Dovetail Drawers VS Standard

15 Aug 2019

 

What Is A Dovetail Drawer? 

Dovetail drawers are typically solid wood drawers with a dovetail joint on each corner.

What Are The Advantages Of A Dovetail Drawer?

Customers that are building bespoke kitchens or furniture often opt for dovetail drawers, this is for many reasons, here are a few;

  • A dovetail joint is very strong and will outperform most other joint options, including dowel joints or a biscuit joint. 
  • A dovetail joint in a drawer for many years has been known as a sign of a high level of craftsmanship and it has become a specified requirement for many kitchen manufacturers when they build a bespoke kitchen. 
  • The dovetail drawers at Probox are made from select solid timber and they are built to last, the build quality is designed to match that of a high-end bespoke kitchen or furniture piece. 

What Is A Dovetail Joint? 

A dovetail joint is a joint that holds together the sides of the drawer. It consists of a series of tail shapes cut in both pieces of wood, and they fit tightly together, like two jigsaw pieces. Once they are fitted together and glued they create a very strong, neat joint, which resists being pulled apart. When the furniture was all hand-made, a dovetail joint was the sign of a quality product, as the time and skill required to produce each joint was very considerable. Today they can be made quickly, but still require considerable investment in precision wood-working equipment. 

Standard Drawers

‘Standard’ drawers (ie wooden drawers jointed by factory methods) are often cheaper to make, but the build quality is not as good, and they lack the attractive appearance of the traditional dovetail joint. Drawers with dowel joints, screws or staples are often used for flat-pack furniture or bedroom furniture. These joints haven’t the same strength and durability as drawers with dovetail joints and do not demonstrate the same craftsmanship or appearance of quality.