Dovetail

[johnplum]

Im am 14, just starting woodworking, and here is a picture of my practice dovetail joint. The small end of the pins are made half the width of the tails. What ratios are best? Should they differ for harder and softer woods?

mod edit to add pic
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[Sheffield Tony]

I'm guessing that you haven't yet made enough posts for the picture to show ? It's a measure to avoid spam posts - please persevere !

At school I was taught dovetail angles of 1 in 6 for softwood, 1 in 8 for hardwood, with not much said about the relative sizes and spacing of tails and pins. I've just finished reading a copy of Mortise and Tenon magazine, which has a photo study of a fair few sets of dovetails from (American) period furniture, and I think the only conclusion is almost all styles can work, and have been used by someone, sometime, somewhere !

Looking forward to seeing your work. My wife still uses the stool I made in school woodwork class when I was 14, quite a few years ago.

 

[MikeG.]

Welcome johnplum. Great to have a young woodworker amongst all us old farts.

Unfortunately, I can't see your image. Maybe others can, I dunno. The best answer, though, is that it doesn't really matter. Make your dovetails to an angle which suits your eye, aesthetically. Woodworking is full of people who will tell you that there is one right way of doing things, and anyone who differs is wrong, but the reality is that the best woodworkers in the world for centuries took their own view on these sorts of questions, and there is no such thing as right or wrong. Wait for people to tell you 1 in 6 or 1 in 7....don't worry, they're coming up.........but it doesn't matter, really. My best advice would be to open a few drawers in old pieces of furniture in antique shops and so on, and just get a feel for the sort of angles the old boys used back then.

 

[custard]

Well done John! If you make a few more posts then you can start showing photos. Please do persevere, I'm dying to see your dovetails.

 

[DTR]

I can see the photo just fine. I think the OP's question is more about spacing than the angle

Welcome to the forum, that looks very good for a beginner! Looks like you've used softwood too; nothing wrong with that but it can make the job more difficult due to its softness.

With regards to the spacing, I prefer to make the tails maybe 3 or 4 times wider than the pins:

That's purely an aesthetic choice though, it won't effect the strength in any way

 

[Benchwayze]

Aw! I can't be bothered with dovetails any more! If I do cut them and they sort of don't fit; then out comes the lump hammer and I 'Bishop' them! (hammer) And if you believe that you'll believe anything.

Nice work DTR. I too like bigger tails for softwood and toolboxes etc. I think they look 'workmanlike'.

Well done to John Plumb. If my first dovetails had been as good as that I'd have been a happy-chappie! Keep at it. =D>

John

 

[Jacob]

Looks good. They are called "half pins" but that doesn't mean they have to be half. Better much bigger as the corner is vulnerable.
Angles 1/6 or 1/8 are fictional you can do what you want.
Neater finish if the pins and the tails are slightly over length and then planed back flush when the glue is hard.

 

[PAC1]

John, they are excellent, both in setting out and execution. Keep it up.

 

[thetyreman]

good job john, try planing the surfaces and getting used to how it feels as it will improve the final appearance, they are very good for a first attempt.