Fine Woodworking Ideas | Cutting Dovetail Slots

Fine Woodworking Ideas | Cutting Dovetail Slots

        Some tables, such as the classic Shaker style, have a turned center column with three dovetail slots to
hold the legs. I make these slots with the spindle still in the lathe. That way I can use the lathe’s indexing pin
to accurately space the slots.
       First I make an open box, with a tongue below, that engages the lathe bed. The top of the box is open and the router slides in rabbets cut in the sides, as shown.
       After turning and finishing the spindle, I lock the index pin at zero.
Then I clamp the box to the lathe bed, position the router and adjust the depth of cut.
       After making the first cut I mark the position of the router plate on the carriage with a pencil. Then I rotate the spindle 120 degrees (for a three-legged table), reset the index pin and make the next cut.
      I advise making a trial cut in a piece of scrap first. To reduce the chances of breaking your dovetail
bit, remove most of the waste with a straight bit before cutting the dovetail slot.

woodworking tips ,Cutting Dovetail Slots

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