Possibly even more exciting than my dovetails turning out well was the fact that, from the first dry fitting, the box was square. Corner to corner, any difference in the diagonals was less than my tape measure would read.
I cut a panel groove in each side, and then cut panels just barely undersized, to allow seasonal play. That required some careful planning and router setup, to prevent the groove from showing at the end of a pin or tail. Once everything was ready, I glued the whole box shut.
I had always wanted to try this next step. If you've been paying close attention to the photos, you've probably noticed that one of the dovetail pins was wider than the others. In fact, it was exactly 1/8" wider, which happens to be the kerf my table saw cuts. To turn this permanently closed box into an opening box, I sawed right through the middle of that wide pin.
I ran the short ends through the saw first, then each long side. See the small edge near the corner that tapers along that long side? That's from the thin top pulling away from the bottom as the saw relieved tension behind it. The sudden edge near the corner is there because the top couldn't do that while I was sawing the short end. There's a matching taper on the opposite corner, where the back side did the same. About three passes with a plane brought it right down.
Categories: Woodworking
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