"Tails 1st" Dovetails

[cabinetman]

It's as simple as this, or is it.
.

[Gator95]

almost makes me want to go out and buy hand tools.
almost.

[Pappy]

One of those skills that takes a lot of practice.

[LCHIEN]

perfectly tuned sharp hand tools don't hurt a bit either.

[poolhound]

I think he has done that before

[SARGE..g-47]

He's very good and uses the same tail's first method I learned from Ian Kirby in the mid 80's. I am not great with the fret saw and use my small 12" Jet BS to cut out waste before chiseling to the scribe line. Once you have done it numerous times... it is really not as complex as it might appear.

[drumpriest]

I always marvel at people whose planes are that well tuned. Seems like it would take a good deal of work to get them there and keep them there. Of course you get results like these, so might be worth it.

My idea of dovetails is setup the Leigh jig, hand cutting does look fun though...

[Black wallnut]

Yeah Keith ya still SUCK! [] !

Good sharp tools is the key, as is accurate layout, as is accurate scribing. Check that; really fine tools are a must for that level of precision with saw cuts to match. A fair amount of practise can not hurt either.

[crokett]

My chisels and dovetail saw are not as sharp as his. Sharp tools is the biggesttime saver there.

[shoottx]

I think it is a response to the true master of quick dovetails Frank Klausz. While he is profiecent( way better than me) it does not appear to be as effortless as Frank's method.

I have had the pleasure of watching Frank Klausz cut dovetails by hand and he does it effortlessly with a lot fewer tools. Having had the opportunity to meet Frank, his one overriding approach is does it make sense for a production shop. Or will the tools earn their keep in a production shop.

Judge for yourself http://sandal-woodsblog.com/2008/11/...pins-vs-tails/

[atgcpaul]

perfectly tuned sharp hand tools don't hurt a bit either.

Working with soft pine also helps a lot, too! The guy does have considerable
skill, though.

Unless I have a kitchen full of drawers to do (again), I do mine by hand. I
really don't like the machined look.

[jziegler]

I recently took a class on hand tool joinery at the local woodcraft, and tails first is the way we were taught. But, we spent more time marking, didn't cut right to the line, didn't use a fret saw, and then used chisels to pare the joint to fit. Same basic idea, but more time consuming. Very impressive to watch it done at that speed.

Jim

[chopnhack]

I just recently practice on some ripped down 2x4 scrap pine and was less than enthused with the results, I guess i shouldnt have skipped that squaring and flattening your stock step

Anyways, there is a great video of Frank doing his thing - a clip from an old taunton video, enjoy....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-o4jryTkUc

I love his accent! The one thing that was not shown was the adjusting the pins or tails to fit - i guess thats something that FK doesnt need to do.

[tribalwind]

Frank Klausz's seminars are great'
he's come to demo and talk at our WW club quite a few times,real entertainer

theres a few videos with him in our old video recordings. i wish they kept up with putting them online, the rest now are all in the member-book/vid library.
he made hand dovetails look like childsplay
http://www.liwoodworkers.org/media/v...inelibrary.asp

[drumpriest]

Check it out guys, my 3001st post. Anyway, atgcpaul, big reason for purchasing the Leigh jig, it's not so obviously machined with the infinitely variable spacing. You still get a bit of that because of the perfect fit, I suppose.