Using Autodesk Fusion 360 to make dovetails

Software Fusion 360
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OK, I’m super impressed with Will’s skill and explanation skills, but rather than try to make software not set up for dovetails to make dovetails, why not use a more advanced tool that can handle it? Yeah, I’m talking Fusion 360, and while there’s an initial learning curve, once you’ve done a few simple designs I found I got the hang of it and then can search the interwebs and tubes of you for specific questions. The nice thing about taking the plunge with Fusion 360 is that it’s software you won’t outgrow. Learn it and you can design anything you can CNC. And if you’re not selling commercially, it’s free to use.

Here’s a great 3-part video tutorial on modeling, laying out, creating tool paths, and machine setup for cutting of dovetail drawers with Fusion and a CNC. The first part is modeling the joints, the second is laying out the toolpaths, and the third is mounting stock, cutting, and tweaking the fit:

Although I haven’t actually done it, I have previewed that if I place my Shapeoko 4 Pro at the front edge of my table, I can clamp boards vertically and the bit will reach that far (board thickness less than an inch), so it should be do-able.

That all said, whenever box/drawer/carcase dovetails are created with router bits, even the nice 8º bits that are available (way better looking than 14º IMHO), the shank thickness (about ¼") limits how narrow the pins can be. With the CNC you can do custom spacing as well as the dedicated Leigh D4 dovetail jig, but to get those fine narrow pins, you’ll want to cut the tails with a saw of some sort (tablesaw, bandsaw, track saw or hand saw). That said, not everyone cares about that, and if you’re just bashing out a bunch of drawers for a kitchen or whatever, then maybe that won’t matter.

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Because my liver couldn’t take the drinking I’d have to do to convince myself that doing business with Autodesk would be worth trying again.

You should consider how the vast majority of all those videos and tutorials got made — classic Autodesk rug-pull — they made Fusion 360 freely available, w/o limitation and promised that it would continue to be available, folks went hog-wide using it and writing it up, and then they started taking features away:

https://old.reddit.com/r/hobbycnc/comments/itw4d7/autodesk_is_nerfing_cam_for_hobbiest_use/

Anyone who is concerned about the appearance of dovetails should consider using a handsaw:

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I didn’t start using Fusion until after the 2020 nerfing, but I don’t know how much I’m missing. The 10 writeable document limit really isn’t an issue, as it’s quick and easy to turn write on/off per document and as a hobbyist I’m not having many projects underway simultaneously.

As for "More advanced manufacturing functionality such as 3+2 axis, 4 axis, and 5 axis milling will only be available in the paid subscription. " - I’m not seeing how my Shapeoko can even do those milling types - and it’s not like Carbide Create can do them.

I remember @LiamN mentioned a couple of features that made him upgrade to the paid version, but I forget what those were. Maybe G0 rapid movement support? The adaptive pocket toolpath alone is worth using Fusion over Carbide Create for me, not to mention the better support for 3D objects. And now we see also support for dovetail bits.

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And anyone who isn’t interested in appearance but likes dovetails and other joinery should use:

Holzverbindungen digital woodjoints collection.

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Yes, but if you have a battery-powered track saw that takes 140mm blades, you can get them with a 1.5mm kerf, which is pretty close to what you’d get on a bandsaw. Sure, you can get handsaws with 0.66mm kerfs, but that looks good (IMHO) only on small items anyway.

Peter Millard has a short video on cutting dovetails with a track saw:

Lots of ways to cut joints these days. Here’s a guy making his own Leigh-equivalent router jig out of wood:

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There’s honestly not much in it between the free & paid versions for these types of machines, there’s a comparison table here

But it’s more than a little misleading, many of the capabilities it lists, and most of the ones you’d actually want, come in one of the additional subscription packs such as the advanced machining, and those will quickly set you back Shapeoko money annually for the sub. As an example, last I looked it was going to be about £1,500 a year to get to 4 axis machining CAM to support a 4th axis on my machine.

I subscribed to the paid version because I was using it for work and fair is fair, if I’m earning money from their software I should pay for it.

Things I think I get that free licenses don’t are

  • Exporting PDFs or DXF drawings from Fusion to send out
  • Rapids within toolpaths (as Ben mentioned) but Neil Ferreri has a post-processor fix for this anyway if you need it
  • Ability to share 3D models with people online, which can be handy when they are not a Fusion user
  • I think there may be a couple of extra toolpath types enabled in the subscription version, but I’m not sure, I’ll add a screenshot of the options

HTH

See the screenshot, all the features with the plug symbol are disabled unless you rent the manufacturing extension on top of your existing Fusion subscription.

Screenshot 2025-04-13 at 01.01.46
Screenshot 2025-04-13 at 01.01.461530×1072 216 KB

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Another good video on modeling dovetails in Fusion:

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I used Corbin Dunn’s videos as a starting point and am currently bashing out 30 drawer boxes with both through dovetail and half blind rabbited drawer fronts. The results have been fantastic. The best part is my drawer model uses parameters, I just need to enter the box dimensions and number of pins to make a new drawer. Also, the dovetail fit is fine tuned using “stock to leave”. If Autodesk did take this away, that would be a real bummer.

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Just got an email from Autodesk asking me to buy a subscription at 30% off:

Unlock more functionality with Autodesk Fusion! For a limited time, gain access to this exclusive offer to get Fusion.

Enhance your Fusion experience and gain access to:

  • Unlimited editable documents
  • Configurations
  • Automated drawings and modeling
  • Bill of materials (BOM)
  • Comprehensive CAM functionality
  • Multi-user collaboration and data management
  • Unified electronics and PCB design
  • Expert support - phone, email, and in-product chat
  • All import/export file types

Of those, only the import/export file types would be of major interest. More than 10 editable would be nice, but the workaround is pretty easy given my low volume of active designs.