Dovetail joinery
Dovetail drawer boxes
A dovetail drawer box is held together by interlocking wedge shaped pins and tails cut into the wood itself. The joint gets stronger when you pull on it, which is exactly what a drawer front lives through thousands of times a year. We cut true dovetails on all four corners of every box, in standard sizes that ship fast or custom sizes to the 1/32 in.
Why dovetail beats every other drawer joint
Most factory drawers are stapled, doweled or glued butt joints. They hold until the glue lets go or the fastener works loose, and the drawer front is always the first thing to pull off. A dovetail joint is mechanical: even if the glue failed completely, the pins and tails would still lock the corner together.
| Joint | How it holds | What fails first |
|---|---|---|
| DOVETAIL | Interlocking pins and tails plus glue across long grain. The pull direction tightens the joint. | Nothing in normal use. The joint outlives the cabinet. |
| STAPLED | Metal staples through a butt joint. | Staples loosen with humidity cycles and load. Fronts pull free. |
| DOWELED | Round pegs in drilled holes with glue. | Dowels shear or wallow out their holes under racking. |
| ROUTED LOOKALIKE | A shallow routed profile that looks like dovetails from the outside, glue does the real work. | The glue line, same as a butt joint. |
Want the full mechanics? Read dovetail vs stapled drawer boxes: what actually fails first.
How we build ours
5/8 in sides, 1/4 in bottom
Baltic birch or hard maple sides with a captive plywood bottom in a routed groove. No melamine, no particle board, no stapled on bottom panel.
Dovetails on all four corners
Front, back, both sides. Interlocking joints cut into the wood, glued, squared and clamped.
Assembled and sanded
Every box leaves our Las Vegas shop assembled, sanded and ready to install. Baltic birch ships in 2 days, hard maple in 4.
Sizes, species and options
| Option | What we offer |
|---|---|
| STANDARD SIZES | Widths 14 in to 33 in, depths 20 in or 22 in, heights 3 in to 7 in. Box only or with slides pre mounted. |
| CUSTOM SIZES | Any width, depth and height in 1/32 in increments. Configure and price it live. |
| WOOD SPECIES | Baltic birch and hard maple standard, plus walnut, cherry, white oak, hickory and more. See all 21 species. |
| SLIDE PREP | Side mount sizing, undermount notch and bore including Blum prep, or box only for your own hardware. |
| FRONTS | Standard square front or a scooped front edge for pull out applications. |
Dovetail drawer box questions
Are your dovetails real or routed on?
Real. The pins and tails interlock through the full thickness of the sides on all four corners. It is a mechanical joint, not a decorative profile over a glue joint.
What is a dovetail drawer box made of?
Ours are 5/8 in baltic birch or hard maple sides with a 1/4 in plywood bottom captured in a groove. Thicker 3/4 in and thinner 1/2 in sides and 1/2 in bottoms are available on custom orders.
Do dovetail drawers cost more?
More than a stapled factory box, less than most people expect. Standard sizes start around 100 dollars and custom boxes start at 46.99 before options. The price shows live as you configure, so you never wait on a quote to find out.
Can I replace just the drawer box and keep my cabinets?
Yes, that is most of what we build. Measure the old box or the opening with the measuring guide and order a replacement drawer box that drops onto your existing slides or comes with new ones.
Price a dovetail drawer box in seconds
No quote forms, no trade login, no call for a timeline. Configure the box, see the number, order it. Or describe what you need in plain words and the instant quote prices it from our published price list.