Adapt a Dovetail Jig to Thinner Stock
With some router dovetail jigs, like the Porter-Cable 4212, you can’t cut halfblind dovetails in stock less than 1⁄2 in. thick. This is because the template controls your router bit on a fixed-length path that will cut the pin slots in the drawer front too deep for the thin tails in the drawer sides. This is a serious limitation when you are making small drawers or boxes and want the sides to be thinner than 1⁄2 in.
I found an approach that allowed me to use 3⁄8-in.-thick drawer sides with a thicker 3⁄4-in. drawer front and produce neat and tight half-blind dovetails. The secret is to place a sacrificial spacer board (in this case, 1⁄2 in. thick) between the 3⁄8-in.-thick drawer sides and the jig face. Also, you will need to reposition the template guide to center the registration line over the spacer.
The sketch shows the setup. By using an appropriate spacer and repositioning the template, you can make drawer sides as thin as 1⁄4 in.
by Jim Richey
Jim Richey
Jim Richey
Len Meyer, Mesa, AZ
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