Dovetail joint

A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery (carpentry), including furniture, cabinets,[1] log buildings, and traditional timber framing.

Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart, also known as tensile strength, the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front.

Some of the earliest known examples of the dovetail joint are in ancient Egyptian furniture entombed with mummies dating from First Dynasty, the tombs of Chinese emperors, and a stone pillar at the Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple in India.

[citation needed] The etymology of the name comes from the resemblance between the tenon or mortise of the joint to the shape of a dove's tail .

This makes it difficult to pull the joint apart and virtually impossible when glue is added.

The angle of slope varies according to the wood used, purpose of joint and type of work.

However, dovetails have become a signature of craftsmanship and are generally considered a feature, so they are rarely concealed in contemporary work.

This is an alternative to the practice of attaching false fronts to drawers constructed using through dovetails.