Tapered sliding dovetails

[Jeff]

I received this via email from FWW and it got my curiosity. According to the free plan the cabinet shelves are 3/4" t and the tapered dovetail socket is 5/16" deep (3/8" w at the front and 9/16" w at the back). Interesting but seems too complex for a simple cabinet. Why not use plain old dados cut on the TS to support the shelves? Of course that simple method isn't the stuff that FWW would publish.

Ep 3a: Hand-cut Tapered Dovetails - Sockets - FineWoodworking

In this episode, Chris begins creating the tapered sliding dovetails by sawing out the sockets, and cleaning them up with a router plane

www.finewoodworking.com

 

[Newboy]

They lock the sides from bowing out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[danmart77]

Jeff I think I'll give you a lone answer to a short question. This method is just overkill.
I build these cabinets all the time and I use a straight dado cut with a router. The top of the cabinet is dovetailed to the sides, the face stiles are glued to the sides and shelves to lock them together.

The back is nailed to the shelves and sides for torsion lock. This is not being dropped from a building.

Here are some building notes and photos for this cabinet. I might add Chris charges 1700 for his cabinet. Look at his and ask yourself is this the same thing that danmart77 is making for 350?

Top joined to sides

This is not going to bow and have a shelf fall out of the dado. At least not yet.

Once the stiles are glued to the shelves and side pieces this is very strong and rigid. Oh and the door hinges are mortised already to make the fit like a glove.

I teach a 2 day class on the construction of this piece. It just takes a little patience.

Note: I was an avid reader of FWW for the first 20 years of publication. I no longer subscribe to the magazine for a number of reasons most importantly it has been taken down a notch by other magazines and now it is just too full of "buy me adds" to keep it going. Just my opinion.

 

[Jeff]

" I might add Chris charges 1700 for his cabinet. Look at his and ask yourself is this the same thing that danmart77 is making for 350?"

I couldn't find the Enfield chest for sale by Chris Gochnour.

"Chris is making the piece true to the way the original cabinets were made before the high strength adhesives we have now were available."

Chris said that the original Enfield Shaker cabinet used plain old dados. Maybe they used no glue or hide glue. ???????

 

[danmart77]

Chris is making the piece true to the way the original cabinets were made before the high strength adhesives we have now were available.
This could be argued the original cabinet he is building did not use tapered dado joints

I expect if they'd had the glues we have today, the original makers of that sort of cabinet would have used simple dadoes.
Hide glue is more than enough to hold an ordinary dado in place.

Today there seems to be little point to using dovetails at all if they aren't going to be seen
What?

 

[Jeff]

The original makers didn't use tapered dado joints but regular dado joints. See the second video in the series at about 2-3 minutes. Maybe they didn't use any glue at all in those joints because the overall construction holds the cabinet together.

Ep 2: Case Layout - FineWoodworking

In this episode, Chris demonstrates his techniques for keeping all of the case parts in order, and layout out the tricky joinery to come

www.finewoodworking.com

 

[danmart77]

They lock the sides from bowing out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

They cannot bow out if they are glued to the sides and shelves with the face frame. Not possible unless all 5 shelves pop and bow.

 

[Joe Scharle]

Long sliding DTs aren't difficult if you use a jig like this with a router.

 

[danmart77]

Joe I can see going to this trouble if it was a backless and no face-frame on the front.

With the cabinet being built in the video to copy an original piece its still fine if you like that method. Its a good joint. Where I get my feathers ruffled is the comments about no glue being used. This is something you very rarely see in furniture of this type.

 

[Joe Scharle]

When I used to build furniture that I hoped to be treasured and passed on, I used this technique on the web frames.
My grandfather did this and I suppose it was because of the quality of the glues of the day.
The side panels have mating dados.

 

[Rwe2156]

I think it is a very valuable technique to learn.

Dan, I agree full length tapered DTs might be overkill but for a carcase without a face frame like a dresser, for example, a DT at least at the front edge of a divider is IMO essential to prevent any potential bowing of the sides.

A dado will not do that and without fasteners or through tenons, in this regard adds little to no strength in a carcase. This is because a dado is virtually a 100% end grain glue up. I've seen many antique dressers etc with gaps in the dados.