Hi All,
I hope you don’t mind me posting a sort of diary about my experiences with teaching myself dovetails. I had been going about it both pins and tails first(alternating of course) but for some reason am figuring pins first the best way. I had been using 3/4 mahogany. I was laying them out about 5.5:1 with a marking knife. My results were slowly getting better but still inconsistant. I’d usually end up splitting them by being too tight and too aggressive.
Today I changed it up a bit. I’m now using 1/2″ poplar and laying out the lines with a sharp 2H pencil. I’m marking and sawing the pins first and transferring the marks for the tails with the pencil. I’m then splitting the pencil line and my first attempts fit near perfect with no fitting! here’s an aspect I really like: when cutting the tails it was hard to tell just where the line was when using a knife edge ie: if my saw wandered ever so slightly i clouldn’t tell till it was too late. By having the added width of the pencil line I can see it reflected in my saw blade perfectly and easily judged my angle of attack by this.
I still got a way to go but am cutting at least one every day and it’s still fun!
See ya,
N
Replies
My dovetails aren't all that nice, but ...
Try scribing with a knife and then darken the line with a pencil so you can see it.
Frank
Frank,
We have seen your work...liar, liar, pants on fire...lol
Yeah,
But I didn't show you the drawers.
One thing I always mess up is that the dado for the drawer bottom invariably wrecks a pin. How do you fix that?
Frank
Cut the dado first?
"Cut the dado first?"
I've just begun, too but that's definitely the way I'm doing it. I dado all the boards, and use the top edge of the dado "plus a frog's hair" as the line for my first half-pin.
One other thing: if you're doing more than one drawer, making up a story stick with the marks for tails and sockets saves a lot of time.
". . .and only the stump or fishy part of him remained."
Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
Or use KD drawers.
Frank,
Yes, that dado caught me too. Now I drop the boards over the router bit in the router table and push through to the tape mark, lift up. Still, your piece was drop dead beautiful.
Notrix,
This is going to sould crazy...but don't go for a perfect fit on the firts pass. I'm learning also and I have been trying some tricks that are kinda working. One of the things i have found is that if i am cutting 5 pins and matching tails, that represents about 20 cuts. I'm getting 18-19 cuts perfect..the other one or two are too big..or toed..or heeled. Now if I cut the pins not to fit exactly..i have some nice thin slices I can use to fill in the too large cuts...and they look perfect.
I would like to strive to get all 20 cuts perfect..but given the frequency that i will be doing dovetails that is probably not achievable. What do you think, am I nuts?
I don't know. It's basically nothing more than sawing straight lines and learning how to scribe properly. Learning the right tools and eliminating the wrong approaches. Learing layouts could be noted and written down for reference. So I'm guessing that once aquiring a modest profitiancy maybe monthly application being ok. Maybe like learning music. i spent a couple years playing guitar everyday a couple hours. Now I pick it once or twice a week and while a bit sloppy I can pull off 90% of what I could when playing all the time. Certain amount of muscle memory. Now if I go say a month or longer it takes some time to reaquire the skills.
But obviously the more ya do it the better ya get.
N
Couldn't agree with you more. My best results were all done with a pencil line. I haven't followed all your posts, do you use any kind of of guide when chopping out waste e.g: piece of wood clamped to the scribe line. Whats your setup?
Hi,
Well I'm basically sawing the shoulders and chopping the waste with a chisel, slightly back beveling it. No coping saw.I'm just eyeing it -no guides. I considered using a "cheater" for sawing the tails but figured that's just a skill to aquire with time. I'm working exclusivley with scrap so I'm pretty loose about it for now. Seems to be tightening up each time. My last attempt went together almost perfect!
I'm now concentrating on pins first for my through DT's. I actually have a project in mind to try them with to see how I do under pressure<G>
N
I started trying to learn how to hand cut dovetails last fall because I thought it would be theraputic. I still think that it would be, but now my primary purpose in learning is so that when other woodworkers comment on how difficult it is I can stand back with my hand on my chin and nod wisely...
Anyway, I just don't pick up the tools often enough to practice. I guess I'm going to have to break down and put the drawers together with a locking rabbit or something...
Keep making sawdust,Rob
http://www.geocities.com/robntweber
Like yourself I practiced exstensivly on mostly 3/4" scrap, at one point I don't think there was an end of a board that didn't have 50 3/4" cuts in the end. "honey, what was that noise @ 2am." it was me cutting the end off a piece of scrap because there was no more to practice on. Anyway I got pretty good, have some plans for a blanket chest that I was set to go on, when I decided I should try something smaller first. So I'm making a small cigar box out of 3/8" chestnut and it kind of shattered my confidence. Basically my scribed line(which I also deepen with a marking knife)got beaten up pretty badly. I cut the pins first marked the tails with a knife then highlighted the mark with pencil. I think this technique is flawed. Going over a scribed line with a pencil makes to wide a line, you have to use one or the other(IHO) and since I can't see a marked line, I like pencil. tonight I'm going to use a guide clamped to my scribed line to see if I can get it any cleaner, will let you know how I make out.
What I have found the best method for me is as follows:
1. cut the tails with the band saw and a jig (to set the angle and spacing,) to a scribed knife line. Stop shy of the line. Use a coping saw to remod the waste staying away from the scribed line. Use a chisel to straighten along the scribed line.
2. Use the tails to scribe the pins. Use a dovetail saw shy of the scribed lines, remove the waste with the coping saw.
3. Place the tails back on the pins to verify the scribed marks and remark them with a knife if you need to.
It has worked the best for me but I am still practicing. The bottom line is I use a chisel to get the final fit.
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