Dovetails and Mitres on Long Boards

**Luke Maddux** · 23rd March 2017, 02:37 PM

I've recently begun working in an area where my workbench is against the wall. I am really happy with this for many, many reasons, but, today, I finally encountered a significant shortcoming.

I'm doing some casework, and have reached a point where I need to mark the pin board using the tails on a ~1m long board. Because the board is longer than my bench is wide, this is proving very difficult. I was very, very lucky that there is a window behind my bench, so I can awkwardly stick the board out the window and mark it that way.

But this has limitations, and will not always work. So the question is: How do you mark the pins using the tails if the tails are cut in a really long board? Is there a trick I'm missing? Can you do it with saw benches somehow?

I could also see this being a significant problem when using a mitre jack to trim mitres. The board would stick into the wall.

Open to thoughts and ideas.

Thanks a lot in advance!
Luke

**ian** · 23rd March 2017, 04:14 PM

1. can you use the end of the bench? which might require the installation of a temporary vice (or even a Moxon)

2. can you move the bench away from the wall for the day?

3. make yourself a deadman to extend the front of the bench.

4. do the marking at an assembly bench.

5. knock together a bench extension for when you a need a wider bench.

6. talk to your landlord / fellow artisans about the problem. -- this possibly should be your first course as they might have an existing solution.

7. (very much tongue in cheek) forget the dovetails and use the shop's Domino

**derekcohen** · 23rd March 2017, 05:01 PM

Here's a photo of marking a long panel using a moxon vise on my old bench ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

**auscab** · 23rd March 2017, 07:59 PM

Hi Luke ,
One of these allows me to mark out tails onto the end for pins, cut with a hand saw and rout either through or Half blind.

IMG_3217.jpg IMG_3219.jpg

Rob

**Luke Maddux** · 24th March 2017, 09:19 AM

These are all really good suggestions. I have a moxon vise, and I didn't think about clamping it down on the end of the bench. I'm going to try that.

Failing that, there are some other tables around the shop that I could clamp it to. I think that using that suggestion I can improvise a solution.

Thanks!
Luke

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