dresser carcass construction with dovetails bearer rail

[tfk3160]

I'm planning on building a mission style dresser with 3 rows of drawers. Across the bottom there are supports for the drawers that are fit into the legs. I have seen this drawer runner to leg joint being done with a dovetail. Does anyone have any helpful hints on creating the bearer rails in a carcass dovetail without using hand tools. It seems as if a jig can be used to make the pin in the leg but given the rail is about 60 inches long I can't determine a machine method of cutting the tail of the rail / drawer runner. Any help would be appreciated.

[Chris Friesen]

Why no hand tools? Seems like a handsaw and chisel would be the simplest way to do this.

Anyways, two suggestions:

1) Mount a jig on the wall high enough for the piece to clear the floor, stand on a chair/stool/bench while routing.

2) Make a jig to route it with the router held horizontally.

Chris

[Charley]

My Leigh D4R as well as my FMT jig have been clamped at the edge of the pull-down stairway opening to the upper level of my shop so that I could work on long pieces. One time I even made use of the railing of a deck to get the height that I needed. It just takes a little creativity to come up with a way to solve those unique one-time situations.

Charley

[tfk3160]

Thanks, so the Leigh can cut this type? I'm guessing for this application its essentially the pin of a narrow sliding dovetail?