You don't say how big this sliding dovetail is going to be or how much load
it is going to carry - but, I think 1/16th inch clearance in the dovetail is
probably way too much to let it work properly. Before you make your
assembly, you may want to take a look at the wooden sliding dovetail
assemblies used for dining tables. They are usually two or three extension
assemblies with each piece of the slide around 1-1/2 inches thick by about 3
inches high. Most use a dowel arrangement to limit the extension of each
piece. They are capable of carrying a considerable load and still slide
easily. These fit pretty tightly - much less than 1/16th clearance -
usually a "snug" hand fit when first made. Lubrication is usually not
recommended. I have found that if one fits too tightly, it can be lightly
scraped, waxed with a paste wax (Johnson's yellow can)- then buffed dry
before re-assembly. Smaller versions of these slides can be made with
"normal" sized router bits. I recommend using a tight grain and naturally
oily wood. If you can't do that, use poplar or hard maple. Whatever you
use, the wood must be very stable so it doesn't "warp" after assembly - even
a little curve or twist will make the assembly bind.
Jim Seelye

"Dave Mundt" wrote in message
...
Greetings and salutations.

On 7 Feb 2005 22:59:16 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote:

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 22:57:34 -0000, Robert Bonomi
wrote:
In article ,
julvr wrote:

1) Making a sliding dovetail slide: In order for this to work, I
need to make several peices of wood slide together. I was thinking
of using my router with a dovetail bit, and make the male portion a
bit smaller (say 1/16") than the female slot. Is there any way to
treat the wood once cut so that it slides easily?

WAX. a good "hard" wax. e.g. canning paraffin.

I have got a _case_ of paraffin wax slabs. (auctions.....you know...)
Is this something people use a lot of anywhere?


Actually, wood turners use a chunk of it too. It is a great
thing for coating blocks of freshly cut wood, to limit the loss of
water to a slow enough rate that the wood will not check or split.
Regards
Dave Mundt