How Do You Make A Dovetail Joint?
Dovetail joints are a hallmark of fine furniture. They’re strong, durable, nice to look at and easy to make, once you know the basics. Prepare two piece of wood about 12 inches long, 3 inches wide and ½ inch thick. Your actual dimensions will depend upon the piece you’re building, but practice on these boards. Mark the two boards with “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “top” and “bottom.” Set a marking gauge to about 1/64th of an inch less than the thickness of your boards. Scribe both of the boards on one end, making sure to scribe both the front and back faces. You should have a total of four scribe lines. Clamp one of the boards, scribed end up, in a bench vise. Measure over 1/8 inch from the left side of the board, and mark this with a thin pencil line. Then measure over 1/4 inch from the same end and mark this with your pencil. Lastly, mark both these measurements on the right side of the board. Use a pair of dividers to divide out the distance between the 1/8 inch marks on the cla
