Jig for domino drawers

[JimD]

I bought a very slightly used domino XL last fall and am still learning to use it.  I made a dresser partially to pass the time during COVID 19 and decided to use the domino as much as possible including on the drawers.  I saw somebody on youtube using a dovetail jig to hold the parts together while he made through mortises for the dominos.  So I copied that idea.  I used my Harbor Freight dovetail jig removing the template guide and back stop bar.  It worked fine but I didn't like taking my dovetail jig apart for this and HF stuff is cheap.  So I bought another jig today for $27.99 and stripped it down for this.  It is made of 1/8 steel, plenty strong, and clamps the parts with a single lever per piece.  I used a coupon from the May 2020 Wood magazine to buy the jig but you could get almost as good a price by using a 20% off coupon which are readily available.

[attachimg=1]

It works well but I checked it for square before attaching a plywood base (so I could clamp it down).  One end was a little off but a couple swats of a dead blow hammer got it square. 

The nine drawers I did with through dovetails came out great.  For drawers made of sheet goods I think it is a good way to make drawers. 

 

[gdjenkins10]

Interesting, can you point me to the video that you referenced or do you have pictures how you are approach thing with an XL?  Is that 1/2 inch plywood and you are running a 4mm domino using the Seneca adapter?

 

[JimD]

I use the Seneca adapter and a CMT 5mm bit.  The fronts of the drawers are 3/4 and are rabbeted half an inch deep for the sides.  The backs and sides are 1/2 plywood.  The mortises on the fronts were easy, I set the depth of the mortise 13mm down and that pretty well centered them on the rabbets in the fronts.  On the backs, I used a shim of the 5mm plywood on the face of the XL to pretty well center the mortise on the back.  I used a loop of tape to hold the shim which worked but shifted sometimes.  I will try double sided tape next time. 

I did not find the XL to be an issue at all but another reason I wanted another dovetail jig is I have my jig on a base about 6 inches high to raise it above the workbench which works well for dovetailing.  But it was a bit high for the domino.  I will use the new jig in the picture on the workbench which should be a bit more comfortable height. 

It was probably just habit but I put the fronts and backs on the horizontal surface of the dovetail jig and had the sides on the vertical surface.  That is how I cut dovetails. 

This is the youtube, I'm not sure it is in the first one but it is one of his: 

 

[JimD]

This picture may also help you understand the joints I made.[attachimg=1]

 

[rmwarren]

[member=45813]JimD[/member] Love it! Definitely going to be adding this to the fleet soon.

RMW

I bought a very slightly used domino XL last fall and am still learning to use it.  I made a dresser partially to pass the time during COVID 19 and decided to use the domino as much as possible including on the drawers.  I saw somebody on youtube using a dovetail jig to hold the parts together while he made through mortises for the dominos.  So I copied that idea.  I used my Harbor Freight dovetail jig removing the template guide and back stop bar.  It worked fine but I didn't like taking my dovetail jig apart for this and HF stuff is cheap.  So I bought another jig today for $27.99 and stripped it down for this.  It is made of 1/8 steel, plenty strong, and clamps the parts with a single lever per piece.  I used a coupon from the May 2020 Wood magazine to buy the jig but you could get almost as good a price by using a 20% off coupon which are readily available.

[attachimg=1]

It works well but I checked it for square before attaching a plywood base (so I could clamp it down).  One end was a little off but a couple swats of a dead blow hammer got it square. 

The nine drawers I did with through dovetails came out great.  For drawers made of sheet goods I think it is a good way to make drawers.