring the surface of the finished structure to an ideal state. The structure is ready.

Conclusion

Practice shows that the dovetail connection is the most common reliable wooden lock in carpentry. When properly manufactured and bonded securely, it is capable of withstanding heavy tensile loads, shock and vibration. It has been used since the construction wooden houses. In the old days, this castle, common in carpentry and carpentry, with the name dovetail, was called a frying pan.

At present, this type of wooden castle is ubiquitous in all countries, in any kind of wooden connections.

Video

Making a dovetail joint with the old manual method is not only an attempt to touch the past. Such a connection, made beautifully, will give your work an accentuated uniqueness.

Practice and patience will help you achieve high level the craftsmanship required to make dovetail joints by hand. If your first attempt isn't perfect, don't worry. Everyone in their practice goes through a similar stage of making connections before they acquire the necessary skills.

Start by preparing the tool shown in the photo -( mallet A, chisels B, combined or joiner's square C, marking thicknesser D, adjustable bevel E and fine-toothed saw F. It is also desirable to have a marking knife, ruler and pencil.)

Practice on a medium soft wood such as poplar and make pieces of the same width and thickness. With experience gained, you can try to make a connection on workpieces of different thicknesses. Temporarily mark the sides of the workpieces (front, back, inside, outside, and side) and edges (top, bottom) for the correct orientation of the joints.

First, cut out the spikes and use them to mark the dovetails. In some cases, it makes sense to start by sawing out the dovetails. We offer a detailed description of all steps of this process.

Setting the angle on the bevel

There is an easy way to determine the angle for correct manufacture connections. Place a square on the straight edge of the trim and draw a line about 250 mm long in the middle at an angle of 90° to the edge (figure).

Put marks on this line at a distance of 150 and 200 mm from the edge. Now mark the edge 25mm to the right and left of the line. Connect with lines the marks "25" with the marks "150" and "200". Install the bevel on the smaller triangle for softwood and the larger triangle for hardwood, as shown in the photo.

Traditionally, the angle used in a softwood dovetail joint is steeper than the hardwood dovetail because softwood is more susceptible to buckling and shifting when subjected to a load. But the difference is small: 81° (ratio 1:b) - for soft rocks versus 83° (ratio 1:8) - for hard ones.

Marking spikes

The spikes always start from the edges of the part, and the markings for them are applied to the ends, while the dovetails are marked on the plate. Determine the number and placement of spikes as you see fit. For even distribution, calculate how many spikes should be made between the extreme half spikes.

Divide the distance between the extreme half-studs by this number and then mark the centers of the studs at regular intervals at the end of the workpiece from the inside. Determine the width of the narrow edge of the tenons and mark the edge of the workpiece. Avoid making spikes with a narrow edge width of less than 6 mm - this space will not be enough for further work with dovetails.

With a marking thicknesser with a set width that is 0.4 mm greater than the thickness of the blanks, draw a line on both faces and edges of the blanks from the ends, where spikes and later dovetails will be made.

Both faces of the joint will be sanded after assembly. Using a bevel with a marking knife, mark the spikes on the ends of the workpiece, as shown in the photo on the left.

With the help of a square, draw straight lines from the ends of the marking lines at the end to the lines drawn earlier with a thicknesser, as shown in the photo on the right. Shade the areas to be removed.

Sawing thorns

With a thin blade saw (such as a Japanese-style hacksaw), make cuts along the marking lines to the thicknesser lines on both sides. Hold the saw blade strictly perpendicular to the butt and cut slowly to avoid being pulled to the side by the grain of the wood. A small square, set close to the canvas, will help maintain the 90 ° angle until experience allows you to do without it.

Remove excess material with a chisel

With the widest chisel, which is placed between adjacent spikes at the place of their closest approach, make shallow limiting cuts along the line drawn by the thicknesser, as shown in the upper photo on the left. Do not go too deep into the wood - 3 mm is enough to start. Your goal is a flat, straight line.

Carefully remove excess material by lightly tapping the mallet to guide the chisel from the butt side. Repeat these operations until you cut the material to the middle of the thickness of the workpiece. Creating a small V-notch will make it easier to chip off excess wood when removing wood between the tenons. Turn the workpiece over, fix it with a clamp and continue working on the other side.

Cleaning cutouts between spikes

Clean the areas between the spikes with a chisel. To simplify the assembly of the connection, make a small recess at the end in the cutouts between the spikes, as shown in the photo. Now the spikes are ready. Do not subject them to any processing until you make "dovetails"

Dovetail markings

The finished spikes will serve as a template for marking the dovetails. Holding the front blank vertically on the inside of the side board, at its end, align the wide part of the spikes with the marking line drawn by the thicknesser on the second board.

Mark the dovetails with a knife. When the markup is clearly visible, use a square and a knife to draw cut lines at the ends perpendicular to the plate. If necessary, shade the areas to be removed.

Carefully cut out the dovetails

Make cuts at an angle. Unlike other workpieces, where the cuts usually go along the marking line, in this case you need to cut next to it, creating a margin for the possibility of fine-fitting the connection.

Saw and trim shoulders

Starting sawing with an allowance, cut out the shoulders at the edges of the connection. Then clean this area with a chisel until it matches the marking lines.

Removing material between dovetails

This operation is similar to trimming the studs, except that you need to cut off the remaining allowance, approaching the marking line, for an accurate fit. We do not recommend making spikes that are too narrow: they do not leave room for working with a chisel between the dovetails.

Connection fitting

Working slowly and precisely, remove the excess with a chisel almost to the marking line left by the knife. Make trial attempts to connect while you work.

Trim the thinnest layer of material from the dovetails at each fit until the joint comes together with light taps with a mallet. Don't change the spikes.

Gaining experience may take some time, but you will notice the difference between a joint that you can admire and one that has to be patched.

According to the magazine "Wood-Master"

Dovetail connections to the lock can be made different ways. Some craftsmen are attracted by the decorativeness of the repeating pattern. Performing all varieties of "Dovetail" is an interesting task for any woodworker

Through connection dovetail

Through "dovetail" is a traditional connection for articulation of the ends of boards from the array. It is widely used in drawer designs and furniture making. Electric milling machines and special devices are used for machine production of such joints.

Marking spikes

Set the cutting thickness gauge to the thickness of the wood.

Draw a line of spiked shoulders (“TAILS”) around the end of the spiked piece along all of its edges and on the sides of the socketed piece. Where the risks from the thicknesser can further spoil the appearance of the finished product, use a sharpened pencil and square.

Then mark the nests (or partitions between them). The size and quantity can vary depending on the width of the boards and the type of wood (softwoods require larger and less spaced studs than hardwoods). The appearance of the finished connection can be no less diverse. Approximately to give the product a good appearance spikes should be the same size and evenly spaced, but wider than the partitions between the nests.

Start by drawing a line with a pencil across the end of the workpiece at a distance of 6 mm from each edge, then divide and mark the distance between them into an even number of equal parts. Set aside 3 mm on each side of the marks and draw lines across the butt.

Mark the slope of the spikes on the front side with a bevel or dovetail stencil. Mark the excess to avoid confusion later.

thorn cutting

Position the workpiece so that one side of each tenon is vertical. With the help of an award, cut out one of the side vertical edges of each spike. Stay close to the marking line on the out side and take care not to file past the shoulder line.

After reinstalling the workpiece in a vise, cut out the other side edges of the spikes. Place the workpiece in a vise horizontally and cut off the side run-off along the shoulder line. Remove the main excess wood between the spikes with an openwork saw.

Cut off the rest with a chisel or chisel with an oblique cutting edge, working from both sides to the middle to the line of the shoulders.

Nest marking

Rub the end face of the prepared workpiece with chalk and place it vertically in a vise. Lay the piece with the cut tenons in place, checking that the faces of the joint pieces match. Carefully line up the edges and shoulder line of the spikes on the chalked end and mark the shape of the spikes with a scriber or knife, then continue the lines to the shoulders on each side of the socketed blank. Mark the excess with a pencil.

carving nests

Place the workpiece vertically in a vise. Saw to the shoulder line at the angles marked on the spikes. Make a cut in the waste part so that it just touches the marking line. Remove the main part of the waste between the partitions of the nests with an openwork saw, cut the rest evenly to the shoulder line with a chisel or a chisel with a beveled cutting edge. Work from both sides to the center. Clean out the corners by holding the cutter under the corner of the inner edges of the sockets.

Connection assembly

Dovetail joints are made very precisely and only need to be fully assembled once. To check the fit of the parts, assemble the piece dry (without glue) and carefully cut off the excess in places that are too tight. Clean the inside of the parts before gluing.

Apply glue to both halves of the joint and use a hammer and a piece of wood to protect the surface of the product, tightly connect the parts. If you are working with a wide join, tap across the entire width to join the elements evenly. Remove excess glue before it sets. When the glue dries, clean the product with a jointer, working from the edges to the middle, so as not to chip off the end layers.

Dovetail corners

The angle of the dovetail should neither be too steep nor too sloping. Too much dovetail slope produces a weak short fiber at the corners, while too little slope can reduce bond strength. On a piece of wood, mark the bevel and install a bevel solution on it, or use a stencil or template. For hardwoods, the slope should be 1/8, and for softwood, it should be 1/6.

Decorative end-to-end dovetail connection

Graceful and neatly made through connections are pleasing to the eye and are often used in furniture designs. Decorative options are used to emphasize this property and demonstrate the art of the master.

The design of the connection corresponds basic principles proportions and disproportions of the elements of the compound. The example shown here uses thinner than normal baffles.

Marking spikes

Along the entire perimeter of the end of the workpiece with spikes, apply a line marking the shoulders with a pencil or very lightly with a thickness gauge.

Continue the lines to the butt and mark the excess.

thorn cutting

Select the waste in the same way as with conventional dovetail through joints, using a tenon and openwork saw. Clean up with a chisel or chisel with an oblique cutting edge, working from the ends to the middle.

Nest marking

Rub the end face of the part with sockets with chalk. With a solution of a cutting thicknesser equal to the length (height) of the small spikes, mark the line of thickness of the small partitions between the sockets at the end. Partitions mark on the detail with spikes using the tip of a saw or scriber. Continue the lines to the shoulder line on each side and mark the excess.

carving nests

Remove the bulk of the waste with an award (tenon) and an openwork saw and trim the shoulders with a chisel or chisel. To cut small partitions to size, press the workpiece on a flat board against a workbench or workbench.

Make a cut across the grain near the shoulder line. Mark the ends of the spikes. Carefully cut off the excess, working along the fibers. Then repeat the operation and stop at the line marking the shoulders (thickness gauge) and the thickness line. Apply glue and assemble the joint as you would a regular dovetail thru-lock.

Through connection beveled dovetail

Sometimes a through dovetail lock is combined with a beveled corner joint so that a chamfer with a figured profile can be made on the edge.

The depth of the bevelled part depends on the chamfer profile.

Marking spikes

Using a thickness gauge, mark a line of shoulders on both sides and the bottom edge of the spiked part. Draw a bevel line on the top edge. From the top of the end, measure the depth required for the chamfer. Draw a line along the mark across the butt and around to the line of the shoulders. Make a faint mark with a pencil 6mm from the first mark and also 6mm above the bottom edge. Distribute required amount spikes between these marks. Note the excess.

thorn cutting

Saw through the sides of the spikes and along the bevel depth line and remove the waste with an openwork saw. Trim the shoulder1 with a chisel or bevelled chisel. Leave the excess on the bevel for now.

Nest marking

Draw a light line of shoulders with a thickness gauge on both sides of the socket piece. Mark the bevel line on the top edge. Rub the butt with chalk and mark the nests (partitions) and the bevel on the workpiece with spikes. Apply lines of spikes on the end and on the sides up to the shoulder line, and up to the bevel line - only on the inside. Note the excess.

Through connection with a rebate in the dovetail lock

The manufacture of a box with a dovetail connection, having a bottom inserted into a fold (sample) along the bottom edge of the walls, requires some modification of this corner connection in order to avoid gaps in the lower corners. This is achieved by shifting the position of the cleat shoulder, which closes this gap.

Marking spikes

Use a thickness gauge to mark the shoulders on the sides and across the top edge. Also draw a line of fold depth along the inner edge, across the butt and along the front side to the line of the shoulders with a reims. Mark the inner side of the part with sockets at the same gauge setting.

Reinstall the thickness gauge if required and mark the seam width on the edges of both parts of the connection. Make one pencil mark on the spiked workpiece 6mm below the planned seam depth and another 6mm from the opposite edge. Between these marks, mark the position of the spikes. Draw a line across the intended chamfer edge on the spiked part to match the seam on the slotted part and mark the waste.

Nest marking

Using a thickness gauge, draw a line of shoulders on both sides of the part with sockets. Rub the butt with chalk and mark the nests on the spiked part with a scriber or a sharpened pencil. Note the excess.

Beveled dovetail connection

The design of this dovetail is completely hidden by the bevel and is often referred to as a hidden dovetail or hidden lock. This connection is used for fine work and requires careful and careful execution. The parts to be joined must be of the same thickness and cut to length. Spikes can only be marked by sockets, which are cut out first. Marking and Grooving Set the cutting thickness gauge to the thickness of the workpiece and mark a line of shoulders across the inside, working from the butt.

Using a scriber knife and bevel, mark the bevel on each edge between the gauge line and outer corner. Set the thickness gauge to the width of the overlap and mark the seam.

Mark the end from the outside, and the depth line of the fold from the end. Cut off the excess seam and smooth the surface with a shoulder planer. Start marking the nests by drawing a line with a thickness gauge (parallel to each edge) from the shoulder line to the overlap. The distance should not exceed 6 mm from the edge.

Mark the width and position of the nests at the end between the lines drawn by the thickness gauge. Make a cardboard template for the dovetail and press it against the side of the overlap so it doesn't move out of position. Continue marking to the shoulder line and mark the excess with a chisel or chisel.

In this case, the saw may cut into the overlap a little. Cut off the excess bevel. Set the workpiece vertically and cut off with a chisel or chisel the main part of the waste from the overlap bevel.

Trim the bevel with a shoulder planer. Use a beveled stop to help guide the planer correctly.

Marking and cutting

Follow the recommendations for making a part with nests up to and including cutting the fold. Place the spiked part on the workbench with the inner side facing up. Place the part with nests vertically so that its inner side is flush with the marking line of the thicknesser. Mark the nests with a scriber (partition). Continue the lines to the butt and mark the excess.

Cut off the excess bevel. Then saw through hundreds of studs and cut the waste between the studs and between the end studs and bevel shoulders. Finally, cut clean and bevel the overlap as you would with the nested part. Test assembly before gluing.

Inclined dovetail connection

This compound is used to make rigid joints. it not an easy task, since it is difficult to imagine, difficult to mark, and all the edges of the parts are at an angle, which requires careful cutting. The blanks must be of the same thickness and allowed along the length and width. It is necessary to make a drawing in projections, according to which the dimensions of the workpieces are calculated before marking the connection.

Execution of the drawing

Start with a side view of the finished frame joint. Specify the thickness of the wood, and the dotted line - the initial dimensions of the workpiece. Draw a vertical projection (plan) under the side. Then project the side view onto a horizontal plane.

Marking and cutting ends

Cut the blanks to length and width, as shown by the dotted lines in the side view. Set the bevel to the angle of inclination X. Mark this angle on the inside, working from the angle of the connection. Cut off the ends at this angle of inclination. Set the second bevel at the U angle. Mark it on the edges, measuring from the outside.

Connect the marks on the edge to form a guide line for chipping the beveled edge. In fact, the bevel should be checked perpendicular to the edge during the planing process to get the true bevel angle. With the workpiece in the vise with the end in a horizontal position, carefully plan the end bevel on each workpiece.

Marking and cutting connection elements

Mark the spikes on the front side of the spiked piece. First measure the thickness of the material on both sides of both blanks, measuring at the beveled ends. Connect the lines on each edge of the spiked part. With a small one attached to the end corner X, mark a line from the inner lower corner along the edge of the spiked part.

Make marks 6mm below the top edge and 6mm above the bottom. Calculate and mark the shape and position of the spikes between these marks. Then, by attaching a cardboard stencil to the square, mark the spikes on the outside.

Mark the slope of the stud ends at the slanted end of the studded part. Use a bevel set at an X angle. Hold the bevel block so that it is located in a parallel plane with respect to the end. Using a square and dovetail stencil, mark the spikes on the inside. Note the excess. Carefully cut out the spikes exactly according to the marked corners. Place the workpiece in the vise at an angle so that it cuts vertically.

Mark the end of the part with nests along the cut out spikes. Rub the end with chalk so that the lines from the scriber are more clearly visible. Lay the spiked part on the end so that the edges and inner shoulders match, and draw around the spikes. Using a bevel set at an X angle, draw parallel lines from each tenon to the line of the shoulders. Mark the excess, then use a saw and a chisel or chisel to carefully remove it according to the markup.

Can be beveled on long edges both before and after gluing. In both cases, use a bevel set at an X angle to check. Sloping sides can create difficulties when gluing. If during assembly you pound the connection with a hammer to fit the elements into place, use a piece of wood as a spacer to protect the parts from damage.