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Tab and Slot Dollhouse Construction

By Lesley Shepherd, About.com

Definition:

Tab and slot is a method of dollhouse assembly where panels with tabs are fitted into adjacent panels with slots then glued, rather than screwing or nailing the pieces in place.

Less expensive dolls' house kits are often constructed from thin die cut plywood which is too thin to accept nails or screws easily. These houses are precut, and fit together using a tab and slot assembly which requires gluing but no nails or screws.

The majority of tab and slot dollhouses are produced in North America where an open back dollhouse design is popular. Rooms in these houses may be smaller than rooms in dollhouses built with thicker wood, as the thinner plywood used in tab and slot construction cannot span a very wide area without support.

Examples: Most Greenleaf and Corona Concepts dollhouse kits are assembled by the tab and slot method.

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