Dovetails are driving me NUTS!

John Pollman

Member
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1,332
Location
Rochester Hills, MI
Hi folks,
I'm getting close on my project. One more leg to laminate and bend. Box is done and I've just got to build the drawer. I've got all the pieces cut, but I'm still trying to get the dovetail jig adjusted to cut the half-blind dovetails for the drawer. I got the left side set up and in pretty good shape, then I went to the right side. Had a heck of a time with that but got it pretty good and I decided to do one more test cut on the left side to be sure. It's not fitting right again! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

It's late and I've been in the shop too long, I'm hanging it up for the night. Hopefully a decent night's sleep and things will go well tomorrow. Once the jig is set up, the hard part is done and it will be a simple matter to build the drawer.

I borrowed a Rockler Dovetail jig from my neighbor and it seems to be a pretty nice piece of equipment, but this is my first time ever trying to cut a dovetail so I guess I've got to work my way through the learning curve. I'll report once I've figured it out.
 
Ken, It is a bit tough to set up. The Rockler directions leave a bit to be desired. You can download the Harbor Freight directions and they are a bit clearer. The jig is similar. Seems to me I had to make a 5/16" spacer for the half blind dovetails. I'll take a look at it today.
Once it's set up it works great though.
 
I think that the setup is the hard part. And being my first time, that's what is taking so long. I've got to learn what effect each minor adjustment has. I've got it pretty close, but just have to get it dialed in. I love the look of a dovetailed drawer! I want to get a Kreg setup to for doing pocket screw joinery. I'm enjoying this so much that I'm already starting to think about making new cabinets for the kitchen some day. Right now money is way too tight, but eventually I'd like to do that.

Woodworking has really been therapeutic for me. I've got some health issues that are making it increasingly difficult to work in the trades in the field. But if I had a substantial shop in my basement, I could produce product down there. At this point I probably won't be able to rely fully on woodworking, but it might help bring in a couple extra bucks between jobs.

Thanks for the tip on the HF directions, I think I'll try that. I'm still trying to figure out what some of the adjustments do. The Rockler directions have a saying "Heighten to tighten, lower to loosen". I'm sure they're referring to the cut depth of the bit. I just have to figure out what they're talking about. ;) To "heighten" would mean to RAISE the bit to me, but that would lower the depth of the cut. LOL I'll figure it out eventually.
 
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I think that I've figured it out!

I spent a ton of time in the shop last night feeling like I was chasing my tail. But in the light of day this morning, I think I've discovered the problem. I noticed that there's a tiny bit of play in the fence before I lock down the cam on the top section that holds the drawer front. I think that's the reason for the slight discrepancy with the joints. It can be off just a tiny bit and I'll make a very fine adjustment and it's off the other way. It's not much play, but if I account for it and make sure that the fence is in the proper position before I flip the lever to lock the piece into position, I should be OK. I want to give it a try, but my son is still sleeping and trying to enjoy the last couple days of his Christmas vacation. Once he's up, I'll fire up the router and give it a try. If it works, I'll build the drawer. Then laminate the second leg and I can do final assembly tomorrow and it will be ready for finishing!
 
Depth of cut is critical, John. Even 1/64" change in depth of cut will make a noticeable difference in the fit. Getting it right can be really frustrating - and you have to go through this every time you want to make dovetails! (unless you have enough routers to be able to leave one permanently set up -like a couple folks here do...):rolleyes:
 
Yeah the depth of cut is a big deal. I've got the Rockler dovetail jig, but I've also got a jig for the fence set up and it has a depth guide on it too. That made things a little easier. I'm about to head back down to the shop and give it a go. I've got all of the drawer pieces cut and laid out, I just need to finish getting the jig dialed in and I can get the drawer built. It looks to me that when building dovetail drawers, more work goes into the setup than the actual fabrication of the drawer. :)
 
Once you get it all dialed in, make a test piece and label it for future reference. Then the next time you need to cut dovetails on wood that's the same thickness, you can use the sample as a setup block.
 
Maybe I can help.

Depth of cut by the bit is THE big deal. Getting it the first time can be a bear, but once you do, don't bother with a test block. Use a micrometer and measure the exposure of the bit to the thousandth and write it down. The next time simply set the depth of cut to the exact same depth of cut as worked before. At worst, your may need one tiny adjustment.

Hints. Use the same dove tail bit each time. Or you will be tweaking things the next time again. They are not expensive. A test block locks you into wood the very same thickness. That doesn't happen often! And the darned test piece goes wherever lost socks go when you need it next. The issue isn't the thickness of the wood. It is the depth of cut.

Think of the bit, the router base, and the jig as a marriage. Use the exact set-up equipment-wise each time and bliss will be yours.

Decimal reading dial micrometers are less than $20 at HF - essential for this task. I use the 4" model.

One other thought. I don't try to cut two corners at one time. This is one of those 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should.' Also, just because the maker says it is possible, doesn't mean it is wise. I put spacers in the other end of the template so I don't bend the template. I just find it too difficult for my short attention span to get two corners into the jig perfectly at one time. Maybe that's why the instructions are so vague.....
 
Nice work Bill! :thumb:

Carol,
I didn't try to cut both at once. I did the left and then the right. I just used a scrap block of the same material thickness as a spacer. It worked fine. Once the setup is done, the dovetails are easy.
 
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