Question about cutting dovetails

[Radio Ron w4ron]

I need to replicate a 1918 Navy radio receiver cabinet.
The box is basically a rectangle about 14"X23"X 10" deep.
The corners of the box are dovetailed.
I went to Woodcrafters this afternoon, took the box I need to
replicate.
They have a dovetailing jig that'll do the job, does exactly the same
spaced dovetails, it cost about $130, made be Porter Cable.
After Woodcrafters I stopped at Harbor Fright for something else,
didn't know they might have a dovetailing jig too.
The HF jig does the same spaced dovetails as the one at Woodcrafters,
it only costs $35.
I know the HF rig isn't anywhere near the quality of the Porter Cable
one but will it do the job?
I'm not looking for something for high production, I may never use
it again after the job. I only intend to make 2 of these cabinets.
It's worth the effort to do a good job, the radio is very rare and nice
ones regularly sell for over $2K. I've bought a panel and working
parts for one for only $500, the box just holds up the panel.
Below is a photo of one I picked up from a google search to give yo
an idea of what I'm talking about.
It's an IP-500 made by NESCO, the National Electric Supply Co
for the US Navy in 1918 during WW1.
I've never had a chance to buy one of these before, they're normally
way to expensive for me. A close friend found the one I'm getting
and bought it for me for only $500 which is a great deal. It'll be one
of the stars of my radio collection.
I'm planning to make 2 of them, another friend has one of these sets
with a badly messed up cabinet.

I hope someone in the group can offer some usable advise.

Thanks a bunch.

 

[rsanter]

Yes, go slow and easy with it
Generally the difference between the expensive and fancy dovetail jigs and the cheap ones is how fast can you set the pieces up and be accurate and how well it will hold them firmly in place.
Practice with some scrap material and then go for it
Just go slow and carefull on the setup and you will be in good shape

Bob

 

[MBfreak]

RadioRon.
I am a great admirer of your work. Have seen several restored radios, top class.
I am way behind your skills, but I try.
The last project was building a 50´s style guitar amp for my son, who is 23. He is on his fifth and last year studying physics, and he plays the guitar to relax from a very demanding math and physics curriculum.
I wanted to make a dovetailed cabinet for the amplifier, before cladding it in 50`s style simulated leather. Could not find a reasonable dovetail kit and ended up doing the cabinet in 22 mm plywood with just recessed , glued joints with 8 mm hardwood dowels as reinforcement.
Not relevant for your hi class work, though!

Keep it up

Ola

 

[pendragon1998]

Honestly, if you are just doing a single box, it would be easier to go on a woodworking forum like lumberjocks or sawmillcreek and pay someone to build you one. If you don't plan on doing any more, this is one thing I would just commission. It would be a simple project for one of those guys. They could mail it to you flat and you could just glue it up.

 

[Legwound]

I use a woodrat, more expensive but very veratile. Also a very good similar machine is the router boss.

 

[Kevin54]

Like rsanter stated, practice on a piece of scrap to get your settings. With a dovetail, you only have one shot at getting your depth correct, unlike a straight cut. The angle of the cutter eliminates the sneaking up portion to get things at the correct depth.

Make sure to post up a few pics of the process. I don't think I can recall when I ever cut dovetails in wood.

 

[turbowoodworker]

There is a large difference between the $30-40 dovetail machines and the better PorterCable device. If you are only doing this once, as others have suggested, get lots of extra material of the exact thickness and practice until it is perfect. The wider the board, the more deflection in the flimsy machines that will lead to loose or I'll fitting dovetails.
Nothing wrong with the cheapo models but they take some time and material wasted to get them right. Make sure your stock is really tight too. Sometimes the cam clamps loosen up. Oh and resist the urge to lift up on the router or you'll make a mess of the workpiece and the plastic or phenolic templates (I know).

 

[ctb]

Back in 1918 those dovetails were very likely still cut by hand so if you want to stick true to form I'd follow Pendragon's suggestion and try to find a local woodworker to cut them by hand for you. You'd still have to glue it together and plane/sand the sides but it would work out cheaper than buying all the tools for a one of job.

 

[RWhyde]

Cutting nice tight dovetails is one of the most difficult woodworking joinery techniques. Not saying you can't or shouldn't, and feel sure you would eventually get it done to your liking, but you can go through some stock learning. If your cabinet material is expensive, then you might be money ahead to get it done. Otherwise, I'd suggest you build several wooden boxes or drawers for your shop, just to get the hang of it and make mistakes on something that no one else needs to see. Cutting a dovetail is fairly easy, cutting a nice tight one with no gaps is another story. It is precision machining of wood. Have fun-buy the good tool and sell it when you are done to get the best outcomes.