Dove Tail Guide

Thank you for coming to my website. This a quick assembly and instructional guide on how to use the dovetail guide you may have received as a business card. An 8:1 dovetail is useful for joining two pieces of hardwood perpendicularly to each other. Dovetails are often found on high end drawers and other casework. For softer wood such as pine, a 6:1 dovetail is recommended. Cutting dovetails by hand takes practice, but it is a very rewarding process that forms a strong, long lasting joint when done correctly.

At Tufted Jay Design LLC we specialize in making your product ideas come to life. We believe that a product that will astound your customer starts with great ideas, but takes its first step with great documentation. I hope the renders below give you an idea of how great we can make your documentation.

Snap the pieces out of the business card and assemble as shown in the figure above.

Next obtain two pieces of wood that are milled with perpendicular faces. This is important. Mark one piece of wood with a P for pins and the other with a T for tails.

Hold the pin board perpendicular to the tail board and at the end where you want the dovetails to be cut. Mark at the intersection with a sharp pencil or a marking knife. Use a marking gauge for even better results. Use a square to run this mark all around the tail board. This transfers the thickness of the pin board onto the tail board to indicate how deep the dovetails need to be. Reverse the boards and mark on the pin board to transfer the thickness of the tail board to the pin board.

Mark along edge of guide as shown in the image above. A sharp pencil or marking knife works well for this.

Flip the guide to mark the other side of the dovetail. This guide can also be used to guide your saw blade when making a cut.

To do the joint, the method created by Rob Cosman found in the video below is highly recommended.

Thank you for taking time to view our website.