| A sliding dovetail joint is very similar to the mortise and | | | | lengths. I suggest you stay away from very |
| tenon joint. The socket has the same function as a | | | | narrow-necked dovetail bits. It is best to cut the |
| mortise, and the dovetail is comparable to the tenon. | | | | dovetail socket at full depth in one pass. Prior to using |
| Unlike a mortise & tenon joint, sliding dovetails | | | | the dovetail bit it is a good idea to use a straight bit to |
| must be open on one end of the socket. You cut the | | | | pre-plow the socket. That prolongs the dovetail bit. |
| socket and the dovetail tenon with the same dovetail | | | | You don't have to worry about a climb cut if the |
| bit. | | | | socket is only one router bit wide. With one pass and |
| Sliding Dovetail Benefits | | | | one setup, you can rout the socket. The fitting process |
| A sliding dovetail joint does extremely well in tensile | | | | is easier this way. In addition, you have a target for the |
| strength or pull-apart strength. It excels in connecting | | | | dovetail tenon. The tenon is the same size as the |
| the sides of a drawer to the front and back. Also, they | | | | dovetail router bit. |
| are excellent for doors, legs and rails, and shelves. | | | | To make the tenon, you adjust your router table fence |
| Joint Design | | | | in small increments. You need to take a little bit off of |
| The taper of a dovetail joint defines the fit. Of course, | | | | each side. So you slide the edge across the dovetail |
| the dovetail bit's design restricts the shape of the | | | | bit. You turn the board over and do the same on the |
| sliding dovetail joint. Sliding dovetails are easy to plan in | | | | other side. You can see how the dovetail tenon is |
| the ends of drawer sides. To provide greater strength | | | | forming. You perform this procedure several times by |
| on the back of the drawer, you can offset the | | | | moving the router table fence back a little. Once the |
| sockets. You can do the same in the front of the | | | | dovetail tenon fits the socket, you are finished. |
| drawer to hide the drawer slides. | | | | What could be simpler? |
| Router Bits for Sliding Dovetails | | | | You can spend a lot of money on commercial dovetail |
| Most dovetail bits have angles from roughly 7° to | | | | jigs. However, you can make sliding dovetails using a |
| 9° up to 14°. Of course, they come in various | | | | router table. |