Home Archives for Tools Hand tools
December 11, 2008 By

Hand-cut dovetails: “Cutting to the line”

This one is for Betsy, at Lumberjocks.com.

Betsy has had trouble cutting to the line when hand-cutting dovetails. Therefore, she would like to improve the fit, by making sure to better cut to the line. I promised I would try to document how I do it.

I found that using either the index-finger fingernail, or the thumb fingernail, to create a “fence” for the saw, works best for me. Therefore, I first place the fingernail exactly on the line, and then I place the saw on the board (click on the images to enlarge):

Once the saw is on the board, I sight down the cheek of the saw to the extent I can – the back gets in the way, as it is considerably thicker than the saw blade. By sighting down the cheek I get the best feel for the angle at which to hold the saw, thus giving me a good chance at being able to get the angle correctly. Note that the saw appears to be quite a distance to the right of the mark in this photo – THIS is exactly what it should look like:

Keeping my finger nail “fence” in place, and using a very light touch, I start the cut on the push motion (if using a Japanese saw, you must start the cut using a pull motion). Some people refer to this light touch as de-weighting the saw (I think this is the most-used term). This “light touch” also means that you are exerting on the saw *only* the force required to push and pull the saw on the board – no more, and no less.

Once the kerf is established, I remove my finger “fence” and complete the cut while sighting down the cheek of the saw. If the saw is not following the line, I do not try to correct it by steering the saw. It is impossible to do so with a dovetail saw, and it is also not recommended. The best thing to do: Start over.

I am certain that when I first started my hand-cut dovetails practice sessions I was tense, and therefore it was difficult to start the cut on the push motion. And I was amazed at how easy it was once I used as light a touch as possible.

It took me a while to realize this *is* the proper way to be to best cut to the line. With very minor adjustments it is possible to even “split the line” – provided, of course, that the line is wide enough to be “split”.

Edit to add: Dan, at WoodNet, said: The thumb is most definitely the rough cut fence and the index finger for accuracy.

During the Dovetails session at Woodworking in America (Parts 1, 2, and 3), Frank Klausz recommended to “…split the line when cutting the pins; and cut on the waste side of the line – the pins side – when cutting the tails…” Of course, Klausz cuts pins first.

So, Betsy, keep up your practice. And please let us know when you can cut to the line precisely. That will be your AHA! moment.

.

Filed Under: Blog, Dovetails, Hand tools, Shop tools Tagged With: ,
December 10, 2008 By

Graduation day: Hand-cut dovetails 101

I started my hand-cut dovetail journey this past September. In this post I share my graduation from Hand-Cut Dovetails-101. What a terrific day!

As I have mentioned in those previous posts, I have been hand-cutting dovetails every chance I get. I prepared sycamore stock so that it would be at the ready when I have a little (or a lot…) of time to practice. Today I cut dovetails in three little practice boxes, with minimal paring on the pins. Oh – I almost forgot. I made these pins first, a first for me. And it worked great! In addition, I did not mark angles; I learned from Frank Klausz that I can simply start cutting, and lay out the pin pattern by eye.

You can view the entire session given by Klausz right on this blog. Simply click on this link; I split the session into three episodes, for easier viewing, and for ease of downloading.

In the following photo you can see some of the boards, ready to go, on the left of the stack of little boxes I made:

My purpose in learning to hand-cut dovetails: I must make some tiny drawers for a Krenov cabinet waiting in the wings. The drawers in that cabinet will be quite small. These little boxes are close in size to the drawers that will go in the Krenov-inspired cabinet: 2-1/2 inches tall, 6 inches wide, and 4 inches deep.

Today I got a little adventuresome, and added walnut to the mix – and skinny pins on the sycamore boards. I was able to get this one done with a bare minimum of paring the pins. I have not planed nor glued these yet:

I have also been making even smaller boxes, such as the one below, with one large tail on the side boards:

As you may have noticed in the second photo above, I overshot the depth when cutting the tails. The walnut is dark, and I found it difficult stopping at the proper depth – a problem that continues to plague me. So I tried a little chalk on the line, and now the line pops out beautifully:

Here is how I went about making the line stand out we well. First, I mark the thickness of the pins boards on the tails boards with something suitable, preferably a marker with a nice, sharp cutting edge:

Next, I apply chalk to the line marked earlier:

I then wipe off the excess chalk with a shop towel:

NOW I can see the line much better – AND I was able to cut to depth much more reliably:

Maybe it is time to buy a powdered wig, and wear it in the shop during my sessions cutting dovetails by hand. Edit to add: You also will get a kick out of the technique used by Christopher Schwarz. He bought some pantyhose, and stuffed it with whiting and French chalk to mark the pins from the tails. You can read about it at this Woodworking Magazine blog post.

As a big bonus, today I also received my dovetail chisels from Blue Spruce Toolworks – they are terrific! I ordered them from David Jeske at the Woodworking in America conference in Berea a few weeks ago. These helped me pare the pins perfectly, in no time:

Thanks, David Jeske!

I have enjoyed this journey. I hope you get a sense that, no matter your age, you, too, can learn to hand-cut dovetails. I am sure you will be able to do it quicker, and better than I have learned. But I am glad I have learned how to do it. However, I know I must continue practicing, so I am ready for that little cabinet waiting in the wings. It is all about muscle memory.

How do you think I did?

.

A group of related posts: Hand-cut dovetails, from my blog.

Filed Under: Blog, Box making, Cabinetmaking, Dovetails, Hand tools, Krenov, Layout, Shop tools
September 23, 2008 By

Not fine woodworking, but carpentry

The harvest table in our kitchen had become too small when our daughter and her family come to visit. As a result, a few months ago Sandy asked me to make an add-on top, to make the table top longer and wider. With five girls around, every inch of table top is needed at meal time – or when the crafts come out.

To make the modifications I used four 8-foot pine pieces from the home improvement center for the actual top, and 4-inch stock for the aprons. I installed cleats under the top, to ensure perfect alignment with the harvest table that would now support the new top.

This arrangement worked for several months. But recently, with the arrival of granddaughter #6, getting around the table to the back of the kitchen became hazardous – i.e., it became almost impassable, with two or three girls moving toys in and out of the kitchen while adults moved hot dishes to the table.

It was time to make the wide table top a little narrower. Sandy requested I remove one of the boards and make it a folding one. I moved the top to the shop, and started work. First I moved the cleats that allowed tight fit in the narrow direction; and I had to move only one of the end cleats. Then I used a hand saw for the first time in possibly two or three decades, and made short work of cutting the aprons to the new dimension, allowing a two-inch overhang.

I wanted to salvage the removed apron and the fourth board (the one I removed), as they were already painted to make them look 100+ years old. It turns out that pine, and most lumber, does not take well to hard pounding with a mallet, as it splits along the long grain.

Scrap the idea of a folding piece.

I did manage to salvage the apron that was attached to this board with cut nails, by carefully pounding on the wide board with the mallet while holding the apron in my hand.

Ultimately I re-assembled the now narrower top to fit over the very old harvest table. And we can now navigate around the table much more safely.

Just getting started:

Removing one board – sawing the apron:

The top is now only 3 boards wide:

Lessons learned:

  1. My practice sessions with the dovetail saw helped me tremendously using the saw for this job – I was able to saw to the line!
  2. Don’t pound on pine, or it will split along the grain, on either the first or second strike.

.



Filed Under: Blog, Cabinetmaking, Hand tools, Safety, Shop tools Tagged With: , ,