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Why are dovetail drawers better?
Dovetail drawers are noted for their resistance to being pulled apart. This is a great advantage for a drawer that is constantly being pulled open such as those in a kitchen, bathroom or closet. Dovetail drawer boxes must be made of wood. Cheaper materials like PVC simply won’t work.
What is dovetail drawer joints?
Dovetail joints are used to join the sides of a drawer to the front and back of the kitchen drawer, keeping the kitchen cabinet drawers strong and sturdy. A well-made dovetail produces a joint, that even without glue, can be difficult to separate.
When were dovetail joints used?
The English cabinet maker first started using the dovetail joint in the mid 17th Century on walnut furniture and carried on doing this by hand until the late 19th century when they were produced by machines, mainly in the Edwardian periods.
Which is better English or French dovetail?
If you see one dovetail on each side, they’re French dovetails. Both types of dovetails make high-quality drawers, and you can even find a combination with an English dovetail in the front and a French dovetail in the back. If saving space is a priority, go with English dovetails.
What is the purpose of dovetail?
Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart (tensile strength), the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front. A series of ‘pins’ cut to extend from the end of one board interlock with a series of ‘tails’ cut into the end of another board. The pins and tails have a trapezoidal shape.
What are the disadvantages of a dovetail joint?
The disadvantages of dovetail joints are that they can be fairly difficult to mark out and cut, and if they are made badly these joints lose the advantages listed above. Depending on the project, function, and design, there are a number of different types of dovetail joints to choose from.
Are dovetail joints still used?
The use of the joinery technique stretches back into prehistory, but its utility is still relevant. Today, dovetail joints are machine made, and that fact is what helps to pinpoint the age of the chest of drawers from the attic.
What is the strongest wood joint?
Mortise and Tenon
Mortise and Tenon Woodworking Joints One of the strongest woodworking joints is the mortise and tenon joint. This joint is simple and strong. Woodworkers have used it for many years. Normally you use it to join two pieces of wood at 90-degrees.
What is French and English dovetail construction?
We often get asked what is the difference between English and French dovetail drawer construction. Put simply: both are techniques used to join pieces of wood to form a drawer; however, they differ slightly because of how the drawers front, sides, bottom and back are pieced together.
Why is it called a dovetail joint?
Dovetail joints are made up of two parts called pins and tails. When a master craftsman wants to marry two boards together, they cut a series of pins on one board and matching tails on the other. They are trapezoidal in shape, resembling the tail feathers of a dove (hence the name dovetail).
What is the weakest wood joint?
Butt Joint
The Butt Joint is an easy woodworking joint. It joins two pieces of wood by merely butting them together. The butt joint is the simplest joint to make. It is also the weakest wood joint unless you use some form of reinforcement.
Do you glue dovetail joints?
Dovetail joints show the care and craftsmanship applied to woodworking projects. A few simple gluing and assembly tips make dovetail joint easier to put together. The glue can be applied while the pieces are completely separate, which is easier, but can be messy and difficult to fit joints together.
What is the best drawer joint?
Dovetails are the strongest joint used in drawers. Like the box joint , a dovetail joint consists of fingers that fit together to increase surface area. Dovetails have a complex shape with angled surfaces that lock the two sides of a joint together. Once glued, a dovetail joint only can fail by breaking the wood.
What is dovetail joinery?
A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery (carpentry) including furniture, cabinets.
What is a dovetail drawer?
A dovetail drawer is one that is constructed using a dovetail joints to secure the back and front of a drawer to the sides. These drawers are very easy to recognize, by their distinct dovetail joint on the outside corners, which looks like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle joined together.
How are drawers constructed?
An Overview of Drawer Construction. The drawers will likely be made of solid wood or medium-density fiberboard (MDF); have framed or flat slab fronts; and be held together with either dovetail, mortise-and-tenon, or butt joints. Glue holds the parts together, though staples or brads are typically used to hold the joints together until…