- #Cnc dovetail drawers how to#
- #Cnc dovetail drawers manual#
- #Cnc dovetail drawers full#
- #Cnc dovetail drawers software#
It’s not uncommon to experience minor tearout along the inside edge of the tail piece. Then a few light taps with a mallet should fully seat the tails. You should be able to fit the tails halfway into the sockets by hand. I shoot for a joint that can be assembled with only moderate pressure. It’s always hard to know when the fit is just right. I rely on a simple verse to help me remember which way to go, “Lower to loosen - heighten to tighten.” Too loose, and you should raise the bit to produce the opposite effect. The bit will then cut narrower tails and wider sockets. If the fit of the joint is too tight, you’ll need to lower the bit. So the first thing I do is adjust the bit height with test cuts using stock identical in thickness to that of the drawer parts. This is your main adjustment when setting up to cut the dovetails. The fit between the pins and tails is determined by the bit height in the router. And when clamping narrow parts, I place a spacer under the clamping bars to keep them from racking (lead photo). If your jig doesn’t have grip tape on the clamping bars, consider adding some adhesivebacked sandpaper to create a non-skid surface. So it pays to make sure they’re held firmly beneath the clamping bars. You never want the workpieces to shift while you’re routing the joint. This can be done easily with an inexpensive centering cone as shown in the photo above. So it’s a good idea to center the bit before getting started.Īctually, since the bit is fixed in the collet, what you’re doing is centering the bushing around the bit. If the bit isn’t perfectly centered in the bushing, the cuts may not be consistent. The jig’s template and the bushing in the router base work together to guide the router and bit.
![cnc dovetail drawers cnc dovetail drawers](https://image.made-in-china.com/202f0j00kUJYihQKszur/CNC600-Woodworking-Processing-600mm-Width-CNC-Dovetail-Drawer-Machine.jpg)
Finally, eliminate any clutter in the work area that might snag the router’s power cord. You’ll also find it’s advantageous to work at a height that gives you a clear view of the cut. I like to position the jig at a comfortable working height and make sure it’s clamped down tightly (photo below). So always make sure your workpieces are flat, square, and uniformly sized.
![cnc dovetail drawers cnc dovetail drawers](https://blitzlasopa322.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/5/7/125759188/305534582.jpg)
You won’t get nice-fitting joints or drawers if you start with inaccurate or inconsistent parts. For example, if your jig uses a 1" spacing, the height of the drawers should be in even increments of 1". The goal is to end up with a half pin (or close to it) at the top and the bottom (margin photo). The two most common spacings are on 7⁄8" and 1" centers. When planning your project, it’s important to think ahead and size the height of the drawer openings and drawers to match the template spacing of your jig. Every dovetail jig is a little bit different, but there are some universal tips, tricks, and guidelines that guarantee you’ll get the perfect-fitting dovetail joints you’re after.
#Cnc dovetail drawers how to#
And this sometimes makes routing dovetails an exercise in frustration.īut like every woodworking operation, ensuring success is simply a matter of knowing what can go wrong and how to avoid or fix the problem. However, in the real world a dovetail jig can prove to be a bit finicky. Mods, please move or delete if this doesn't belong here.A dovetail jig and a router make building drawers with half-blind dovetail joints a sure thing - assuming everything works the way it’s supposed to. Just looking to find out if there's any interest in the Shopbot community.
![cnc dovetail drawers cnc dovetail drawers](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/19oAAOSwEsphQxPk/s-l400.jpg)
![cnc dovetail drawers cnc dovetail drawers](https://cdn.popularwoodworking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/aw_16232_-015.jpg)
I plan on releasing it with dovetails only in the next few months, and plan on adding several styles of box joints, as well as mortise and tenons over the winter. sbp files, but I haven't tested the Shopbot code, as I don't have a Shopbot, and have been busy writing code.
#Cnc dovetail drawers software#
The software outputs both Mach3 compatible g-code as well as native. (Up to the length of the dovetail bit.Ī jig or fixture to hold your stock vertically IS REQUIRED. You can also do variable spacing, at any depth you like. With software, you can use any depth you want, and the spacing will be adjusted to match the depth.
#Cnc dovetail drawers manual#
Manual jigs typically will limit the depth of cut, as it's dependent on the spacing of the joints.
#Cnc dovetail drawers full#
What I've come up with allows you to create an unlimited variety of both half blind and full through dovetails. I started with dovetails, as I've seen countless requests over the years for an easy method to do them on a CNC router. Some of you may know me from CNC Zone, or the Vectric forums.įor over a year now, I've been working on a sort of conversational CAM program to generate g-code for woodworking joints.