Blind Dovetails
It s the easiest of all.
Blind dovetails. This is useful if making a drawer for example since the drawer front which would be the pin board will be more attractive by hiding the ends. A standard 1 2 template works in conjunction with a 1 2 dovetail bit and typically has fingers spaced 7 8 apart as shown at left however we ve seen some templates with 1 spacing. And the full blind dovetail.
Half blind dovetails often referred to as lapped dovetails in the uk are what we are going to use to hold this cabinet together. So we need to strive for a nice tight fit here. I ve done a number of dovetail tutorials but had ignored the full blind dovetail also known as the double lap primarily because i don t see a lot of use for it.
The secret mitred dovetail joint also called a mitred blind dovetail full blind dovetail or full blind mitred dovetail is used in the highest class of cabinet and box work. On the other hand if your joint end up a bit gappy you ll be pleased to know that the majority of them will be hidden anyway. Unlike through dovetail joints where you can see the end grain on both boards when you re done a half blind dovetail joint shows the end grain only on the pin board if you try to look at the end of the tail board it is covered by the pin board.
Half blind dovetails video leigh d4r pro dovetail jig perhaps the most common use of the half blind dovetail joint is drawer box construction. The half blind joint shows the pins and tails on only one side of the joint while remaining completely invisible on the other. It s all structural as if your joints were covered in moulding.
These are purely constructional. Dovetail jigs come with a template or comb with a series of fingers that you guide a router along to cut the dovetails. For the last 30 months i ve been cutting a lot of full blind dovetails because the campaign style furniture i ve been building uses this joint a lot.
It offers the strength found in the dovetail joint but is totally hidden from both outside faces by forming the outer edge to meet at a 45 degree angle while hiding the dovetails internally within the joint.
