Dovetails to assm. boards for raised garden

Dave <[email protected]> writes:
>I just got done making a raised garden, and it was work! The biggest
>problem was the final assm. of the end pieces to the long pieces with
>the 4x4 attached with structural screws.
>
>Went to Home Depot and saw the kits and how they use dovetails in the
>4x4's and on the end of the boards (see below). I would like to do this
>as well. My question is how do I route the dovetails on the long end of
>the boards? A router table wont work for a 6' or longer board. Any ideas?

Mallet and Chisel.

Dave <[email protected]> writes:
>On 6/13/19 11:48 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
>> Dave <[email protected]> writes:
>>> I just got done making a raised garden, and it was work! The biggest
>>> problem was the final assm. of the end pieces to the long pieces with
>>> the 4x4 attached with structural screws.
>>>
>>> Went to Home Depot and saw the kits and how they use dovetails in the
>>> 4x4's and on the end of the boards (see below). I would like to do this
>>> as well. My question is how do I route the dovetails on the long end of
>>> the boards? A router table wont work for a 6' or longer board. Any ideas?
>>
>> Mallet and Chisel.
>>
>
>Wow, you are hard core! :-)

Pretty much any handsaw would also work for cutting the tails. Chisel
is ideal for the socket.

On Thursday, June 13, 2019 at 9:14:49 AM UTC-7, Scott Lurndal wrote:
> Dave <[email protected]> writes:
> >On 6/13/19 11:48 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
> >> Dave <[email protected]> writes:
> >>> I just got done making a raised garden, and it was work! The biggest
> >>> problem was the final assm. of the end pieces to the long pieces with
> >>> the 4x4 attached with structural screws.
> >>>
> >>> Went to Home Depot and saw the kits and how they use dovetails in the
> >>> 4x4's and on the end of the boards (see below). I would like to do this
> >>> as well. My question is how do I route the dovetails on the long end of
> >>> the boards? A router table wont work for a 6' or longer board. Any ideas?
> >>
> >> Mallet and Chisel.
> >>
> >
> >Wow, you are hard core! :-)
>
> Pretty much any handsaw would also work for cutting the tails. Chisel
> is ideal for the socket.

A coping saw can take care of a lot of the work as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibyTMTLjaq8

Michael <[email protected]> writes:
>On Thursday, June 13, 2019 at 9:14:49 AM UTC-7, Scott Lurndal wrote:
>> Dave <[email protected]> writes:
>> >On 6/13/19 11:48 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
>> >> Dave <[email protected]> writes:
>> >>> I just got done making a raised garden, and it was work! The biggest
>> >>> problem was the final assm. of the end pieces to the long pieces with
>> >>> the 4x4 attached with structural screws.
>> >>>
>> >>> Went to Home Depot and saw the kits and how they use dovetails in the
>> >>> 4x4's and on the end of the boards (see below). I would like to do this
>> >>> as well. My question is how do I route the dovetails on the long end of
>> >>> the boards? A router table wont work for a 6' or longer board. Any ideas?
>> >>
>> >> Mallet and Chisel.
>> >>
>> >
>> >Wow, you are hard core! :-)
>>
>> Pretty much any handsaw would also work for cutting the tails. Chisel
>> is ideal for the socket.
>
>A coping saw can take care of a lot of the work as well.

Well, IIRC, the OP was using construction lumber (e.g. 2-by and 4-by stock),
for which the coping saw may not be the best choice. He's not making fine
furniture.

On 6/13/19 11:48 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
> Dave <[email protected]> writes:
>> I just got done making a raised garden, and it was work! The biggest
>> problem was the final assm. of the end pieces to the long pieces with
>> the 4x4 attached with structural screws.
>>
>> Went to Home Depot and saw the kits and how they use dovetails in the
>> 4x4's and on the end of the boards (see below). I would like to do this
>> as well. My question is how do I route the dovetails on the long end of
>> the boards? A router table wont work for a 6' or longer board. Any ideas?
>
> Mallet and Chisel.
>

Wow, you are hard core! :-)

Dave,

On 6/13/2019 2:01 PM, Jerry Osage wrote:
> entire length o
I assume these are landscape timbers at least 4 X 4 or 4 X 6 Though with
a little more care I believe it could be done on a 2 x 6, etc. May be
make a jig for the saw to give additional support that could be quickly
clamped to the timber..

I believe the easiest way would be to carefully set your skil saw to a
45 angle. Mark the neck of the dove tail carefully and then cut one
side of the dove tail by gone one way through the board, and reverse the
saw and come the other way for the other side. Think it through as you
could get some anti dovetails.

After the side cuts are made make a series of cuts throught the was area
and take the chips out with a chisel.


--
Judge your ancestors by how well they met their standards not yours.
They did not know your standards, so could not try to meet them.

On 6/13/19 2:14 PM, Keith Nuttle wrote:
> On 6/13/2019 2:01 PM, Jerry Osage wrote:
>> entire length o
> I assume these are landscape timbers at least 4 X 4 or 4 X 6 Though with
> a little more care I believe it could be done on a 2 x 6, etc.  May be
> make a jig for the saw to give additional support that could be quickly
> clamped to the timber..
>
> I believe the easiest way would be to carefully set your skil saw to a
> 45 angle.  Mark the neck of the dove tail carefully and then cut one
> side of the dove tail by gone one way through the board, and reverse the
> saw and come the other way for the other side.  Think it through as you
> could get some anti dovetails.
>
> After the side cuts are made make a series of cuts throught the was area
> and take the chips out with a chisel.
>
>
The materials are 4 of 4x4's for the corner posts, and either 3 of 2"x6"
per side, or 2 of 2"x8" per side. The end of each 2"x would have a
sliding dovetail - 16 to 24 dovetails! While I don't disagree with the
methods proposed here, it is too much time and effort. That is why I
asked about the use of routers or other methods. Also, I don't have a
table saw, so some of the cuts proposed would lack the accuracy needed.

If you are interested, the plan can be found at:
http://www.vegetable-gardening-with-lorraine.com/raised-bed-garden-designs.html
Design #4

Dave,

On 6/13/19 6:48 PM, Dave wrote:
> On 6/13/19 2:14 PM, Keith Nuttle wrote:
>> On 6/13/2019 2:01 PM, Jerry Osage wrote:
>>> entire length o
>> I assume these are landscape timbers at least 4 X 4 or 4 X 6 Though
>> with a little more care I believe it could be done on a 2 x 6, etc.
>> May be make a jig for the saw to give additional support that could be
>> quickly clamped to the timber..
>>
>> I believe the easiest way would be to carefully set your skil saw to a
>> 45 angle. Mark the neck of the dove tail carefully and then cut one
>> side of the dove tail by gone one way through the board, and reverse
>> the saw and come the other way for the other side. Think it through
>> as you could get some anti dovetails.
>>
>> After the side cuts are made make a series of cuts throught the was
>> area and take the chips out with a chisel.
>>
>>
> The materials are 4 of 4x4's for the corner posts, and either 3 of 2"x6"
> per side, or 2 of 2"x8" per side. The end of each 2"x would have a
> sliding dovetail - 16 to 24 dovetails! While I don't disagree with the
> methods proposed here, it is too much time and effort. That is why I
> asked about the use of routers or other methods. Also, I don't have a
> table saw, so some of the cuts proposed would lack the accuracy needed.
>
> If you are interested, the plan can be found at:
> http://www.vegetable-gardening-with-lorraine.com/raised-bed-garden-designs.html
>
> Design #4
>
> Dave,
I'd just use a jig saw for the tenon pieces and a large drill but to hog
out the sockets then refine the angles with a chisel. Any gaps will fill
up with crud in no time at all being used outside 8^)

-BR

On Thu, 13 Jun 2019 16:14:44 GMT, [email protected] (Scott Lurndal) wrote:

>Dave <[email protected]> writes:
>>On 6/13/19 11:48 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
>>> Dave <[email protected]> writes:
>>>> I just got done making a raised garden, and it was work! The biggest
>>>> problem was the final assm. of the end pieces to the long pieces with
>>>> the 4x4 attached with structural screws.
>>>>
>>>> Went to Home Depot and saw the kits and how they use dovetails in the
>>>> 4x4's and on the end of the boards (see below). I would like to do this
>>>> as well. My question is how do I route the dovetails on the long end of
>>>> the boards? A router table wont work for a 6' or longer board. Any ideas?
>>>
>>> Mallet and Chisel.
>>>
>>
>>Wow, you are hard core! :-)
>
>Pretty much any handsaw would also work for cutting the tails. Chisel
>is ideal for the socket.
>
That's the way I would do it - handsaw for the tails.

I would cut the socket on the TS. Cut the angles, then a few straight cuts
down the center - then it's chisel time.

If I didn't want the sockets to run the entire length of the 4x4 I would cut
some tails on the TS to fill the slots where I didn't want slots
--
Jerry O.