Frank's 3 min. DT Video

[DavidF]

I use a coping saw to remove the waste in my DTs, that blade rotates 90 degs as well. I have to say, if I had made those DTs that piece would have gone straight in the bin! Not good enough even for paint grade, you would spend as much time filling the gaps as you would have spent making them nicely in the first place. I hope when he's off camara he makes a better job!

[Bas]

I think he was on the Woodwright's Shop once. He took a little longer than 3 minutes, but they came out much better. The video was clearly for bragging purposes. Let's face it, if you're going to paint it, why bother with dovetails?

[Bas]

Here's an idea for a new product - pre-cut dovetails. Two long strips of wood (8' lengths, like molding) with the tails and pins already cut by a machine. Measure how much you need (e.g. 6") and cut that off. Each strip already has biscuit slots cut. Cut biscuit slots in your drawer side, and join it with the dovetail strip. Cut biscuit slots in your drawer front, and join it with the pin strip. Done! Sure, you'll have a glue line, but nobody will see it because they're looking at the perfect dovetails!!!

I'll call it E-Z-Tail. Available in all the popular wood species (oak, maple, walnut, cherry). And I'll leave Frank in the dust......

[Glennbear]

Let us not forget that the editor was at Frank's shop to do an article on european type saws. I think that the video was more about the usage of the saws rather than a demo of high speed precision joinery.

[cpw]

I've seen video of Frank doing dovetails in 1/2" hardwood with a marking gauge, pencil, dovetail saw, and chisels. It didn't take him much longer than this, maybe 5-6 minutes, and he was explaining as he went. The resulting box was the size of a small drawer, and the fit was MUCH better.

[DavidF]

Originally Posted by Bas

Here's an idea for a new product - pre-cut dovetails. Two long strips of wood (8' lengths, like molding) with the tails and pins already cut by a machine. Measure how much you need (e.g. 6") and cut that off. Each strip already has biscuit slots cut. Cut biscuit slots in your drawer side, and join it with the dovetail strip. Cut biscuit slots in your drawer front, and join it with the pin strip. Done! Sure, you'll have a glue line, but nobody will see it because they're looking at the perfect dovetails!!!

I'll call it E-Z-Tail. Available in all the popular wood species (oak, maple, walnut, cherry). And I'll leave Frank in the dust......

Great idea Bas, but aren't you forgetting in both your posts that Dovetails are not supposed to be decorative!! They just are! They are there for strength and in your first post, painted or not, a big drawer should have dovetails and in the second "E-Z tails" you would have an end grain glue joint. Maybe we should take a leaf out of Franks book and just rough 'em out and be done - they'd be just as strong Having said that, I want in on the E-Z tails business!

[Bas]

Originally Posted by DavidF

They are there for strength

I think Wood magazine did a test on the various joints (dovetail, boxjoints, rabbets, biscuits etc.) a while ago. I believe the boxjoints were strongest, not because of the mechanical properties (dovetails are far superior in that aspect) but because of the increased glue surface. If all I had was hide glue, then dovetails would be the right joint every time for drawers. With PVA glue, something as basic as a butt joint would probably last forever, at least for most drawers.

Yes, the joint of the E-Z-Tails strip with the drawer side is end grain, so you definitely need biscuits. It certainly wouldn't be terribly strong, although I have yet to break a biscuit joint without completely ripping the wood to shreds. Since we want to make things look all fancy schmancy, we can even make "pinned biscuits"

You know, the E-Z-Tails was just another one of my nonsense ideas, but it might actually work! For strength, a half lap would be better than a biscuit, not quite as easy to make but still much quicker than dovetails.

[DavidF]

Originally Posted by Bas

I think Wood magazine did a test on the various joints (dovetail, boxjoints, rabbets, biscuits etc.) a while ago. I believe the boxjoints were strongest, not because of the mechanical properties (dovetails are far superior in that aspect) but because of the increased glue surface. If all I had was hide glue, then dovetails would be the right joint every time for drawers. With PVA glue, something as basic as a butt joint would probably last forever, at least for most drawers.

Yes, the joint of the E-Z-Tails strip with the drawer side is end grain, so you definitely need biscuits. It certainly wouldn't be terribly strong, although I have yet to break a biscuit joint without completely ripping the wood to shreds. Since we want to make things look all fancy schmancy, we can even make "pinned biscuits"

You know, the E-Z-Tails was just another one of my nonsense ideas, but it might actually work! For strength, a half lap would be better than a biscuit, not quite as easy to make but still much quicker than dovetails.

Good point on the box joint there Bas. I still like the idea of the E-Z Tails! in this world of making something as fast as possible it could be a big hit. I even imagine that after the 5th set of "real" DT's that all of us could be tempted! If they were good enough, you wouldn't have to glue them (with the mech strength they have) and that would save drying time and more importantly, clean up! I think a half lap to the end of the drawer side is the way to go, a simple set up to cut and glue. Or you could dovetail the E-Z Tail to the end of the drawer side to avoid the glue and the cleanup.....................