Dovetail Joint Calculator
Calculate pin count, tail spacing, and layout for hand-cut dovetail joints. Enter board width, pin size, and angle for exact joint layout.
Inputs
Results
Number of Tails
8
Number of Full Pins
7
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter Board Width, Pin Width, and Half-Pin Width.
- Set Dovetail Angle.
- Review Number of Tails and Number of Full Pins.
- Use Tail Width (in) and Tail Spacing to inform your decision.
- Use the chart to visualize the results and explore different scenarios by adjusting inputs.
How the result changes with Board Width
| Board Width | Number of Tails | Number of Full Pins |
|---|---|---|
| 3.3 | 4 | 3 |
| 9.05 | 12 | 11 |
| 16 | 21 | 20 |
| 22 | 29 | 28 |
What each input means
- Board Width
- Width of the board to receive dovetails
- Pin Width
- Width of each full pin at the narrow end
- Half-Pin Width
- Width of the half-pins at each board edge
- Dovetail Angle
- Dovetail angle in degrees (8° for hardwood, 14° for softwood typical)
Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.
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