Designing Dovetails Connected Boxes
Engineers Edge has introduced a Browser-Based Dovetail Box Designer
The Dovetail Box Designer is a free, web-based tool for creating custom rectangular or square boxes with dovetail or finger joints. It is designed specifically for fabricating boxes out of flat sheet materials using a laser cutter or CNC router.
CNC Dovetail Box
Key Features
-
Real-Time 3D Preview: As you change dimensions or joint configurations, the tool updates a 3D view (which you can rotate, zoom, and explode), alongside the cut sheet, parts list, and safety warnings.
-
Customizable Dimensions: Set the box size (inside or outside dimensions), units (mm or inches), and the material thickness.
-
Configurable Joints & Dividers: Adjust dovetail angles (0° for finger joints, up to 20° for dovetails), tail/pin widths, and depth. You can also add interior separators and choose top styles (open, lift-off lid, or dovetailed top).
-
Machine-Specific Settings: Accommodate your specific manufacturing method by setting laser kerf or CNC cutter diameter, along with options for corner relief (like dog-bone or T-bone cuts).
-
Export Options: The application generates true-to-scale cut-ready files in SVG or DXF formats. You can download individual parts, a combined sheet layout, or a zipped package. It also allows you to save and load JSON design files to return to your work later.
When using a CNC router, dog-bone and T-bone corner reliefs are essential modifications made to inside corners of a cut path. They solve a fundamental geometry problem: a round cutting bit cannot carve a perfectly sharp 90-degree internal corner.
Because a CNC router bit spins in a circle, any inside corner it cuts will have a radius exactly equal to the radius of the bit. For example, if you use a 1/4″ end mill to cut a square pocket, the corners of that pocket will be rounded with an 1/8″ radius.
If you are just cutting an aesthetic pocket, this might be fine. But if you need a sharp, square part (like a tab or a tenon) to fit into that pocket (a slot or mortise), the rounded corners will prevent the square part from seating fully. The square corners of the male piece will hit the rounded “fillets” of the female piece, leaving a gap.
Important Limitation: Because lasers and straight router bits cut straight through the sheet, angled dovetails cannot fully lock mechanically like traditional woodworking joints. The app cuts the socket at the tail’s widest point, leaving a small “wedge gap” at the root, which requires glue for final assembly.
Check it out for yourself!
