# Dovetail Question ... ?



## Locodcdude (Oct 24, 2010)

So I was tooling around out in the shop, and thought I would bust out the old through dovetail template from MLCS and make some practice on Dovetails. I'm 18 years old, and I can't say that I have ever incorporated dovetails in a project of mine. So I decided I would make some test cuts. I have noticed that the tails are strong and sturdy, and they seem to square them selves up. My main question here is, (Drum roll)

What type of gluing method would you suggest for dovetails? I've heard of drilling through a few pins, and driving a dowel through them, thus interlocking them in place. Would you suggest I do this, or use some glue in the pins and tails?
I wasn't sure if it would be a  to try to get the glue scraped off later xD

Share your means of cutting dovetails (By hand, Jigs, ect) and how you glue them.


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## mrbentontoyou (Aug 3, 2010)

i get the angle with a sliding bevel, 
lay out the tail board, 
(spacing by eye 98% of the time)
cut by hand,
fit them up dry, 
fix any issues,
paint glue on the sides of the tails with a small chip brush,
and tap them home.

card scraper for glue cleanup on the inside (if needed) while glue is still pasty,
outside is getting planed or sanded flush anyway so not overly concerned with squeeze out there.


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## jlord (Feb 1, 2010)

Just wood glue will hold them together just fine. No need for extra pins.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Either jig or handcut, I lightly coat mating parts. Cleanup is with a wet rag.












 







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## Locodcdude (Oct 24, 2010)

Thank's guys, Going to be cutting some dovetails tomorrow for a project. Just a single drawer thing, so we'll see how it goes.


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