Dovetail half pin sizing.

[1275gt]

Hello all,
I'm making a small box out of black walnut around 40mm in height with a groove to hold the top and bottom.

I usually do my half pins 10mm(ish) from the ends but I want to try and hide a groove in the tails. Cause I don't have a lot of height to play with if I was to go 5-10mm in, then tails then groove doesn't leave me with a lot of usable depth in the box.


So how skinny can I make the half pins? I'm planning on doing a test joint but thought I would ask at the same time. Also it's just a keepsake box so it won't be under any stress or holding a lot of weight.

Thanks in advance

 

[aesmith]

How about mitring the last bit? Like this but wide enough to contain your groove.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

I'm making a small box out of black walnut around 40mm in height with a groove to hold the top and bottom.

So how skinny can I make the half pins? I'm planning on doing a test joint but thought I would ask at the same time. Also it's just a keepsake box so it won't be under any stress or holding a lot of weight.

This box is roughly 130L X 80W X 75H mm. The bottom is glued into a rebate and the lid sits in a groove. The half pins are roughly 2 mm wide at the root (widest point), and sit approximately 5 mm in from the top edge of the lid and the bottom edge of the main box body to accommodate the lid's top panel and the box bottom: the grooved area and the rebated area are hidden because of the mitres incorporated at these points. Mitres are also employed at the bottom edge of the lid and the top edge of the main box body.

The form of the sycamore lid panel and how it's held in place is illustrated at the bottom, although because this lid's so thin, maybe 9 - 10 mm thick, it's not scooped out on the bottom face as shown in the sketch. Slainte.

 

[aesmith]

My attempt, a bit battered as it's a tool case

 

[MikeJhn]

Its only my opinion, but I have never understood half pins to me it looks as though someone took a short cut instead of cutting them correctly, I know its probably more difficult to cut them which just reinforce's my view point.

 

[johnnyb]

When they get thin there really hard to stop from splitting during assembly/testing etc. Damhik!

 

[1275gt]

Thank you for all the replies, I made a test joint with some skinny ends and as @johnnyb mentioned it gets a bit dicey fitting them.

Looks like mitred ends is the way! Thank you for the photos, I'll hopefully post it in here when I get around to it.

Thanks again.