New at dovetails

[Tom Dunn]

I would like to learn to hand-cut dovetails.

I have the book "Fine Woodworking on Jointery", but I found the process described in it for laying out the pins and tails kind of hard to understand.
8-O

I'm hoping someone can recommend a "beginners book' on the subject?

Thanks!

 

[Jim Murphy]

http://www.amazon.com/Dovetail-Draw...-0639625?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1194446036&sr=8-13

This did the trick for me.

 

[TV]

I concur with fernhollowman. I had cut dovetails before watching the dvd by Frank. After watching, I changed and realized I had been making the process much harder than it was.

tv

 

[DavidF]

I have just ordered that dvd - $7.98 with $2.98 shipping! thanks for the tip!

 

[WoodWrangler]

I have just ordered that dvd - $7.98 with $2.98 shipping! thanks for the tip!

And where was such a deal had? :-D

 

[PeteM]

FWIW - You can rent DVD's at Woodcraft for $3.00.

Rob Cosman has a very good series.

pete

 

[gazzer]

Ian Kirby also presents some good advice. You can google him or search on Amazon to check out his publications. I have been doing a lot of practicing lately and don't know if I will ever get to the point of consistently tight DT's however I'm getting better. I'd recommend investing in a good saw and doing a lot of practice on sawing to a line.

Frank Klausz cuts his pins first but I have found that it's easier for me to do the tails first. I mark the tails with a pencil; however the pins are marked with a knife. Initially I would always saw the pins a bit thick resulting in either a lot of paring, or forcing the joint together (with a lot of spit pins). I have gotten bolder and am now sawing close enough to the line that I am getting good fits with just a bit of paring. Make sure that you mark your waste - I've been embarrassed a few times having chopped out the wrong part.

I usually chop out the waste the way Frank does. I find it easier than to use a coping saw but I think the coping saw would work better for thicker stock (I've been using 3/8 and 1/2 stock.

Also, make sure you mark your outside face surface before you start sawing (another mistake of mine - I almost started to cut pins the opposite direction than they were on the other end of the board).

As always, glue up is a stress for me.

-g

 

[willarda]

Tom: I have been teaching handcut dovetailing in my shop (2 classes this year). Next spring I will put out my new workshop schedule and I will be doing both beginning and advanced dovetail workshops, as wwell as a wide variety of other subjects. If you have any interest, I will be happy to put you on my emailing list.

 

[DavidF]

And where was such a deal had? :-D

From Jims Amazon link, but I see now that the lowest price is $13! I must have had the last cheap one - sorry!

 

[Ken Massingale]

http://smartflix.com/ has a decent collection of DVD's on dovetailing for rent.

 

[Tom Dunn]

Let me ask a question, please.

Is it easier to layout dovetails to some "end result" specific demension, as opposed to laying them out on a piece of standard width stock i.e. a 1x6?

Said another way, are there specific widths of stock that lend themselves to an easier layout?

 

[Tom Dunn]

you just layout to fit what ever stock you need to work with.

When I trtied to do a layout on a piece of stock per the FW article, I ended up trying to measure some pretty funky dimensions, with mixed results, I might add.
New approach surely in order.......;-)

 

[Gofor]

The only "rules" I follow in laying mine out are:
1. Not to have the base of the tails narrower than my smallest width chisel, especially with half-blinds. Using a tail base width equal to a chisel width will make it easier to chop/pare out.
2. Top and bottom will be partial pins, not tails. If they are evenly sized, I use calipers to divide it up like Mike, with 1/2 pin on top and bottom.

When doing half-blinds in a piece that has interior dadoes, I have a tail the same place as the dado, so it is hidden on the outside without having to do a stopped dado.

JMTCW
Go

 

[4yanks]

Gofor's advice on chisel width is good. When laying out I don't measure or use dividers. I just mark out what looks good to me.