![]() Part of this challenge comes from the nature of dovetails themselves, regardless of how they are cut: pins or tails must fit their sockets within close tolerances. ![]() The trouble is, achieving these critical settings isn’t always quick or easy to understand. To cut a properly fitting joint, most jigs will require that you fine-tune a combination of settings on both the jig and the router bit depth. If you hope to unpack a new dovetail jig on a Saturday morning and be milling flawless joints in an hour or two, temper your enthusiasm. First, dovetail jigs aren’t panaceas for simplicity. When I started routing dovetails 20 or so years ago, it didn’t take long to learn a few humbling lessons you may face, too. If this power tool method seems a better fit for you, here’s what to keep in mind. They’re also quick to churn out, once your jig and router setup are carefully dialed in. Both are entirely viable options, but router-cut dovetails require less hand-and-eye coordination. Or buy a dovetail jig and whip them out with a router instead. ![]() So, it’s only natural that, sooner or later, you’re going to want to learn to make these interlocking, timelessly popular joints.Īt that point you’ll face a choice: learn to saw and chop them by hand - the classic method. And, in spite of the fact that we woodworkers have other joinery options that also form equally rugged connections, they just don’t get the same nod of approval as dovetails. There’s a truism at work here: dovetails are one of the calling cards of high craftsmanship. In the same way, it’s hard not to fawn over a blanket chest adorned with through dovetails on its corners. When examining a piece of furniture, even non-woodworkers will often open drawers and search for that pleasing interplay of pins and tails that mark dovetail joints.
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