Not glueing dovetails.

[Andy Kev.]

I've just cut some dovetails for a small drawer and they are a very tight fit and so I am wondering if they will need glueing at all, especially given the swelling effect that glue has on wood.

Is it acceptable practise to not glue extremely snug dovetails?

 

[Trafalgar]

Barely kiss them with hot hide glue (you can warm the bottled hide glue, too) and it'll act as a lubricant to help the joint go together and of course provide adhesion afterwards. Don't waste any time tapping them home and you'll see what I mean.

That said you could probably leave a very small drawer unglued but there's no reason to do so. If they're a little tight then pare the faces of the pins, staying away from the margins of the pins which would obviously affect the appearance of the closed joint.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Ditto to what Charles suggests about hide glue. It's a good lubricant.

That said, your dovetails are probably a tad too tight. Assuming this is a half blind joint, place a clamp crosswise on the pin board before knocking in the tails. That will prevent any splitting.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[matthewwh]

Very good video on gluing dovetails here from David Charlesworth, I see no reason why you couldn't use warmed hide glue in the same way if that is your preference.

https://youtu.be/S0Nq58mYDBs

 

[Andy Kev.]

Charles and Derek: I did what you both said (trimmed pins and used liquid hide glue) and it worked a treat. Thanks.

Matthew, I bought DC's secret dovetail DVD and it's going to be a while before my skills are up to attempting it but thanks for reminding me about it.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Dovetails can be tight when tapped together but if not glued they are likely to move over time.

Cheers Peter