Dove Tail Joints To Tight

Pakfan

I have to make a couple of dozen drawers for a master closet system. I was going to make one drawer first for a trial run before I cut up all of the pieces.

I ran the dovetails with a Porter Cable jig and the fit is very tight. I really had to beat it together to get the first one it fit. Since then I have had to hand file all of the dovetails to get a nice fit. '

What could I have done differently to make the dovetails fit nice the first time? The detents on the dovetail jig are all set up the same for the left and right side. By the way I was using 1/2 baltic birch.

Leo G

You need to move the bit up slightly (less deep) to loosen the fit. If it makes it tighter then lower it.

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Custom Cabinets in Hartford County Connecticut

Pakfan

Thanks, I will try that. I had it up so close that it looked like it would hit the collar if I moved it anymore, but then again my eyes aren't what they used to be.

Leo G

Are you using the correct bit for your jig?

__________________
Sawdust Follows Me Everywhere

http://lrgwood.com
Custom Cabinets in Hartford County Connecticut

Pakfan

Yes, I don't make dovetail joints very often but I have made them in the past without having this problem. I can see now that I will have to fine tune the depth of the bit. I had a gauge that I made up and kept it with the jig so I knew how deep to set the bit but I must have missed it. I learned a hard lesson because I spent about 4 hours sanding all of those dovetails to get them to fit correctly.

chris klee

are you doing half blind or thru? the thru has instructions right on the jig to adjust loose and tighter. the manual is pretty good also.

PrestigeR&D

Are you using the correct DT bit, could also be your height or your not staying parallel with Jig, you mentioned "filling in" so,, adjustment probably,,,,,- just a thought,
check it out
Brian,,

Pakfan

They are half blind and the manual was lost years ago. I ran all of the parts already so it is too late for making an adjustment. The drawer sides are 8" tall so there are a lot of dovetails per drawer with enough friction on each that it was a problem putting it together. Before I started the drawer sides I did a test piece on some scrap and the fit was good. My test piece was only 4 inches so it only took half the muscle to fit it together. I will adjust more closely next time. Thanks for all of the good tips.

pinwheel

That's why you run a little extra stock & do a test fit on scraps before you proceed with the full run. Lesson learned the hard way, hopefully.

jayweitekamp

I found that the PC jig can be quite finicky if not exactly the same distance on the left and right side as well as the joints too tight/loose if the bit depth isn't set correctly. I normally go through a few feet of scrap before I get these adjusted perfectly. If there is even a 1/32 of an inch difference between the sides it will show up as 1/16 of an inch gap in your joints...

one of these days I'm going to trade up to the Leigh jig...

pinwheel

You'll never regret that decision if you make many dovetails. I don't use mine as often as I'd like & have to go back to the manual most times, but it only takes one trial run each time to be spot on.