Instructions on How to Dovetail Cabinet Drawers

Scratch a line 1/2 inch in from the end of one drawer-side. Use a marking gauge or a sharp nail and ruler. Mark the line on both the inside and outside of the board. Scratch another line on the back of the drawer-front where the side will join it, 1/2 inch in from the edge. Scratch a line on the end of the front, 1/2 inch away the back face.

Mark lines at right angles across the end of the drawer-side. Space them in pairs 1/2 inch apart, spread out so there's a pair at the top edge, a pair at the bottom edge, and approximately 1 inch between the other pairs.

Set a bevel gauge or cut a cardboard pattern so it angles 1/8 inch every 1/2 inch. Using the pattern, scratch a mark on the sides of the board, starting at the lines you just drew, angling away from each pair, so you have a series of dovetails outlined on both sides and the end of the board. Draw an X on the wood between each "tail" to show what needs to be removed.

Place the board in a vice with the end upward. Useing a small saw, cut down each line, following the slant of the lines and stopping at the mark which is 1/2 inch from the end.

Remove the board from the vice and lay it flat on a workbench with a piece of waste wood underneath it. Chisel out the space between each dovetail, leaving a series of 1/2-inch "tails."

Clamp the drawer-front vertically in a vice and lay the newly-cut side board on top of the edge, aligned against the line you drew there earlier. Trace the shapes of the dovetails on the edge with a knife blade or large needle. This will leave a series of "pins" marked on the back part of the edge, but the last 1/4 inch of the edge that's toward the front of the drawer will be left unmarked and uncut. With a square, scribe a line down the side from each of the lines on the edge, to mark the sides of the pins.

Cut down the sides of the pins as far as you can by holding the saw at an angle. You can't cut them all the way down as you did with the tails, since you aren't cutting them through the front of the board. Clamp the board flat on the workbench and finish removing the wood between the pins with a chisel, working alternately from the end and the side of the board.

Test the fit of the pins and tails as you get close to being done. Use a sharp knife or chisel to shave off the last of the excess wood, until they fit snugly together.

Repeat the process for the other side. After you've cut and fit the rest of the drawer, spread a thin layer of glue on the dovetails and tap them together as you assemble the whole drawer. Reinforce the dovetails with small brads through the tails if desired.