Dovetail cutting device and method

A method for cutting dovetailings on faces of boards that are to be jointed face to face, including the steps of:

• receiving said boards by a first table which is movable in a direction of transport of said boards;
• aligning a first end of said boards against an abutment disposed in a working plane of a dovetail cutting means;
• removing said abutment from said aligned boards;
• moving a dovetail cutting means from an initial position thereof in a direction transverse to said direction of transport of said boards, said dovetail cutting means comprising a cutter, a dovetail cutter, and a pasting device, and trimming said boards with said cutter, cutting dovetailings into said boards with said dovetail cutter, pasting said dovetailings with glue with said pasting device;
• pivoting said dovetail cutting means 180.degree. after reaching an end position in said transverse direction;
• moving said machined boards to a second table, that is facing said first table and is slidable in said direction of transport of said boards, by sliding said first and second table and toward one another such that said second table receives said boards, and subsequently moving said tables back into an initial position thereof;
• aligning a second end of said boards with said abutment in said working plane of said dovetail cutting means;
• moving said dovetail cutting means back in said direction transverse to said direction of transport of said boards, and trimming said second ends of said boards with said cutter, cutting dovetailings into said second ends of said boards with said dovetail cutter, pasting said dovetailings with glue with said pasting device;
• pivoting said dovetail cutting means 180.degree. after reaching said initial position in said transverse direction.