Dovetailing drawer dividers by hand

[Hank Knight]

The slant top desk I'm building has four drawers below the writing surface. It requires three drawer dividers in addition to the solid case bottom and the solid writing surface. Yesterday I cut the half dovetails to secure the rear dividers to the sides of the case. The kickers will be mortised and tenoned into the front and rear dividers and inserted without glue to allow for the sides of the case to expand and contract. I had previously cut 1/8" deep rabbets ("rebates" for you Brits) in the case sides for the kickers. Cutting the half dovetail sockets at the end of there rebates was fun. I took a bunch of photos and thought I'd post a little photo essay of the process.

After carefully measuring and milling all the dividers to correct length and thickness, I made two jigs, a template for marking the dovetails and a paring block:

IMG_4441 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

The half dovetails on the ends of the drawer dividers were cut earlier with a 14 degree router bit in a jig designed for this purpose. I made a short example at the same time to use for marking the half dovetails on the case sides.That's it on the right in the photo. The paring block, the long piece of maple in the photo, was ripped with a 14 degree angle along one edge (104 degrees is the complimentary angle) and jointed with a 90 degree angle on the other edge.

I inserted the marking template in the rabbets in the case sides and marked the half dovetail profile for each divider:

IMG_4442 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

IMG_4444 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

Next I sawed close to the lines with a back saw. In order to do this you have to overcut the lines, but the saw kerfs will be covered by the kickers and won't show. Then I wasted out as much of the waste I could with a chisel and a router plane. I didn't rout all the way to the bottom of the dovetail cavity, saving the last two or three shavings for clean up after I pared to the lines.

IMG_4426 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

IMG_4427 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

Using the paring block, I pared to the lines with sharp chisels. I used a vertical chop to cut the 90 degree sides of the socket and hand pared the 14 degree angle for the other side, always carefully registering against the paring block. It's important to clamp the paring block securely to prevent if from slipping. The chisels exert considerable force against the block and it is prone to slip. I have the front dividers yet to install, so I think I'll add some PSA sandpaper to the under side of the paring block as a further precaution against slipping.

IMG_4429 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

IMG_4431 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

When I was satisfied with my paring efforts, I made the last few passes with my router plane to clean up the bottom of the socket and cleaned up a little with a chisel.
Here's the result - hopefully the drawer divider will slide in snugly:

IMG_4434 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

And all three dividers fit nicely with only a moderate push required to seat them:

IMG_4438 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

I cut the sockets in the other case side, inserted the dividers and some temporary spacers for the bottom and writing surface and my desk stands by itself for the first time.

IMG_4439 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

Next I'll add the front dividers and attach the top which I'll let into the sides of the case with half blind dovetails.

[Phil Thien]

Gorgeous work, looking forward to pics of the work to come.

[titanxt]

Great work and I love the shop. I would like to see more pics of it as well!!

[cputnam]

Enjoying this - keep it up please.

[barryvabeach]

Very nice work, and great photos.  Keep up the good work.

[Hank Knight]

Here's the desk with all the dividers installed and photos of one of the completed half dovetail joints:

IMG_4446 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

IMG_4449 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

[Philip1231]

Great post, great pictures, great craftsmanship: Outstanding!

[Hank Knight]

Great post, great pictures, great craftsmanship: Outstanding!

Thanks, Philip!

[AgGEM]

Wonderful workmanship!
Timely as I contemplate a secretary project.
I love the leg design.
Anxious for more....
Ag

[DonSlaughter]

Outstanding craftsmanship, Hank... You're an inspiration...and at the PERFECT time.  I'm in the process of moving my shop and seeing how yours functions is great.  Who is this heirloom going to?  Please keep the posts coming!

Don