cutting dovetails....

[durango dude]

well -- tried my first dovetail joinery, this weekend ------ it wasn't pretty.

Anyone have advice on how to do dovetails?

I watched a few Charles Neil videos and a Rob Cosman (disgusting) video.

Watching Cosman makes me want to give up. Neil encourages me to try again - which I will, some time.

My tails worked out fine --- the pins were horrible.

[LCHIEN]

handsawn? Machine cut?

[cabinetman]

This is how easy it is.

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[atgcpaul]

There's no getting around it. You must practice.

It will also help if you use soft wood like pine or poplar to practice. Don't work with maple or some dense wood to practice. I also find through DTs easier to do than half-blind for starters.

Make sure your chisels are sharp. Sharp chisels make it so much easier.

My pins also look more ragged than my tails mainly because there is more material to remove. I recently made 8 half-blind drawers. I made a jig to hold the pin board vertical at a fixed height. Then I used a router to route away most of the waste. It gave me a nice flat bottom. I have also clamped a board onto the face and then used that board to register my chisel against.

Practice, practice, practice.

I still had gaps in my DTs. I got good with gluing in slivers of veneer into the gaps. Once the glue was dry and I hand planed it flush, you can barely notice.

Paul

Paul

[durango dude]

Thanks, Paul.

YEs - I'm trying to hand-saw dovetails.

I've also experimented with using a band saw.

I have an okay hand-saw ---- and a so-so vise. My chisels are brand-new from WC (their BF specials)

The tails were no problem. The pins were absolutely horrible.

I have some tearout challenges with the pine I'm using - but that's what I'm practicing with.

Cabinetman - that's the kind of video I'm avoiding, for now!

[cabinetman]

Cabinetman - that's the kind of video I'm avoiding, for now!

You can get a very good look with handcut, but machine cut will look like it...usually too perfect.

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[atgcpaul]

The pins were absolutely horrible.

I have some tearout challenges with the pine I'm using - but that's what I'm practicing with.

To avoid tear out, I like to incise a line at the base of the pin with a marking gauge or knife. This not only gives my chisel a registration point but also helps prevent blowout on the back.

Before routering out my pins as close to my layout lines as possible, i would saw out most of the waste with a coping saw and then go at it with chisels from both sides. Sounds like you are trying to cut the full width (front to back of the board) of the pin in one pass with the chisel. If my pin board is vertical in the vice, I don't try to push the chisel all the way through in one pass. I'll cut about 3/4 way in and then flip the board. With this technique, there could be just a slight hollow at the bottom of the pins but there is still plenty of glue surface from the cheeks of the tails and pins.

Not sure about WC chisels, but for the two sets I own (Marple and some Japanese ones) I needed to sharpen them before first use.
Paul

[Carpenter96]

Dovetails

Hi we teach our students to hand cut dovetails for a traditional carpenters tool box and we start them with a small practice board and then get them to do the bottom set and finish with the top set that will be the most seen. We have found that most people by the third set of dove tails are doing a good job of it. One of the best pieces of advice I have been given is to not cross your layout lines. You may always take another shaving off but it is much harder to put the shaving back on once you have crossed the layout line. Patience, practice and sharp tools will give you dove tails that are as tight as any made by machine. Have fun and don't get rid of those practice pieces because they show how far you have come in your journey. Regards Bob

[Bruce Cohen]

I taught myself how using Tage Frid's first book, or maybe the second. The books are still available from Fine WoodWorking.
This was I was really first starting out. I did one set that came out rather rotten, but the second ended up almost perfect.
Went straight to doing a wall hung cabinet (four sets of dovetails) and after 25 years, they still look great.

All by hand, with an English back saw, coping saw and chisels. The wood was Ash.

The chapter in his book was great and easy to understand.

These days, I use a japanese pull saw and a jeweler's saw. My only changes to tools used.

Bruce

[JimD]

I only do dovetails in a router jig, no handcut dovetails for me. I do not have nearly enough patience or skill to handcut them.

Jim

[Black wallnut]

Practice and sneaking up to the line is what worked for me.

[Hoakie]

Here was my journey.....the first few should make you fee better!

http://lumberjocks.com/Hoakie/blog/21145

[Bruce Cohen]

Hoakie,
You sure do have more ____ than me. No way would I have shown my first attempt, it makes yours look good.
But one thing you did learn, and repeat after me; Never use pine for learning to do dovetails. Its way too soft and really shows off any screw ups.

Bruce

[Black wallnut]

I think Bruce has a great point about dovetails often missed. Hard wood does help when you are cutting joinery.

[cabinetman]

Pine is fine...for practice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxIgNel0H_I

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