How to Cut Dovetail Joints With a Handsaw

The dovetail joint is named because its tails look like a dove's tail.

The dovetail joint has been used in woodworking for thousands of years. The tensile strength of this joint is often found in fine furniture and quality cabinetry and used in place of mechanical fasteners. In modern furniture, glue is sometimes used to prevent the joint from coming apart as the wood ages. There are four primary types of dovetail joints: through dovetails, half-blind dovetails, lap dovetails and sliding dovetail joints. The through dovetail can be created with a handsaw.

Things You'll Need

• Wood to be joined
• Dovetail saw
• Coping saw
• Vice
• Hammer

Instructions

1. Determine the depth of the tail cuts. Lay one of the pieces of wood to be joined flat on the work surface. Place the second piece of wood perpendicular to the first piece of wood, just as the two will be eventually joined. Ensure the piece of wood standing on end is flush with the end of the wood laying on the work surface. With a pencil, mark the width of the second piece of wood onto the end of the first piece of wood. Do the same to mark the first piece of wood's width onto the second piece of wood.

2. Cut the vertical cuts for your tails. Place the first piece of wood in the vice to hold it vertically. Use the dovetail saw to make cuts to form the sides of your tails. The cuts should be slightly angled in for each tail. Remember, the finished cuts will leave a series of pieces at the end of your piece of wood that look like V-shaped dove tails. Your vertical cuts should extend exactly to the width line drawn, to ensure a flush finished fit. Space your cuts evenly, so the tails and mortises (spaces between the tails) are similar.

3. Remove the waste pieces between the tails. Use the coping saw to cut the horizontal cuts on your first piece of wood to create the mortises between the tails. For mortises on the end of your wood, reposition the wood in the vice 90 degrees, so the horizontal line is now vertical and use the dovetail saw to make the cut.

4. Mark the cut lines for the pins. Use the tails on the first piece of wood as a template for the pins on the second piece of wood. Remove the first piece of wood from the vice and place the second piece of wood in the vice. Position the wood so that the end to be joined is vertical. Place the tails of the first piece of wood over the cut edge of the second piece of wood and use a pencil to mark the cut lines for the pins, on the edge of the wood. Be sure both pieces of wood are lined up correctly, as this will determine your finished fit.

5. Make the vertical cuts for the pins. Use the dovetail saw to make the vertical cuts for the sides of the pins, on the second piece of wood, on the tail lines you've made with the pencil. Cut down exactly to the width of the wood line you made earlier, to ensure a flush finished fit.

6. Remove the waste pieces between the pins. Use the coping saw to make the horizontal cuts between each pin. Use the width line made earlier as a guide. For mortises at the end of the piece of wood, remove the wood from the vice, reposition it 90 degrees so the horizontal width line is now vertical and use the dovetail saw to make the cut.

7. Fit the joint together. Ensure the second piece of wood is firmly in the vice and positioned vertically, with the pins up. Fit the first piece of wood into the second, so that the tails and pins go into the mortises of the other piece of wood. Press the two pieces of wood together by hand. This will be a very tight fit. With the pieces joined together as much as possible by hand, gently tap the joint further together with the hammer, working across the length of wood, until the pieces are flush.

Tips & Warnings

• There is no standard size for dovetails; however, they should be sized in proportion to the finish piece you are working on. A jewelry box, as an example, should have smaller dovetails than a hope chest. One of the best things about creating a dovetail joint is that it does not have to be precise. The pins are created using the tails you make, so each joint is unique. However, if you'd prefer a more precise look to your finished piece, you can measure and mark your tail pieces vertical lines, spacing them equidistantly and angling them at approximately seven degrees. Dovetail templates are available online to help you create consistent dovetails, if you desire. A sharp saw will make cutting easier and deliver a cleaner finished cut. A well-made dovetail joint will hold together for decades; however, you can add a small amount of wood glue to the mortises to ensure a more permanent joint, if desired.

• Wear eye protection when working with woodworking tools. Keep saws away from children.

References

• Timberframe Tools: Dovetail Joints
• Basic Construction and Carpentry Techniques: The Dovetail Joint
• Ivers Woodshop: Dovetail Joints

Resources

• Blocklayer.com: Hand-Cut Dovetail Template