INProfile Issue 3 | Page 18

drawer on tradition Having worked for the forestry commission for 35 years, Emrys now runs his own business making furniture and restoring antiques. Dovetailing drawers with the DJ300 Jig by Emrys Owen he use of traditional dovetails still remains the strongest and most attractive method of drawer construction. Traditional methods of hand-cutting dovetails require time, skill and patience. With a router and a dovetail jig, joints for drawer fronts can be easily cut with only minimal setting-up to achieve professional results. I take the DJ300 through it’s paces to produce a variety of drawer styles. T First of all when cutting dovetail joints, it is imperative that the timber is finished square and the sides are of equal width and length. The spacing of the tails and pins is automatically set by the spacing of the fingers of the templates. The width of the drawer sides and front should ideally be a multiple of the template’s spacing to ensure there are no partial dovetails created. Adjustments can be easily made to ensure that the half pins at each end appear equal. The endstops have offset edges to automatically position the drawer side one full spacing to the right or left of the drawer front so that the tails and pins are cut at the same time. 2. Setting Gauge To assist setting-up the jig each time with different templates, a setting gauge can be made and used. This consists of a rectangular piece of MDF or plywood with the offset lines drawn down each edge. Alternatively keep a joint produced with each template and use them for setting-up. 18 Adjust template position Adjust the lock nuts to align the back of the template slots with the 15mm line on the setting gauge. Autumn 1999