A good fit

Building dovetail drawers in-house can be a complicated and time-consuming process, especially when they’re built one-at-a-time using a jig and a portable router. But shops that build more than an occasional drawer have quite a few choices for automation. Outsourcing can be an elegant and affordable option, but it does have a couple of drawbacks. For one, the shop surrenders quality control. The choices can also be limited in terms of species, spacing options for the tails, and most importantly, scheduling. If the supplier gets busy, then newer and smaller customers may be asked to wait for a bottleneck to ease. Building in-house means that drawers can be built immediately.

Investing in a dedicated dovetail machine may seem a little daunting at first glance, as they’re not exactly cheap. But when doing the math, don’t forget to include the delivery charges on drawers that are ordered in, or the time commitment and high reject rates associated with using jigs and routers. Plus, poorly fitting joints can become a serious consideration when a new employee is being trained on a jig, or even when an experienced worker hasn’t built drawers for a few weeks. For some reason, woodworkers seem to suffer short-term memory loss when it comes to setting up dovetail jigs.

That all changes with a new generation of dovetailing machines.

Among the Challengers Award winners at last year’s IWF show in Atlanta was a CNC entry from Indiana-based Northtech Machine (northtechmachine.com). The company’s new iDovetail24 also won a Visionary Award in Las Vegas at AWFS. This is a 6-hp, 3-phase, single-spindle CNC dovetailer with a 3-axis system that can handle parts as short as 9-1/2”, and as narrow as 1”. Its range is impressive – it can dovetail the ends of boards up to 24” wide (think blanket chest), and it will run parts with thicknesses from just 0.2” to a full 1.97”. It’s billed as “the simplest dovetailer available with a real-time 3D custom designer interface”, according to the company, and it comes with a 10.1” touchscreen that operates just like a phone. The control software is so comprehensive that there’s little chance of operator error. Just choose a bit, set the dimensions, and let the machine do the work. A separated dust hood design allows for changing the tool without removing the entire hood, and there is a built-in lube system. The iDovetail has eight profile modes and a 90/45-degree rotating clamp support for mitered profiles. It can mill finger joints, through and half-blind dovetails, sliding dovetails, custom tail spacing, and mortise-and-tenon joints.

The CNC 700 dovetail machine from Pro Edge Technology (proedgetechnology.com) has servo drives on the left and right fences, so they’re automatic. The machine cuts both halves of a dovetail joint simultaneously for a high degree of accuracy, and the tail width and depth are adjustable using an HMI controller. The CNC 700 offers single-part and automatic continuous tenoning, with an adjustable feed to account for different types of materials and species. The spindle is adjustable for carbide cutter wear, and diamond tooling is an option. The machine can deliver standard, French, straight and irregularly spaced dovetails. Setups are remarkably easy (the operator can change from one saved program to another in seconds with just two taps on the screen), and the CNC700 has a compact footprint of approximately 65” x 35” x 46”.

The new BDTM-XXP from Baileigh Industrial (baileigh.com) is a single-spindle dovetailer with a 1-hp, 230-volt, single-phase motor plus pneumatic parts clamping, a magnetic starter, a carbide-tipped cutter, and a four-sided template that produces dovetails on 1”, 1-1/2”, 2”, and 2-1/2” centerlines. A woodshop can combine different dovetail centerlines to produce a unique custom appearance. A spring-loaded carriage makes for smooth and effortless cutting, and a height range from 3/16” to 3/4” accommodates different cutting depths and board thicknesses. The machine has a cast-iron and steel structure and includes linear carriage bearings that are sealed on both ends against dust buildup, plus material stops that make it easy to repetitively position workpieces.

Cantek America (cantekamerica.com) offers dovetailing solutions for shops that are producing just a few drawer boxes per day, or those requiring higher performance up to 40 dovetail drawer boxes an hour. Cantek has manual and semi-automatic dovetail machine solutions, ideal for small- to mid-sized cabinet shops looking to produce its own drawers. Offered through distributors such as Akhurst and John G. Weber Co., the JDT65 is a manual dovetailer and the JDT75 is automatic. The 65 produces both the pin and tail of the dovetail simultaneously. All four sides of the drawer can be loaded into the machine, which is equipped with a choice of four pitch templates for varying types of dovetail joints. The maximum workpiece size is a generous 59” x 16-1/2”, and parts are secured with air clamps. The model 75 is a fully automatic machine that produces both the pin and tail simultaneously, and it has a 21,500 rpm spindle for a fine finish. It offers independent adjustment of both the tenon and the mortise depths, a cast-iron base for vibration free cutting, pneumatic clamping for fast component changeover, and three cycle speeds for best finishes. There’s an automatic lubrication system for the spindle stroke, a dust hood for the milling cutter, and a safety rail in front of the spindle motor.

Castaly/Lobo (castalymachine.com) offer a whole family of dovetailing machines to suit small and medium woodshop needs. There are eight options on lobomachine.com, ranging from a 28” manual machine at $3,690 to a CNC that can mill six types of dovetails at $40,990. In between are a variety of specialty units that handle everything from standard drawer production to curves and automation. The most popular is the CM-A36, a single-bit,10-hp machine that handles work up to 36” long and has four large air clamps for making two sets of male and female dovetails at the same time. It takes a two-wing cutter and has three cutting speeds.

The Alexander Dodds Co. in Grand Rapids, Mich. (dodds.com) has been building machines since 1882, and currently offers seven dovetailing models. The SE-1A is single-spindle dovetailer for custom or low-volume production. The SE-1-AFA adds automatic feed for dovetailing standard English dovetails on one or two-inch centerlines. Dodd’s newest single-spindle model, the SE-1-25AF, is an entry-level machine with a 25” capacity. Next up, the SE-1CNC-D-PS comes with programmable mortise side stops and can produce both standard and custom centerline dovetails at 40 to 80 drawers per hour plus custom width dovetails, box joints, and optional French dovetails. The SE-25CNC-TS-PS is a multiple-spindle CNC single=end dovetailer with programmable side stops and the latest in servo technology. Then there’s the CNC double-end dovetailer, the DE-760CNC, which is a high-production machine that can deliver up to 1,100 drawer sides per hour. And at the head of the class is the DE-790CNC that produces up to 650 drawer fronts and/or backs per hour.

Grizzly Industrial (grizzly.com) offers the 11-1/4” G0610 and the 16-1/2” G0611X. The latter can handle stock up to 16-1/2” wide, and it can cut two joints at a time. It will produce a four-sided drawer in under two minutes if the boards are prepared properly, and it includes a four-sided template for cutting 1”, 1-1/2”, 2”, and 2-1/2” dovetails. Its spindle heads are micro-adjustable to give complete control of the dovetail fit. The company also offers 16-1/2” and 11-1/4” Shop Fox models.

The Laguna DT18 dovetail machine (lagunatools.com) has a production rate of about 40 to 50 boxes per hour. It can cut the pins and tails separately or at the same time to speed up production. Individual pneumatic clamps allow users to cut two joints in one pass or to work on wide panels for furniture. The collet chuck makes bit changes fast and easy and increases cutter life. Adjustments are read on individual scales for quick, repeatable setups. The centralized control panel makes the operation easy and automatic; the operator just needs to load the parts and start.

Mereen Johnson (mereen-johnson.com) offers two CNC dovetailers that are also available through RT Machine. The 1105 is designed for high-production operations and it has a large, easy-to-use touchscreen and simple setup procedure. The new 1101 is a more compact machine that still offers drawer size flexibility, cutter compensation, and a menu-driven operator’s console.

Among its numerous specialty milling machines, Oec (womec-srl.com) offers the 650A, 650M, 750CN and F11TS dovetailers. The company’s products are available through distributors such as Macoser and RT Machine. The 650A is a two-axis automatic mill cutter with numerical control, and it’s designed to cut single male or female workpieces, or both simultaneously. It’s controlled by a CNC system that is programmed to manufacture two types of fixed pitch joints (25mm and 50mm). The 650M is equipped with a mill spindle which can cut four types of dovetails with different pitches. Locking and release is done manually with pneumatic valves. The 750 CN is controlled by a numerical control system that can change the machining limits within a wide range of variables including pitch, number, depth, dimensions, cutting speed, tool feed, and compensation for variation in the tool radius. And the F11TS is a 2-axis machine designed for standard, French and parallel dovetails for drawers and several furniture elements.

Powermatic (powermatic.com) also makes a pair of dovetailers. The company offers the DT45 115-volt and the DT65 230-volt, both of which are single-phase machines. The smaller DT45 is equipped with a router spindle which allows cutting dovetails of adjustable height. It can machine four types of dovetails with different pitches, and locking/unlocking of parts takes place manually using an eccentric clamp. The DT65 has pneumatic clamping, a magnetic starter, a carbide-tipped cutter, and a four-sided template that produces dovetails on 1”, 1-1/2”, 2”, and 2-1/2” centerlines.

Beyond dedicated dovetail machines, woodshop owners might wish to look at other options for occasional drawer manufacturing. Those include the Shaper Origin (shapertools.com), which can be set up using a parametric Fusion360 model to generate basic dovetail files. What that means is that the company offers software through a library, so the woodshop doesn’t need to create it. Hoffmann Machine Co. (hoffmann-usa.com) offers a system that uses plastic floating dovetails to create boxes, panels, and other parts. It’s fast, efficient, inexpensive, and designed for production runs.

Leigh Industries (leightools.com) makes some very sophisticated jigs for small shops, including the D4R. Quite And the PantoRouter (pantorouter.com) is a precision woodworking joinery machine that can handle mortise-and-tenon, box joints, and dovetails.

One final thought: there are several Asian, and especially Chinese machines beginning to enter the U.S. market, and these are often offered at surprisingly low price-points. Brands such as Winstar and Beehive come to mind. They can be found online, and it’s worth taking the time to check reviews and research the availability of repair parts before committing to a purchase. Plus, be aware of the freight charges before ordering from an overseas supplier.  

This article was originally published in the March 2023 issue.