Dovetail Archives | WoodWorkers Guild of America

Porter Cable Omnijig Review

July 10, 2013 By Paul Mayer & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review.

Although I normally cut dovetails with a Japanese saw and a set of quality chisels, I talk to a lot of woodworkers and I realize that the tedium of chopping dovetails by hand is not for everyone, particular those who have a large… Read More

Use a Machinists Vise for Cutting Dovetails

February 22, 2011 By Paul Mayer & filed under Shop Tips, Skill Building.

I love my machinist vise for cutting dovetails in drawer parts. To keep from marring the stock, I replace the iron jaw inserts with wood ones. The beauty of a machinist vise over my bench vise is that it holds the drawer parts up high at… Read More

Making Sliding Dovetails

January 11, 2011 By Paul Mayer & filed under Joinery, Skill Building.

Looking for a rock solid way to join drawers that doesn’t require a dovetail jig? If you’ve got a router table, you can easily make a sliding dovetail and get many of the strength advantages a half-blind or through dovetail would provide. You’ll only be able… Read More

Routed Half-Blind Dovetail Drawers: Part 2

December 27, 2010 By Paul Mayer & filed under Cabinet Making, Furniture Making, Skill Building.

In part one of this article I showed you how a half-blind router dovetail jig works, and how to size your drawer parts for routing in the jig. In this final installment, I will explain using the jig to rout the joints, and then how to assemble the drawers. Read More

Routed Half-Blind Dovetail Drawers: Part 1

November 30, 2010 By Paul Mayer & filed under Furniture Making, Skill Building.

This is a two-part story. The focus is on drawers with mechanical slides. In this installment I will explain how a half-blind dovetail router jig works, calculating drawer parts sizes, and where to locate drawer bottoms for drawers with side-mount slides or undermount slides. Part two… Read More

Veritas 14-tpi Dovetail Saw

October 20, 2009 By Paul Mayer & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review.

I must be honest; I don’t hand cut dovetails, but I do use a dovetail saw to make fine, straight, and very accurate cuts on other types of woodworking joints. For those cuts, nothing but a quality dovetail saw will suffice. And as long as I’m… Read More