Replies

1. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Dec 21, 2006 09:22am | #1

   Those things are sometimes called dovetail keys, or sometimes butterflies.   They're generally inlaid.   One way to do it is to make the key first, and scribe around it to establish the edges of the hole the inlay is going to fit in.  Then use a router to remove most of the waste, leaving a nice flat bottom to the hole.   Use a chisel to pare the hole to the scribe line.  Glue the key in, plane it flush, and you're done. 

1. 
   JMadson | Dec 21, 2006 09:34am | #2

   Thanks, would I have to use a solid wood panel in the door or could I get away with ply?“The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume

1. 
   ChuckN | Dec 21, 2006 03:31pm | #3

   While the ones in the sideboard you have pictured appear to be there for decoration purposes in actuality you don't need to put them in to make the piece "period correct".  The original reason they were used was to replace wood that had been removed to take out a flaw in the wood (a knot or pitch pocket or such).

   But, if used correctly,  they do give a piece an interesting character.I spent a fortune on deodorant until I finally realized that people didn't like me anyway.

2. 
   charlesm | Dec 21, 2006 03:37pm | #4

   You can use plywood, particularly if you can find a nice veneer that mimics the glued panel (otherwise you can still glue ply pieces together to make it but if you go with 1/4" thick it will be tricky to get a good joint). Probably best to use an inlay bit set (like the Freud FT1500) and templates to make the butterfly inlays and mating mortises. You can make the door frames with a dado set or with a tongue and groove router bit set but, again, if you use 1/4" plywood you may find that the dado or standard T&G set will not cut a groove narrow enough. We make an adjustable T&G set (99-036) that is ideal for 1/4" to 3/8" plywood.
   Charles M

   Freud America, Inc.