Dovetail joint

A dovetail joint is a carpentry connection in which the tenon or tenons (the projecting element) are tapered on both sides, these interlock with corresponding mortise or mortises (notched or recessed element) tapered in the opposite direction. By the nature of tapered or wedge elements the two pieces are are installed from the sides, and once in position are effectively locked in place unable to come apart directly, unlike a standard square mortise and tenon joint which can.

The dovetail joint is said to date back as far as the Egyptians, as such joints have been found on Egyptian furniture entombed with mummies which date from First Dynasty, aswell as tombs of Chinese emperors. In Europe dovetails started to be used in furniture pieces around the 1600s, ofrten for cabinet and chests of drawers.

In general there are considered to be a number of different variations on the dovetail joint, of differing complexity in termas of craftsmanship.

• Through dovetail is the standard and most common dovetail joint, where the tapered cuts run through the depth ogf the wood and are the same size as the corner joint .
• Half-blind dovetail is the same on one side, but on the other the cuts are not through cuts but around two thirds the depth of the timber. This results in the dovetails being exposed or see from the outside on only one side, rather than the two sides, as might be used in a the facing panel of a drawer.
• Secret mitered dovetail is effectively a double blind dovetail (also called a mitered or full blind dovetail), and as such on both elements the diovetail cuts run only two thirds the depth of the timber. This hides the dove tail joint within the timber depth and thus the dovetails cannot be seen from the front or the side.
• Sliding dovetail is a dovetail used in a groove in the centre of a board, the adjoining piece and fitting dovetail is attached by sliding it from one egde. These kind of joints might be used for bid point shelves.

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