Popular Post roughsawn Posted February 22 Popular Post Report Posted February 22 Would there be any issues with using sliding dovetails to join aprons to legs on coffee tables, end tables, night stands, etc., instead of mortise and tenon? Sure don't see it used much, but with a little glue, I would think it would be at LEAST as strong. 3 Quote
Popular Post Ron Swanson Jr. Posted February 22 Popular Post Report Posted February 22 On 2/22/2026 at 6:46 AM, roughsawn said: Would there be any issues with using sliding dovetails to join aprons to legs on coffee tables, end tables, night stands, etc., instead of mortise and tenon? Sure don't see it used much, but with a little glue, I would think it would be at LEAST as strong. I haven't seen it used much either, but i don't foresee any issues in doing that. It's not THAT far off from a mortise and tenon, really. Different shape to the mortise and the tenon, but nothing that jumps out to me as risky. 3 Quote
Mark J Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 I agree with Ron Swanson Jr. I'm curious, what do you see as the advantage? 2 Quote
BillyJack Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 If you are willing to to put the work in, it will be fine.. For many it’s just harder to do 2 Quote
gee-dub Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 It would certainly work. Dovetails are easy for a lot of folks but not for me. Despite giving hand-cuts some serious time during COVID I am still not very good at it. I use a jig for corners and a sled or tenoning jig for sliding DT's. I played golf twice a week for a year and only shaved 5 strokes off my game. There are some things I can do and some that I just stink at no matter how hard I try. I have also tried to learn the guitar a couple of times in my life and endeavored to learn conversational Spanish more than once . . . again, only disappointment. 2 Quote
wtnhighlander Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 I have used the sliding DT for the small apron rail above the drawer in a shaker side table. Works well, but since the top side is open, there could be some risk of splitting the top of the leg under stress. A LOT of stress, so I doubt there would ever be a problem. 2 Quote
Botch Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 On 2/22/2026 at 7:41 AM, gee-dub said: It would certainly work. Dovetails are easy for a lot of folks but not for me. Despite giving hand-cuts some serious time during COVID I am still not very good at it. I use a jig for corners and a sled or tenoning jig for sliding DT's. I played golf twice a week for a year and only shaved 5 strokes off my game. There are some things I can do and some that I just stink at no matter how hard I try. I have also tried to learn the guitar a couple of times in my life and endeavored to learn conversational Spanish more than once . . . again, only disappointment. I hear you; I proved yesterday, once again, that I just can't make my own tortillas. @roughsawn, just be aware, on wider aprons, to glue just the bottom of the dovetail, for wood movement. 2 Quote
Ron Swanson Jr. Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 On 2/22/2026 at 10:02 AM, Botch said: I hear you; I proved yesterday, once again, that I just can't make my own tortillas. @roughsawn, just be aware, on wider aprons, to glue just the bottom of the dovetail, for wood movement. @Botch why would this be necessary in a sliding dovetail but not in a traditional mortise and tenon? Just asking, not trying to be confrontational at all. 1 Quote
Tpt life Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 Sliding dovetail “instead of” mortise and tenon…is misleading. The one is just a fancy shaped version of the other. Just processing, not sniping. 2 Quote
fcschoenthal Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 On 2/22/2026 at 6:46 AM, roughsawn said: Would there be any issues with using sliding dovetails to join aprons to legs on coffee tables, end tables, night stands, etc., instead of mortise and tenon? Sure don't see it used much, but with a little glue, I would think it would be at LEAST as strong. I've seen a lot of sliding dovetails on aprons. You see it more on cross pieces and dividers, but it's perfectly acceptable. To me, without a Domino, they're easier than M&T when you get the setup dialed in. I think, anything that gets the job done, works. How many people would say just to use pocket screws? 1 Quote
Popular Post roughsawn Posted February 22 Author Popular Post Report Posted February 22 I think for me, it would be a little easier than M&T. I've been messing around with Integral M&T with the last couple tables and benches, where as I have utilized loose tenons in the past, and the set up and fine tuning does take quite a bit of farting around. On a router table, a dovetail slot augered into the top of the legs, and the sliding dovetail cut where the tenon would be on the aprons, also cut at the router table, would be a whole lot faster once the set up is dialed in with a couple pieces of scrap. And it sure would make assembly a whole lot easier. Botch, thanks for the reminder about glue only on the bottom. If there would be any (minimal) movement on a 3" apron, it can go up towards the top. Which is always "loosely" pinned to the frame. Next project will get the sliding dovetails, and I'll see how it goes. I have nothing but time...lol And more lumber than I can use in 2 lifetimes... 3 Quote
Beechwood Chip Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 I've never done sliding dovetails, but the videos I've seen saw that you need to taper things so that they slide until they lock in position. Not just a simple pass on the router table. A straight dovetail might be OK for a short sliding dovetail. 2 Quote
wtnhighlander Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 Tapers are a virtual necessity for longer sliding dovetails, else you will beat them to splinters during assembly. A 3" apron probably won't give you trouble. 2 Quote
roughsawn Posted February 23 Author Report Posted February 23 Then I'll probably be paring off 1/4" or so at the bottom so there is wiggle room up and down, to line up the top of the aprons with the top of the legs during assembly. So, a 2-3/4" or so...sliding dovetail should not be a problem. Chip, a tapered sliding dovetail would be used in a bookshelf, etc where a longer panel is slid into a longer groove. A simple dovetailed tenon should slip right in. I'm not going to overthink it. 2 Quote
Popular Post Botch Posted February 23 Popular Post Report Posted February 23 On 2/22/2026 at 10:20 AM, Ron Swanson Jr. said: @Botch why would this be necessary in a sliding dovetail but not in a traditional mortise and tenon? Just asking, not trying to be confrontational at all. I’ve never made a tenon wider than 1.5” or so, and cross-grain wood movement can be ignored over that short distance. A sliding dovetail would be over the whole length of the apron (of the designs I’m aware of) and would start to get iffy over wider boards, I would think. I worked in an office up in Grand Forks ND where we got a new conference table with a solid wood top, maybe 4’ to 5’ wide, solid oak. After a couple of months we were all working when we heard this hideously-loud CRACK, that sounded like a gunshot, right in the center of the room; scared the sh*t out of us. We had no flammable chemicals nor explosives in the shop, and we started looking around, one of the lieutenants noticed a 3/8” crack lengthwise thru our new conference table. I crawled underneath, the table supports were three horizontal H-shaped solid oak leg assemblies, about 3” thick. They were glued and screwed solidly to the top, cross-grained joint with no relief. This was mid-winter in ND and extremely dry, the table basically destroyed itself. Damn it was loud! 4 1 Quote
Mark J Posted February 23 Report Posted February 23 14 hours ago, roughsawn said: On a router table, a dovetail slot augered into the top of the legs, and the sliding dovetail cut where the tenon would be on the aprons, also cut at the router table, would be a whole lot faster once the set up is dialed in with a couple pieces of scrap. And it sure would make assembly a whole lot easier. Wouldn't a straight sided mortise slot and straight sided tenon be even easier? 12 hours ago, roughsawn said: Then I'll probably be paring off 1/4" or so at the bottom so there is wiggle room up and down Too, you'll need a little shoulder on the bottom of the tenon to cover the round bottom of the mortise. 2 Quote
BillyJack Posted February 24 Report Posted February 24 Thx , but I didn’t make it because I wanted the cabinet, It was a way to challenge myself. I was asked one time on another forum how I got a job as a furniture maker, challenging myself on different levels of projects.. 1 Quote
gee-dub Posted February 25 Report Posted February 25 On 2/23/2026 at 3:04 PM, Hammer5573 said: WOW...what beautiful joinery...! Yeah. Billy is one of those folks that makes this stuff look easy . 1 Quote
BillyJack Posted March 2 Report Posted March 2 On 2/25/2026 at 11:41 AM, gee-dub said: Yeah. Billy is one of those folks that makes this stuff look easy . Just another challenge… 1 Quote
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