Thread: Church's journey to dovetail jointing

Hi church,

Watch Mr Savage do his thing is very entertaining. This time he didn't blow something up

Can I suggest, with sincerity, that you watch this guys video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibyTMTLjaq8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppBwAd7pouU

Watching his process and movements will get you a looooooong way to attaining perfection fast. His technique is very simple and bulletproof.

You don't need fancy tools. You will GET fancy tools, we all do but you don't NEED fancy tools. A disposable clicky-knife, a decent gentlemans saw (or Japanese Dozuki/Kataba ... $20) a chisel/hammer and a coping saw.....even the coping saw isn't necessary.

I borrowed a mates (Trav!) Knew Concepts saw (as shown by Adam Savage) to trial and while it was drool worthy and awesome, it wasn't *necessary*.... Waste can 100% be removed with chisel alone, the coping saw just speeds up the process.

Do me a favour and watch the videos above? It will help.

Tools will get you so far, technique is critical. Awesome tools will only raise you so far, bad technique isn't corrected by a $600 saw. Also, as AlexS said (he is wise), draw 50 marks on a scrap and accurately cut them all. I make Japanese Shoji, when I get time, and I practice 50 cuts every single morning as a daily warm up and to keep my eye in (thanks to DesK for his tip)

Also, you owe us all Version 2 of your efforts! There is zero shame in showing progress and even failures... We are all learning all the time. We laugh and learn together and we all love photos. It sound cliched but it's true

I handled a prototype of that knew concepts saw a couple of years years ago, the titanium frame is incredible.Probably not worth considering at that price though

Not an essential item but a basic fretsaw is advisable to cut out the pin waste between the tails.
If you use a chisel alone the waste piece tends to jam between the tails.

There are many ways to create dovetails, just find a method you like and practice it.
I like the Japanese pull-style saws with the very thin blades but they are not to everyones taste.
Sharp tools, a good eye and practice are all you need.

Just a note on saws (not fret saws, dovetail saws). The two most important things are a thin kerf and teeth close together. These are sometimes a balancing act. The Japanese pull saws have a nice thin kerf, but usually have teeth further apart. However, they are relatively inexpensive and will do a nice job.

A small gentleman's saw or a dovetail saw may have the teeth close together, but usually the kerf is thicker. However, they also can do a nice job, although they may be more expensive. Find which you prefer.

I was fortunate in that at Sturt, one of the first exercises was to make our own, from 0.3mm spring steel, with 32 tpi filed using a hacksaw as a file guide, and no set on the teeth. After happily using a Japanese saw, I was surprised at how easy the heavy brass back made it to use the saw, so that is now my preference. The weight of the back drives the saw, so you don't have to exert any downward force. The saw shows a lot less tendency to wander off line.

If your saw does tend to wander, try this. with the piece held vertically in the vice, cut along the line marked on the end grain, but not very deep, say 2mm. Then, with the saw on a steep angle (and probably with you kneeling on the floor) start a cut along the marked line on the face of the piece. Now that you have defined where the cut is to be, slowly bring the saw handle up as you cut. the saw will tend to follow your first cuts.