Breadboad end attachment with sliding dovetail question

[No]

OK - I have made a breadboard end with a sliding dovetail for my latest project. The width is 15". 5" of the top thickness is cherry, 10" of the top is "Lacewood". The breadboard end is cherry. All QS.

OK - My sliding dovetail is not perfect. I end up with them too tight or too loose. If too tight they will blow out the edge of the slot or telegraph a ridge through the surface. If too loose then you have a gap. OK, so my closest, when it slides together w/o too much pressure, yet will not fall off easily, my middle ground, still leaves a small gap between the breadboard end at the rest of the top.

I can pull this gap closed with clamps.

I know that your breadboard end should only be attached in the middle or at one end.

If I glue the thing across the whole length and clamp it shut will I have issues with wood movement given my description above? Doweling it at both ends would seem to be the same as gluing the while length. One dowel in middle probably wont close the gap entirely. Maybe just "a couple of brads to hold it while the glue dries"? he he

Or, just tell me I need to perfect my sliding dovetail technique!

[tom]

That "dowelling of both ends" idea can work. Just need a little elongation of the hole(s) in the middle and one end of the panel, preferably the one you won't see as much... Tom

[Duke of Burl]

Make your dovetail a little too tight and then fine tune it with a chisel and scraper. You'll spend more time trying to "fix" it than you would to do it right in the first place.