dovetail or fingerjoint

[CraigB]

Hi all - I don't own a table saw, so using a dado blade to make fingerjoints is out for now.  I do however have a dovetail jig and router and wonder if dovetails would be a decent joint to use for making a combo cabinet.

Thanks!

[Willabe]

Hi Craig,

Yes, dovetails are a great joint for a cabinet. Very strong, good looking too. Get some scrap wood and practice to see how well your jig works. You might have to play around with it to work out any problems. Just go for it.

         Brad         

[Willabe]

BTW, there's already a number of good posts on cabinet corner constrution in this section.

         Brad            

[Jack_Hester]

Hi all - I don't own a table saw, so using a dado blade to make fingerjoints is out for now.  I do however have a dovetail jig and router and wonder if dovetails would be a decent joint to use for making a combo cabinet.

Thanks!

You can still use your router and dovetail jig to do finger joints.  A straight bit will do the trick.

Jack

[jjasilli]

I use my routing table to make tongue & grooves.  Guess that's cheating, but it works, so long as the box is covered with tolex anyway to hide the end grain.

[tubenit]

I use half blind dovetails on all my cabinets. Seem very strong to me and look pretty decent too. All the solid wood cabinets in my photobucket were done with that method.

I actually created a power point (that I printed off for myself to reference) on how to use the jig for this. If you can open PPT and would like a copy, just leave me an PM with an email address & I'll get it to you.   This prevented me from having to keep "relearning" how to do it.

http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c216/tubenit/?sc=3

With respect, Tubenit

[stingray_65]

I use half blind dovetails on all my cabinets. Seem very strong to me and look pretty decent too. All the solid wood cabinets in my photobucket were done with that method.

I actually created a power point (that I printed off for myself to reference) on how to use the jig for this. If you can open PPT and would like a copy, just leave me an PM with an email address & I'll get it to you.   This prevented me from having to keep "relearning" how to do it.

http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c216/tubenit/?sc=3

With respect, Tubenit

OMG Jeff!

I feel like a HACK after seeing your cabs.

[G._Hoffman]

Finger joints with a router bit is always going to be tough, because the direction you need to rout is across the grain, and it is very difficult to do so without major chipping/tearout.  Especially if you are using plywood.  With dovetails, you can do a quick shallow pass the length of the pin board (the one on the front side of the jig) and get a good clean "cheek" cut, which keeps it from chipping.  The tapered shape of the router bit cuts a much better edge than a straight bit could. 

Plus, dovetails look better, and are stronger than finger joints.  Finger joints are fine,of course, but I find them much more difficult to accomplish than machine made half blind dovetails.


Gabriel

[Casey4s]

I use a home made jig to cut box joints on my router table. I can cut through 2-3 or 4 pieces at the same time.  It's the fastest method I have tried.  On a guitar cabinet I like the box joints better because the joing wraps the whole corner edge. even though dovetails are more difficult.

[G._Hoffman]

even though dovetails are more difficult.

Not if you have a half-way decent dovetail jig.  (And mine is really cheap, since I don't use it for anything but hobby stuff - no need on guitars.)  Box joints are too fiddlely, unless you have the ability to set up a table saw for it permanently. 

Just my opinion, of course, but I've never had good luck with box joints.


Gabriel

[Casey4s]

even though dovetails are more difficult.

Not if you have a half-way decent dovetail jig.  (And mine is really cheap, since I don't use it for anything but hobby stuff - no need on guitars.)  Box joints are too fiddlely, unless you have the ability to set up a table saw for it permanently. 

Just my opinion, of course, but I've never had good luck with box joints.


Gabriel

Dado's scare me for some reason. LOL

This is my home made jig idea, it's nothing "special" but I lik cuttine multiple pieces at once, lik isentical cabinet sides.  I have never had good luck with Dove Tails.... I guess it's one of those working style things.  As long as we all get the results we are after.


Video 3 shows cutting two panels at once. I took the dust collector off in the videos because it blocked the camera's view.

http://s238.photobucket.com/albums/ff243/Casey4s/Box%20Jig/?start=al


This is my BFPR cabinet from 2004. Which was my first cabinet on this jig.

[bluesbear]

Sears used to sell a cheap brand of stationary tools at their stores called "Companian". Not great, of course. I bought a table saw for $79.99 and set it up for box joints. It took some fiddling around and re-adjusting but once I got it set, I locked everything down and I leave it there. It's always worked fine since. It seemed like a good use of the money cause I could never get my dovetail jig to work right at all.
Dave