Dovetail bandsaw jig

A dovetail joint is a type of woodworking joint known for its strength, durability, and aesthetic appeal. It is commonly used in furniture making, cabinetry, and joinery to create strong and attractive connections between two pieces of wood, typically at right angles to each other, such as in drawer construction or box assembly.

They can be quite tricky to make with a hand saw, so I’ve developed a bandsaw jig system that I think makes it much easier.

Marking jig
Pins and base
Tails
How to use

watch all steps in this video before starting

“Playlist of all bitesize tips used” (YouTube Link)

Please use the material and tool list below as a guide to finding the products locally.

Materials

Tools Needed/used

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Step by step instructions

1-1. Materials & Tools

There really are only 2 pieces of stock needed to make this dovetail marker.  Since everything we do from this point out will work off of the 81˚ angle, having a square angle protractor helps.  I chose to use a table saw miter gauge set at that angle to cut my stock.  It’s hard to beat a table saw when it comes to making clean cuts.

Click image to see this step on youtube

1-2. Cut glue cut

After the first cut, we’ll add our stock piece next to the edge and cut precisely next to the opposing end of the stock.  It’s critical that the block on top stays dimensionally square and that there is no gap on the side of the block.  I used a longer piece of stock to make sure that I could safely make the second cut, as you can see in the picture.

I glued the piece in place with super glue and wood glue before making the cut.

Click image to see this step on youtube

1-3. Half tail marker

We’ll need to create half pins on the edges.  My idea was to add a couple marks on either side of my block, a quarter inch away from the edge.  Then I widened the holes so that the width of my caliper point could fit in.

Click image to see this step on youtube

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