Is it still a sliding dovetail if it doesn't slide ?

[lowpolyjoe]

My understanding is that sliding dovetail joints remain unglued to allow the wood to move.  This was my first attempt to use any sort of dovetail to build anything.  Unfortunately my joinery skills still need some work and everything was very loose.  Too loose to be very useful.   I was using white pine that I cut on my chainsaw mill and planed with my router so getting more wood to build more pieces would not have been convenient  ;)

One joint was a complete mess, but I managed to salvage it:











Still very loose, but it'll have to do.  I just decided i'd have to glue everything.

I was building a small shoe rack for the wife.  Got all the pieces ready to go





First coat of dewaxed shellac




This is the second thing I've built using my own sawn lumber.  Feels good  8)    Wish I had a lot more - not a ton left.   My only woodworking experience until now has been MDF and veneer for my speaker-building hobby.  Things are a bit different working with solid wood.  I'm hoping a get the hang of it and put together some useful little projects

[jamesamd]

I only glue the front 2-3 inches,that allows the board/s to expand and contract to the rear of the piece
and not effect the face or front doors.I would not use them on a box,with the exception of using them for a drawer bottom ;)Nice fix,Joe.

Jim

[Magicman]

Nice recovery on that dovetail joint.  Ladies gotsa have shoe racks.   8)

[lowpolyjoe]

Thanks guys.  I like that idea to only glue part of the joint, sounds like good advice Jim.

I realized about 1/2 way into this build that this thing is really small.   I designed it to fit in a specific spot near the back door, but I see now that it will only hold maybe 2+2 pairs of shoes.   If I build another for the wife's entire shoe collection i'll need to cut down a few more trees.   :D

[Dan_Shade]

good work. a slight change in setup has a large effect on the fit of the joint. 

its best practice to avoid cross grain glue joints.  the seasonal changes in wood dimensions will bust the joint or crack the wood.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Low, whether your joint slides or not, your joint work is still better than I can do.
Good job!