what are the benefits of a dovetail joint over box joint

[SlowSteve]

hello all

again apologies for no punctuation or capitals - ruined keyboard.

i am in the middle of jig making ready for an all out assault on mrs steve's ever growing list of cabinet and drawer making requirements for the summer. this obviously means joints, and i am trying to work out whether i spend the time and money on box joint jigs or dove tail jigs.

i was wondering what the benefits of dovetails are over a fingerjoint/box joint.... as far as i can see they are harder to make than a box joint if you go down the power tool route - either router or table saw , and mathias wandals awesome site - woodgears.ca - has shown that the box joint is between 2 to 3 times stronger than the dovetail. they can be produced half blind as well.

is the use of dovetails more about an aesthetic appeal, or are there some other benefits that i'm not seeing that mean that i should look at the dove tails instead of the box joints

thanks

steve

 

[marcros]

A dovetail is a mechanical joint, the box joint just increases the glue surface.

Box joints are designed to be cut quickly on a saw or router where you couldn't cut dovetails as fast in a production environment. It isn't a joint you would cut by hand.

 

[Graham Orm]

Hi Steve. I've just sold a dovetail jig that I used half a dozen times over 6 years. It creates neat tight joints after the initial setting up faff. However they are different from hand cut dovetails, and there's no getting away from the fact that hand cut DT's are lovely to see if done in proportion and neatly cut. Once you master them your jigs will gather dust.

I wouldn't fuss over whether finger or dovetails is the right way to go if you're using a jig. Go with the quickest and easiest, which would be finger joints.

I'm puzzled how finger joints can be stronger than dovetails as they will pull out if given enough force. The DT won't, simply because the dovetail cannot pass through the opening. If you're making something that will test the joint to possible destruction, forget wood and use steel :mrgreen:

For strength on a drawer either DT or finger joints will be plenty strong enough.

If you have the time and patience, visit Rob Cosman's YouTube channel and learn how to dovetail with hand tools.

 

[custard]

Grayorm's pretty much nailed it (the argument not the drawer!). I'd just emphasise that hand dovetailing really isn't that hard but is immensely satisfying. Furthermore a really special drawer needs thin sides, which in turn means drawer slips rather than a simple groove in the side for a drawer bottom.

For me there's only two choices, a traditional hand made drawer with fine "needle" dovetails, drawer slips and a proper cedar bottom. Or a ply drawer box with a false front and mechanical drawer slides. Both have their place. But jig made dovetails with thick drawer sides and a cheap drawer bottom is the sort of grubby compromise I associate with Oak Furniture Land

 

[glynster]

With modern glue the only technical difference between finger and dovetail joints is appearance - they both perform roughly the same in stress tests.