[Q] How to make a stopped grove with hand tools only

[Fromey]

I'd like to make some sliding lid boxes with through dovetailed joints. Obviously I need a groove for the sliding lid, and I'd like to insert the bottom into a groove as well. I have a Record 043 plough plane to make the grooves, but I'm not sure how I make stopped grooves (so the groove won't be seen coming out through the dovetails). (I'd prefer not to have to plug up a through groove with an piece of wood).

Is there a technique?

And/or, is there a cunning way to arrange the dovetails so that the groove will be hidden (O thought I'd come across that in the past but I can't find it now and Google searching is failing me).

Thanks in advance.

 

[lanemaux]

All I can come up with is a stop hole drilled at the end of the proposed groove. I imagine if you wished to stop at each end you could drill an appropriate sized hole partially through the piece at each end to required depth and then begin planing from the middle.
Another possible approach would be to chisel a relief area at your stopping point and work to that.
In the event of a half blind dovetail of course , you could just plan your pins and tails so as the groove is "socketed" in and thus unseen.
Of course in both of the plane to a stop methods great care must be taken not to blow straight through the end bit , but that goes without saying.

 

[marcros]

stop the 043 just before you nee it to, and tidy up afterwards. you could drill a hole a fraction before the stop point, so that as you hit fresh air, you stop planing. Nice little plane. Then square off afterwards. IMHO the perfect tool for the job.

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/article ... d-corners/

 

[Trafalgar]

I'd like to make some sliding lid boxes with through dovetailed joints. Obviously I need a groove for the sliding lid, and I'd like to insert the bottom into a groove as well. I have a Record 043 plough plane to make the grooves, but I'm not sure how I make stopped grooves (so the groove won't be seen coming out through the dovetails). (I'd prefer not to have to plug up a through groove with an piece of wood).

Is there a technique?

And/or, is there a cunning way to arrange the dovetails so that the groove will be hidden (O thought I'd come across that in the past but I can't find it now and Google searching is failing me).

Thanks in advance.

Chop a portion and then run the 043 into the chopped portion. Chop enough to give the 043 working room. You can use an old woman's tooth as well.

The alternative is to join the corners with half-lap dovetails and run the groove through the lowest tail. When the box goes together the grooves will be invisible:

http://www.robertkarl.org/pages/ShakerBox.html

A more elegant solution than through dovetails.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I'm sure I saw a variant on that somewhere with one short blind dovetail in an otherwise through-dovetailed box to hide where the groove comes out. Can't remember where though.

 

[Fromey]

Thanks gents. I'll just have to be careful I don't accidentally push through the drilled hole and blow out the end of the board. I suppose that's called technique...

Yes, half-lap dovetails would be the usual way, but the more primitive through dovetails is the look I'm after (interesting how styles have changed, the more primitive approach is now often more desirable than the more complicated and skilled approach).

 

[bugbear]

Mitred dovetails; mitre to hide the groove, DTs for strength.

http://www.keithpeters.org/?m=201407

BugBear

 

[AndyT]

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/post906849.html#p906849

- worked for me!

 

[Trafalgar]

Thanks gents. I'll just have to be careful I don't accidentally push through the drilled hole and blow out the end of the board. I suppose that's called technique...

Yes, half-lap dovetails would be the usual way, but the more primitive through dovetails is the look I'm after (interesting how styles have changed, the more primitive approach is now often more desirable than the more complicated and skilled approach).

Plain through dovetails will look fine. Just chop a section of the groove and then finish with a plough or if you get up a large head of steam you can just chop the grooves, period. I did this very thing for the drawers of this piece which was made to complement another article of furniture:

http://s804.photobucket.com/user/charli ... ing%20Desk

The wood was cooperating, the chopping going well, so I chopped several feet of grooves. I'm not saying that I would do this every time but it's not all that bad. Simple can be good, very good. Plain chisel work is almost always a viable fall-back option. I didn't feel like fishing the grooving plane from its hidey-hole.

 

[Fromey]

Many thanks all. I'll be researching mitered dovetails me thinks...

Edit: just found this video which is as clear as it gets. I like the idea of adjusting the tightness of the mitre by sawing through it;

http://blip.tv/popular-woodworking-vide ... il-5059262

 

[AndyT]

Mine were like the ones that BugBear linked to but on one side only.
However - and I think this is easier - I ploughed the groove right through before cutting off the four pieces to make the sides. Having done that, when you get to the stage of holding tails over an end to mark the pins, you can put a little offcut of your bottom material into both grooves to make sure that the grooves are lined up nicely all the way round.

 

[CONGER]

.....using a router plane.

Set workpiece up on bench... place board 'stop' across workpiece... and away you go towards one end... bounce off the 'stop'.

Use chisel or router plane blade to 'straighten' up end of groove.

Turn workpiece around... reallign the router plane fence... place board 'stop' across workpiece... and away you go again, to do the other end of the groove.

This worked remarkably well, even in thin stock... and was quite fast.

It is best to mark groove in advance using tenon gauge. This avoided teatout during the first cuts.

BTW... this router plane offers a large number of blade widths.... for a large number of groove widths... http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.a ... 48945&ap=1
Setting the blade is a little finnickey, but once set up... works a treat!

-g-