Dovetail key

Also called: butterfly key, bowtie key, dutchman

A dovetail key is a hardwood insert fitted into matching recesses across a joint to reinforce the adjoining wood and hold it together.

Fit the key

The key is made to a tapered shape and fitted accurately into trenches, which are narrow recesses cut in the work. The matching socket holds the insert against movement while the surrounding wood remains joined.

Secure and finish

Glue can secure the key in its trench, and screws may be added where the construction calls for them. After the adhesive has set, level the insert with the surrounding surface so it does not obstruct later work.

Strength with decoration

A dovetail key can reinforce an edge joint while remaining visible as an intentional inlay, a contrasting piece let into the surface. Its usefulness depends on a close fit and sound wood around the recess, not on the insert hiding a badly failed joint.

Timbers for this joint

The Index records each joint against each timber as a cited hit, or as an absence. No source in the Index records this pairing. No pairings have been written yet.