# two groove dovetail sliding lid, how to?



## Wooden (Aug 24, 2011)

Greeting from Oregon, this is my first post so be gentle! I'm a beginning woodworker with some experience and a lot of tools. If I were an accomplished woodworker I wouldn't be asking the question. ( haha) So I'm trying to make a jewelry box, fun opening, clever and functional and have seen boxes like this but can't get my mind around how exactly to do it. I want two parallel dovetail grooves with a matching lid that slides into the box. Between the grooves will be the cavity for her treasures. After I do the grooves and lid on square stock, I'll take my band saw and create the shape, probably an off axis oval for the final finish. Any help would be appreciated. I've read the older posts with the single groove but the double groove seems a bit trickier! Thanks.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Wooden said:


> Greeting from Oregon, this is my first post so be gentle! I'm a beginning woodworker with some experience and a lot of tools. If I were an accomplished woodworker I wouldn't be asking the question. ( haha) So I'm trying to make a jewelry box, fun opening, clever and functional and have seen boxes like this but can't get my mind around how exactly to do it. I want two parallel dovetail grooves with a matching lid that slides into the box. Between the grooves will be the cavity for her treasures. After I do the grooves and lid on square stock, I'll take my band saw and create the shape, probably an off axis oval for the final finish. Any help would be appreciated. I've read the older posts with the single groove but the double groove seems a bit trickier! Thanks.



Hi Dennis,

I see that you have not received any replies yet.

I would look at the original Incra positioner to solve your question.

just a thought.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Woodworking Project: Keepsake Box | The Wood Whisperer


Woodworking videos, projects, tips, and entertainment: Woodworking for Mere Mortals:: Sliding-lid box

Dennis,

I would imagine you go about it like any other bandsaw box, the key would be making the 2 sliding dovetails for the lid. The top video might be of a little assistance.

Hope this helps,


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI

Just one more plug for the OP jig, it can do many,many jobs ..

Spacer Fence - Oak-Park.com

Oak Park Enterprises Ltd.: Catalogue


http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shop...pages/fast_joint_system.html#multijoint_video
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## Kangaroo (Dec 7, 2011)

I'm new too, but I've just made one of those double slides. First I used stock 115mm by 30 mm for base and lid, about 200mm long. The finished piece is an ellipse about 144mm long by 84mm wide and 50mm deep with the lid on. The trick is you route along the grain using your router fence to keep things easy, then draw an elipse on the workpiece at an angle of about 30 deg to the edge of the board. To get the final shape to work perfectly takes trial and error, (I used scrap for my first attempt!) First, route the main waste from both pieces with a straight bit (because you can't increase the depth of a dovetail cut!) Try routing your two housings centred about 16mm from the edge of the base board (my cutter is 14mm across the base). Make very careful note of your exact fence position. Put in your dovetail bit and route the two dovetail housings with the fence set where it was when you routed them out with the straight bit. Remember, once you set the dovetail bit height you have to use that exact setting for the top and bottom and you can't change it. Use the base trenches to mark your lid slides. Make sure you don't mark them upside down! Adjust your fence and route the slides from each "outside". Seek up on the cut. "Fit" the outsides by eye to their slots (the lid won't slide in because you still have the middle in). When it's right, reset your fence to route out the inside waste and again seek up on the fit. Now the trick! Mark the centre of both slides, top and bottom and transfer the points to the top of the lid. Draw in two parallel lines that mark the centres of the long dovetails on the lid top. Draw a (diagonal) line between the two that is 144mm long. Mark the crossing points . Bisect this line exactly and draw another line perpendicular to your diagonal and mark the crossing points on your original lines. You now have four pencil marks on your box top. Draw an ellipse that touches each point. Put the box together, tape to hold, cut out on band saw and finish. If you have it right, the dovetail detail will appear EXACTLY in the centre of the long and short sides of the ellipse.
That's it. Best of luck. Remember try it first before you use good stock!! If any of that is not clear let me know.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Kangaroo said:


> I'm new too, but I've just made one of those double slides. First I used stock 115mm by 30 mm for base and lid, about 200mm long. The finished piece is an ellipse about 144mm long by 84mm wide and 50mm deep with the lid on. The trick is you route along the grain using your router fence to keep things easy, then draw an elipse on the workpiece at an angle of about 30 deg to the edge of the board. To get the final shape to work perfectly takes trial and error, (I used scrap for my first attempt!) First, route the main waste from both pieces with a straight bit (because you can't increase the depth of a dovetail cut!) Try routing your two housings centred about 16mm from the edge of the base board (my cutter is 14mm across the base). Make very careful note of your exact fence position. Put in your dovetail bit and route the two dovetail housings with the fence set where it was when you routed them out with the straight bit. Remember, once you set the dovetail bit height you have to use that exact setting for the top and bottom and you can't change it. Use the base trenches to mark your lid slides. Make sure you don't mark them upside down! Adjust your fence and route the slides from each "outside". Seek up on the cut. "Fit" the outsides by eye to their slots (the lid won't slide in because you still have the middle in). When it's right, reset your fence to route out the inside waste and again seek up on the fit. Now the trick! Mark the centre of both slides, top and bottom and transfer the points to the top of the lid. Draw in two parallel lines that mark the centres of the long dovetails on the lid top. Draw a (diagonal) line between the two that is 144mm long. Mark the crossing points . Bisect this line exactly and draw another line perpendicular to your diagonal and mark the crossing points on your original lines. You now have four pencil marks on your box top. Draw an ellipse that touches each point. Put the box together, tape to hold, cut out on band saw and finish. If you have it right, the dovetail detail will appear EXACTLY in the centre of the long and short sides of the ellipse.
> That's it. Best of luck. Remember try it first before you use good stock!! If any of that is not clear let me know.


Welcome to the router forum. 

Thank you for joining us


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

" two groove dovetail sliding lid, how to? "
Very easy job on the router table, no jigs needed at all, just your router table fence.
Or your edge guide for your router..

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