More questions about dovetails

[KingwoodFan1989]

*Sigh* Well, after some deliberation, I've decided to not do dovetails for my current project...it's just taking WAY too long, I've probably used up more than double the Poplar I originally thought I'd use, and I'd like to finish this project since it's been and on and off again for over a year now. I'm a bit disappointed, but I've seen even guys like David Marks do drawers with other joints before, so I know I don't have anything to be ashamed of at the end of it all. What is the best joint for a drawer box other than dovetails, though? I'm also including finger/box joints as a joint I don't want to do, as I'm not in the mood to build another jig right now.

Also, I think most of my difficulty came from the fact that I was using no guides for my saw this time around...several years ago when I did my bedside tables, I used a homemade guide, and even though my skills with marking out the joints have vastly improved since doing some research, I still have trouble making perfectly square and plumb cuts where those are needed. I even got a new one of the dovetail saw I already had, and my cuts are definitely straighter (gotta make sure to take better care of this one so the blade doesn't get bent), but I still need to practice more before I'm ready to do a large volume of dovetails in a project context. What are some practice routines that can help build muscle memory with doing these joints by hand? I know this is an arbitrary line for me to draw, but I feel like if I'm going to be truly skilled at cutting dovetails by hand, I need to be able to do it without guides (not to sound like a snob, but it's just a level I won't be satisfied until I reach). However, would guides help me build muscle memory? I don't plan on being like Rob Cosman or anything, but I'd like to, sooner than later, become proficient and consistent at cutting dovetails by hand without guides.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Dan Moening]

What is the best joint for a drawer box other than dovetails, though? 

Lock dado joint.

Easily done on a tablesaw with a stacked dado set. Or even a single blade.
No jigs necessary. Structurally sound and not altogether unattractive.

[Willyou]

Lock dado joint.

Easily done on a tablesaw with a stacked dado set. Or even a single blade.
No jigs necessary. Structurally sound and not altogether unattractive.

I think it was Fine Woodworking some time ago did strength tests on various types of joints. The lock dado joint did very well, as I recall. Even if I do DTs (with a jig) on drawer fronts, I will often use the dado joint at the rear.

[Scoony]

Hand cut DTs just come with practice. For a project with a lot of drawers, I will pull out the Porter Cable DT jig and knock them out quickly.

Lock dado joints as mentioned above would be my next choice and are easy to do.

[rwe2156]

Proficiency aside, sometimes hand cut dovetails are just not worth the time and effort. It depends on the project.

I've built quite a few pieces with hand cut DT's and most of the time when somebody looks at it, they wouldn't know or don't care. I usually have to tell them "I cut the dovetails all by hand". Wow. What they notice the most is the wood and the finish.

You considered a router template?

I prefer to cut the tails on the table saw.  Use a flat top rip blade have it ground to a 7° bevel.  Tilt blade 7° and use a miter gauge to cut tails.  It does a perfect job.  You can even space them out by eye for a more "hand cut" look.  I usually chisel the pins by hand but you can also do them on the TS.

I will often do a simple rabbet with glue/screws and plugs or filler.

Drawer lock bits and lock dadoes are fine but I don't like them in plywood.

[Willyou]

Drawer lock bits and lock dadoes are fine but I don't like them in plywood.

I'm with you on that. Depending on the quality of the plywood, the little piece that is left after making the dado cut can be quite delicate. I've done it a number of times and, after glue-up, they have all performed their job. However, when I do it in plywood, I cut the dado very narrow, maybe only a little wider than the saw blade, leaving as much meat as possible along the edge.

Added later: It is also OK to allow the sides to extend a bit beyond the back so that you can leave more meat after cutting the dado. This, of course, doesn't work for the fronts.

[Bibliophile 13]

I can cut passable dovetails when I need to. But for quick-and-dirty joints, I find that a nailed-and-glued rabbet holds up pretty well, especially on a drawer because the bottom mostly prevents racking. Rabbet the drawer front and the back, and nail through the sides into the front and back. With glue in the joint too, the whole structure is surprisingly rigid. The rabbets are easy to cut on a table saw or even a bandsaw with a little care.

[KingwoodFan1989]

Great, a reinforced rabbet or dado sounds like the way to go! Also, just so I get the orientation of the drawer fronts PERFECT (and with an even space around the perimeter), I'm building the drawer boxes separately and screwing the drawer fronts onto the boxes. Thus, I'll have to dado/rabbet the entire box. What would be a good reinforcer? Also, me screwing on the drawer fronts separately wouldn't restrict wood movement of the drawer boxes as long as the edges aren't restricted, right?

[Scoony]

Great, a reinforced rabbet or dado sounds like the way to go! Also, just so I get the orientation of the drawer fronts PERFECT (and with an even space around the perimeter), I'm building the drawer boxes separately and screwing the drawer fronts onto the boxes. Thus, I'll have to dado/rabbet the entire box. What would be a good reinforcer? Also, me screwing on the drawer fronts separately wouldn't restrict wood movement of the drawer boxes as long as the edges aren't restricted, right?

The most recent drawer boxes I made, I made the boxes separate from the drawer fronts. Fronts go on last with 2 to 4 screws depending on size of the fronts. Wood movement should not be a problem.

[titanxt]

If you want to try dovetails again sometime, I would suggest a guide such as the one David Barron sells. Makes them almost fool-proof. Andy