Dovetail joint as an "English dovetail." Craftsmen use a 'half-blind dovetail' when they do not want the end grain visible from the front of the joint. The tails fit into mortises in the ends of the board that is the front of the item, hiding their ends. Half-blind dovetails are commonly used to fasten drawer fronts to drawer sides. This is an alternative to the practice of attaching false fronts to drawers constructed using through dovetails. The 'secret mitred dovetail' joint (also called a 'mitred blind dovetail', 'full-blind dovetail', or 'full-blind mitred dovetail') is used in the highest class of cabinet and
Dovetail rail Dovetail rail A dovetail rail or dovetail mount can refer to several types of brackets found on firearms primarily for mounting sights. Dovetail "rails" usually refer to any rail with a inverted trapezium (dovetail) cross-section (though the hexagonal-profiled Weaver rail and Picatinny rail are also derivative dovetail designs) running parallel to the bore for mounting a scope or diopter sight to a rifle. These are sometimes also called "tip-off" mounts, and allow the user to easily take on or off the sight. "Dovetail mount" can also refer to a dovetail track running perpendicular to the bore, see "Other uses" below.