Xem Studiomeasured geometry

Library › Joinery › Bridle joints ·

Dovetail bridle joint

What is a dovetail bridle joint? · Hardware · basis: Xem Studio design — geometry computed in the generator from traditional proportions

Also called: dovetailed bridle, dovetail slot joint, horquilla en cola de milano, Schwalbenschwanz-Scherzapfen

Exact dimensions. True size, with no printing tolerance added.

length
60.0 mm
width
60.0 mm
height
20.0 mm

Notes

  • Woodworking joint drawn for 3D printing: the parts lock together by shape, so a print can be joined without glue or screws. Drawn at true size with the parts line to line (zero gap) in their assembled position — add your printer's fit allowance to the mating faces (your AI or slicer can do this).
  • A corner bridle whose tenon is dovetailed, so the corner cannot pull open.

Dovetail bridle joint size chart

dimensionvalue
stock20 × 20 mm square
partsslotted member, tenon member
tenon6.67 → 13.33 mm (1:6), 20 mm long
assemblesslides in from the side
holdsracking, and pulling the tenon member out lengthwise

Where the files are

Other publishers' files are linked, not hosted. "verify" = check the license at the link before commercial use.

Xem StudioJoinery design (geometry computed in the generator from traditional proportions)webXem Studio design

Free files

★ Free files 3 parts. Xem Studio design: free to use, print and sell things from; not to be republished as files. Xem Studio Design License. index.json

dovetail-bridle-joint-slotted-memberMember with a dovetail-shaped open slotSTEP · STL
dovetail-bridle-joint-tenon-memberMember with a dovetailed open tenonSTEP · STL
dovetail-bridle-joint-assembledAll parts in their assembled position (each part its own solid)STEP · STL
Let your AI pull this. Add https://xemstudio.com/mcp to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client (free, no account, one minute) and it can look up exact sizes, mating fits and free STEP/STL from every chat.
Set it up →

Plain text: sheet.txt · JSON: /api/geometry?object=dovetail-bridle-joint

Dovetail bridle joint, isometric render of a generated part
Render of dovetail-bridle-joint-assembled from the free STEP; not to scale.

Fits with

Corner bridle joint (open mortise and tenon), isometric render of a generated part
Corner bridle joint (open mortise and tenon)60.0×60.0×20.0 mm★ 3 files
Dovetail halving joint (dovetail lap), isometric render of a generated part
Dovetail halving joint (dovetail lap)80.0×70.0×20.0 mm★ 3 files

Questions

Why dovetail a bridle?

So the tenon member cannot slide out of the slot lengthwise.