Xem Studiomeasured geometry

Library › Joinery › Dovetail joints ·

Through dovetail joint

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

Also called: through dovetail, dovetail joint, dovetail joint dimensions, dovetail angle, 3d printed dovetail, cola de milano, ensamble cola de milano, Schwalbenschwanzverbindung, Zinken

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

length
90.0 mm
width
60.0 mm
height
90.0 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).
  • The box corner joint: tails on one board, pins on the other, showing on both faces.
  • Print both boards flat; the dovetail shapes are vertical walls in that orientation.

Through dovetail joint size chart

dimensionvalue
stock10 mm boards, 60 mm wide
partstail board, pin board
tails3, 10.67 mm at the shoulder → 14 mm at the end
slope1:6 (9.46°)
pins6 mm at the narrow side; half-pins at the edges
assemblesthe tail board drops onto the pin board (one direction only)
holdspulling the tail board away along its length

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

through-dovetail-joint-tail-boardTail board: three tailsSTEP · STL
through-dovetail-joint-pin-boardPin board: pins and two half-pinsSTEP · STL
through-dovetail-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=through-dovetail-joint

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

Fits with

Half-blind dovetail joint (lapped dovetail), isometric render of a generated part
Half-blind dovetail joint (lapped dovetail)95.0×60.0×90.0 mm★ 3 files
Sliding dovetail joint (dovetail housing), isometric render of a generated part
Sliding dovetail joint (dovetail housing)95.0×80.0×100.0 mm★ 3 files
Box joint (finger joint), isometric render of a generated part
Box joint (finger joint)90.0×60.0×90.0 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

What is the dovetail angle?

1:6 (9.46°) here; 1:8 (7.1°) is common for hardwood boxes.

Can you 3D print a dovetail joint?

Yes — print both boards flat and add your fit allowance to the angled faces.