A dovetail jig makes routing dovetails for drawers and cabinets a simple operation. But what do you do when you want to make small drawers for a jewelry box or other projects? After all, it’s often these smaller projects that really benefit from that kind of detail.
Until recently, none of the conventional dovetail jigs offered a solution, leaving hand cutting of small dovetails as the only option. So when Porter-Cable developed a miniature dovetail template for their popular 4200 series jig, I couldn’t wait to give it a try. And I’m very pleased with the results.
HOW SMALL? Before going any further, let me take a moment to define what I mean by “miniature.” The jig allows you to make dovetails in stock as thin as 1 ⁄ 8 ". The length of the pieces needs to be at least 5" in order to be held securely by the clamps on the front and top of the jig. As for the minimum width, if you really want to push the limits, you could go all the way down to a 5 ⁄ 8 "-tall drawer that features a single tail on each corner.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX. There are several versions of the Porter-Cable jig. To buy the full kit with the miniature capability, look for the 4216 . But if you already have a Porter-Cable 4200 series jig, you can buy the miniature package on its own.
The miniature kit includes a template for routing both half-blind and through dovetails, small dovetail and straight bits, and a guide bushing. You also get a pair of replacement alignment plates for routing half-blind joints.
HOW IT WORKS. The nice thing about using the jig for miniature work is that there’s not much of a learning curve. Everything works on the same principles used for cutting normal-size dovetails, just on a smaller scale. And you can leave your big router on the shelf. A palm router has all the horsepower you need to make great-looking miniature dovetails.
STOCK PREPARATION. It’s always a good idea to prepare plenty of thin stock before you get started. In addition to making all the parts for my project, I also make a couple of long test pieces. You can use these for setting up the jig and zeroing in on the bit height and spacing. By starting with extralong pieces, you can simply cut off the ends and use them over until you get the perfect fit.
SETUP. In addition to installing the template, you’ll also need to attach the smaller alignment plates (photo below) The plates maintain the proper offset between the drawer side and front when routing a half-blind joint. They also register the edge of the pieces when routing through joints.
I use a piece of stock to set the position of the plate so that I’ll get a joint with half pins on the drawer fronts and full tails on the sides. Taking care to center the stock will keep the spacing balanced, like the joints you see in the photo below.
TECHNIQUES. The three photos below show you the basic setup. (Use the long pieces of extra stock you prepared earlier to make test cuts.) You’ll need to adjust both the bit height and template position until you have a tight-fitting joint.
For through dovetails, both pieces are routed in the upright position, secured in the front of the jig. You cut the tails first, using a dovetail bit. Then, flip the template around and switch to a straight bit to cut the pins.
Half-blind dovetails are cut using the dovetail bit with both the front and side in the jig at the same time. Once you have a good fit, use the bit to set the depth stop shown in the photo on the opposite page.
These features allow you to make perfect-fitting dovetail joints quickly and easily in small projects.
Worth a Look: Rockler Mini-Dovetail Kit
While most dovetail jig manufacturers have ignored the idea of miniature dovetails, Rockler has also made a kit for small-scale work. Shown in the photos below, the Rockler kit includes a 3 ⁄ 8 "-thick phenolic template, guide bushings, a set of 1 ⁄ 8 "-shank miniature bits and a 1 ⁄ 4 " to 1 ⁄ 8 " collet adapter.
Because there’s no miniature alignment plate included to replace the standard-sized plate, the Rockler kit is only capable of producing through dovetails. Also, due to the small-diameter shank bits, you’re limited to 1 ⁄ 8 " to 1 ⁄ 4 "-thick stock. These limitations can be somewhat frustrating, but there is one feature I like about the Rockler kit. As you can see in the photo of the template above, you have the option of spacing the dovetails either 1 ⁄ 2 " or 5 ⁄ 8 " on center. This opens up some possibilities for different drawer sizes and designs.
