Xem Studiomeasured geometryLibrary › Joinery › Dovetail joints ·
Sliding dovetail joint (dovetail housing)
What are the proportions of a sliding dovetail? · Hardware · basis: Xem Studio design — geometry computed in the generator from traditional proportions
Also called: sliding dovetail, dovetail dado, dovetail housing, french dovetail, sliding dovetail joint dimensions, cola de milano deslizante, Gratverbindung, Gratleiste
Exact dimensions. True size, with no printing tolerance added.
- length
- 95.0 mm
- width
- 80.0 mm
- height
- 100.0 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 dovetail-shaped dado: the shelf slides in from the front and cannot pull out sideways.
- Great for printed shelves and drawers: print the panel flat, housing up.
Sliding dovetail joint size chart
| dimension | value |
|---|---|
| stock | 15 mm side panel, 10 mm shelf, 80 mm deep |
| parts | side panel, shelf |
| housing | 5 mm deep, 6 mm at the surface → 7.67 mm at the bottom |
| slope | 1:6 |
| assembles | the shelf slides in from the front |
| holds | pulling the shelf out of the side; no glue needed |
Where the files are
Other publishers' files are linked, not hosted. "verify" = check the license at the link before commercial use.
| Xem Studio | Joinery design (geometry computed in the generator from traditional proportions) | web | Xem 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
| sliding-dovetail-joint-side-panel | Side panel with a dovetail housing | STEP · STL |
| sliding-dovetail-joint-shelf | Shelf with a dovetail tongue | STEP · STL |
| sliding-dovetail-joint-assembled | All parts in their assembled position (each part its own solid) | STEP · STL |
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.Plain text: sheet.txt · JSON: /api/geometry?object=sliding-dovetail-joint
Fits with
Questions
How deep is a sliding dovetail?
5 mm into a 15 mm panel here — about a third of its thickness.