Replies

1. 
   domermatt | Aug 27, 2002 12:08am | #1

   I would use a rabbet, nails, and glue.  I've never heard of using dowels in that situation, but I guess it could be done. Don't get flustered if your first attempt at dovetails looks atrocious. It took me about 10 practive runs before I would even try them on an actual piece.

   When people 100 years from now see my work, they'll know I cared. --Matt Mulka
2. 
   BG | Aug 27, 2002 12:21am | #2

   SC,

   Some of the first machine made pieces in this country were done that way....kinda!  They put a rabbit on each side of the front piece to accept the side pieces, and drilled through both and placed a dowel in there.  Good Luck  

3. 
   gbwood | Aug 27, 2002 05:16am | #3

   a lot fo the pre-fab cabinets out there have doweled drawers, they seem to me to be fairly stout. I have a routertable dedicated to drawer joints(dedicated just cuz it is a pain to set up accurately)-1/4" straight bit, 1/4"high, with 1/4"between the bit & the fence. I run the front & back with the face against the fence, & the sides with the face flat on the table, it creates a tounge on the front & back to fit in the dado on the sides. A little glue... plenty bad man!!(this works great when using 1/2 baltic birch ply, anyway)

   
   

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   Edited 8/26/2002 10:18:37 PM ET by gb wood

4. 
   rickkk1 | Aug 27, 2002 07:42am | #4

   shopnotes issue 62 has a really easy to make box joint jig that works fantastic, i

   built it to attach to my miter guage on my table saw, there plan calls for using two

   miter gauge slots for your base, i did'nt like the way it slid. box joint is easy and

   looks goods.

5. 
   timburnisher | Aug 28, 2002 01:49am | #5

   I've seen some old pieces with crescent joints, which are a lot like a rabbet and dowel type joint.  It sounds like a fine idea to me, but I have one piece of advice: for maximum physical strength of the joint for drawers, you should put the dowels in parallel to the front face- that is, through the side pieces and into the front or back.  You could also angle them slightly off perpendicular in order to create the locking effect of a dovetail joint. 

   Good luck,

     Tim 

6. 
   DaveinPa | Aug 28, 2002 02:59am | #6

   I have bewen making dovetails by hand for years. It has gotten to the point that it is second nature to me. I have a Craftsman Deluxe Dovetail jig that I broke out today just to play with it. After 2 1/2 hours of set up, not counting all the trouble I had with the router, I finally cut a decent dovetail.  

   IMHO, learn to cut dovetails by hand. It takes a lot of practice but after a few tries thats the only way you will want to do them.

   Dave in Pa.

1. 
   BG | Aug 28, 2002 05:01am | #8

   Dave,

   I tried to make those compound dovetail joints featured in this months issue of FWW by hand. Wow do I stink! practice, practice, practice...

7. 
   noone51 | Aug 28, 2002 04:14am | #7

   Soupcook... There is absolutely nothing wrong with using dowels.  Its not conventional and will be difficult to align but it will work just fine. As was suggested before. The grades of box joints go as follows...

   1. Butt Joint

   1a. Rabitted butt joint

   2. Box/Finger Joint

   3. Dovetail

   Somewhere in between there you might be able to fit in a dowel or two and make it work. Hey who knows, you might have just created something unique that will stand for years to come... How do you think the top three made it 3.5 made it there

   Best of luck.