Routing Your Flush Dovetail Joints - Craftsman 315.25791 Operator's Manual

• Insertboard(A)between frontclamping barandfront
surface of dovetail b asewithbottomedge towardthe
left2-waystop.Temporarily clampboard(A)"inside-
out"to theleftfrontofthefixture so thatit extends
above thebase.
See Figure 12. This is done to assist in
the proper positioning of board (B).
• Insert board (B) between top clamping bar and top
surface of dovetail base, with bottom edge against left
3-way stop, and flush with extended portion of board
(A). See Figure 12.
CLAMPINGKNOB(E)
Fig. 12
• Tighten clamping knobs (E) on top clamping bar to hold
board (B) securely.
• Relocate board (A) so that it is flush with the top of
board (B) and against 2-way stop on left front of dove-
tail base. See Figure 13.
• Tighten front clamping knobs (E) to hold board (A) se-
curely.
H
G
G
Fig. 14
Routing Your Flush Dovetail Joints
You are now ready to rout your first flush dovetail joint. As
mentioned earlier, you should make a trial cut with scrap
pieces of the same wood used for the finished work. Us-
ing scrap pieces allows for adjustments to be made in the
following steps.
• Place the router so that the subbase is resting flat on
the dovetail template. Make sure the cutter is not mak-
ing contact with the edge of board (A), then turn your
router on and let the motor build to its full speed.
• Make a straight cut from RIGHT TO LEFT across
board (A). See Figure 15. This shallow V-groove cut is
made to prevent chipping of the wood when the router
is moved in and out of the fingers of your dovetail tem-
plate.
NOTE: When making 1/4 in. dovetails, one or two extra
passes may be necessary to cut away excess stock
projecting beyond the fingers of the dovetail template.
CLAMPINGKNOB(E)
Fig. 13
• Attach comb-shaped template (F) to the dovetail base
with washers (G) and spacers (H) in their desired loca-
tion. See Figure 14.
• Hold the dovetail template flat on the boards with one
hand, and tighten template clamping knobs (E) secure-
ly.
NOTE: Be sure dovetail template finger ends are paral-
lel to edge of board (B) to assure even fitting after cut-
ting.
GROOVECUT
Fig. 15
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