Dovetail Joinery

A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a woodworking joinery technique. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart, the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front. A series of pins cut to extend from the end of one board interlock with a series of tails cut into the end of another board. The pins and tails have a trapezoidal shape. Once glued, the joint is permanent, and requires no mechanical fasteners.




Dovetails can be cut by hand or by machines, often with an electric router and using one of a range of commercially available jigs or templates. The cutting of dovetails by hand is regarded by some as a mark of skill on the part of the craftsperson.














Half-blind dovetails are commonly used to fasten drawer fronts to drawer sides, where the craftsperson does not wish the end grain to be visible from the front of the cabinet. This is an alternative to the practice of attaching false fronts to drawers constructed using through dovetails. The mitred blind dovetail is used when the strength of a dovetail is required but the craftsperson does not wish end-grain to be visible at all.