# dovetails in plywood



## flynnth (Jan 13, 2008)

I'M just getting started in woodworking,and aint too good at this typing stuff either.MY question concerns trying to cut dt joints in ply wood. I made a test cut in 3/4 pine and it came out okay,but when I switched to the plywood the bit started burning .Perhaps it's my fault or isn't pw a good choice for dting? Thanks to all.


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## mmwood_1 (Oct 24, 2007)

*dt's in ply*

My guess is that you are using a high speed steel bit. Plywood has layers of glue in it and if you want to dovetail it, you need to use a carbide tipped dovetail bit. 
Dovetails in plywood? some may ask. Yes you can. I often use 1/2" thick baltic birch plywood for drawers, and I dovetail the corners, no problem. They look great, and while they probably don't have the strength they'd have in solid wood, they're still a strong joint.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Mark has a good take on DT'ing plywood. Baltic Birch, or Apple Ply are about the only plywoods I would try DT's on. Even with carbide tipped DT bits, there can be chipping and breakout in regular hardwood plywoods and BB. 

DT's are better suited to solid woods. There are many types of jointing techniques other than DT's that work well with plywoods.


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## woodman51jfk (Dec 10, 2007)

Agreeing with both on the baltic...........what I've done to help eliminate burning and splintering is to first make a pass with a straight shearing bit to clean out most of the waste, then use the carbide DT bit for the angled portions of the joint..........most of my clients really appreciate the look of nicely finished DT multi-ply joints over solid material.


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## flynnth (Jan 13, 2008)

Thanks to the following : mmwood,cabinetman,woodsman
Really appreciated your input .
This was my first tryout for the dtjig . I wanted to make a tall box
and didn't have any wide stock to work with,probably wouldn't have tried using anything real nice for experimenting with,hence the pw.
I think I'll be asking alot of questions in the future,but for now I'm off to purchase some carbide bits.


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## mmwood_1 (Oct 24, 2007)

*one more thing...*

One more tip on dovetailing ply: go easy on your feed rate. The ply is tough on the dovetail bits, and they have a thin neck just above the tail shape, presenting a weak spot. I have snapped more than one bit due to too fast a feed rate. Hence, I always have a few in stock.


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Yep, I agree with the the majority on this one...

*BUT...*

If you want to learn to cut your DT's *by hand* 
and using high-quality ply, as mentioned, 
*you will reduce the tearout to zero.*  :yes:


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