Dove tails: question about width/spacing of pins+tails

[SlowSteve]

Hello all,

Just a quick question:

If I use a dovetail jig, then I will get an evenly spread, evenly sized set of dovetails - i.e the pins and the tails will have the same number of gluing surfaces and are of the same volume.

When I look at the work in the projects section, especially for things like drawers etc, I see that it seems more common to have a few very wide tail "slots" (holes?), and some much thinner pins.

How do you guys decide which route to go down? Is it purely asthetic? Or are there best practises for different situations? if so, can you give me a guide on when/where to use the different styles?

Thanks

Steve

 

[bugbear]

It's mainly aesthetic, or governed by convenience of making.

In many circumstances dovetails are SO over-strong that there's a lot of latitude
for other factors to control the design.

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

Machine made DTs are easiest if done evenly.
Hand made DTs are easiest with just a few fine pins like you commonly see on old drawer sides. This is strong enough for drawers but heavy duty boxes or drawers are better with evenly spaced DTs for strength.
You take your pick; make machine DTs look hand made if you want but you don't have to.
NB I find it easier to think in terms of "pins" and "pin holes" rather than "tails". Forget "tails"!