Dukester wrote:
I'm trying to build a laptop writing desk, sometimes called a desktop
writing case. Just a small box with a hinged lid that acts as the writing
surface. I've tried learning dovetails by hand and can get close (well I
like to think so), but the fit is actually sloppy and rough looking, and I
don't have hours on end to practice. I tried doing them on the tablesaw, a
la Yeung Chan's "Classic Joints with Power Tools", and can get close, and
even decent on the scrap, but when the time comes to do them on the actual
stock, I have to use it for firewood because the fit is so sloppy and there
are ugly gaps. I can't get them all perfect, some are poor, others, worse.
Last night I spent 2 hours just on one 6" set of dovetails that I can't use.
And there is no more stock surfaced and ready to go. Another trip to the
store.

I've tried skipping the dovetails to use a box joint instead. I built a jig
a la NYW, and can't even get the jig right! Just getting the key the exact
width of a 3/8" dado cutter is not easy. Then getting the spacing over 3/8
seems even more impossible. Norm whips it out in 5 minutes. I spent 2
weekends trying to get one built and working. I gave up on this jig. Tage
Frid amusingly writes: "It may be frustrating to get right the first time."
Ha!

Then another book said to use a crosscut sled instead of the miter gauge for
box joints as the miter gauge is too inaccurate. I have the hardest time
just getting a crosscut sled perfect. It seems there are too many areas to
foul it up on. The back of the sled has to be exactly flat. The runners
have to fit the miter slots without any slop. The same runners have to be
exactly 90 degrees to the rear fence. The fence has to be perfectly flat.

If I can't get the sled and jigs built perfectly, how do I get the actual
joinery to work? With the money I've tossed away on the stock I've ruined
with ill fitting joints, plywood tossed away on crappy jigs, and even more
important, the precious time lost trying over & over to get something to
work, I could have bought a Leigh D4 and moved on. Does anyone else ever
experience this or is it just me? Arrgh! Please help!


So, use rabbits or dadoes for the box. Quick and not that
difficult. No way would I try to do dovetails by hand, but
I'm not an artist and couldn't saw a straight line to save
my life.

OTOH, I kept reading about box joints hear and finally
decided to make a jig, a sled. Got it right the very first
time and couldn't believe it. From several posts I decided
to combined a box for the back and a movable back piece and
I built it so I could adjust the square figuring that no
matter what I did it wouldn't be square. I used a box made
of 3/4 plywood for the back because I couldn't find anything
that was straight or didn't have a bit of twist. Build a
box and cinch it up tight when you glue it and it just about
has to be square and straight. The only thing I would do
different is that there are three rabbits and 1 dado. If I
did it again I would make all of the joints dadoes for
greater accuracy. I combined whoever's idea of a movable
back that hold the pin and is adjustable with a 10-32 screw.
I've made two sleds and there is some fooling around to
get the runners right, but it just takes time. Fortunately
it is pretty dry here so I don't think the wooden runners
will be a problem (they are tight).

The key is that you assemble your dado (who cares about the
exact size it is if you always use the same combination of
blades) and make your first cut. Then you make the piece
that your are going to use for the peg and you just keep
adjusting the rip fence until the wood piece fits exactly in
the slot you cut in the bottom of the sled. Better rip
your peg from at least a 14" board and maybe rip more than
one piece when you get it to size cause you might need
several pegs. The real key is the adjustable fence, imagine
being able to adjust the distance between the pegs by 1/64
inch increments (half a turn of the 10-32 screw).

I never saw anyone use a sled, and now wonder why? I
learned quite a bit that I should have learned in the past
30+ years of building stuff. If you are in a hurry, then
throw money at it.