Sliding Dovetail Bookends

Step 14 Tuning the guide pins and the bookend notch

Now that you have the notches and pins cut, it's time to fit them together. Don't try to force them together. Try to put the guide in the notch and sand the areas that seem to stick. It should fit snug, but not too snug, like a good sweater or perhaps a trepanation drill. Do the same to guide and bookend B.

Once tuned, send it on a dry run. Move the bookends up and down the dovetail. Make sure it runs smoothly. If it does, nice work. If it doesn't, try to figure out what happened. Maybe the pin that goes in the bookend is too tall. Maybe some sawdust fell in the dovetail. Maybe the dovetail was replaced with Folger's Crystals. Investigate and correct until you are satisfied.