Hello Gary , I am getting into dovetail jointery and started out with a dovetail jig . I was not satisfied with the through dovetails it made , due to the rough openings of the pins & tails , splinters , never a clean cut . I also had to modify the stops for the correct offset ( in this case 1/2 ” ) The half blind dovetails seem to come out better but they just were not what I wanted to focus on at the time . Well long story short and alot of scrap ( oak , ouch ! ) I opted for a different jig . I purchased the 16″ aluminum templates from Keller model 1601 . After set up I started cutting my first dovetails , I like these plates alot better but still have the issue of splintering . Also I used Maple for backing boards , Should I have used a softer backing boards ? Any ideas on clean Non- splintering cuts . I did buy your jointery DVD , you make it look so easy . I want the same results . I know you have years of experience but I need alittle help here . Thanks Gary
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Hey Dovetailer,
Well I think one thing you have to do is slow down. Remember that you're taking ####pretty big pass with a bit cutting at full depth. So slow it down as you make your cuts.
The backer is the backer. Once cut it doesn't matter what it's made of.
What I would do is make sure you're moving in relatively slowly, not so slow that you'll burn, but at a moderate feed rate. On the pin cuts, make sure you're climb cutting as well. So as you're standing at the bench start your cut on the left side of the tail slot and take a light pass as you move to the right edge of the tail slot into that angled pin finger. Then move back towards yourself, across to the left now and then out. This will give you a climb cut and will help some with your problems.
Finally, make sure your bits are sharp. Good luck. Gary
Hey thanks for the info , you pretty much described how I went about the procedure . Like I stated earlier I scribed the left to right line across the front of the template . I did notice that the backer board had chipped out leaving a gap between the backer & the piece for the drawer . My concern there was it would allow for the tear out . I had used a hardwood ( maple ) for the backer and maybe I should have cut the profile of the bit into it before cutting the dovetail . Or used a softer backer & not had the tearout . Instructions left a little gray area there for interpitation error . I will have to check out you video again and see if I can learn some more . Thanks again !
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