Thread: Do you use a Dovetail jig?

LOL.

Dry to begin with!

Sounds good WB.

We would of course have handicaps as per the gee gees.

An old stager like you would have spotty in the saddle while the beginner would have Tassie myrtle say. What could be fairer?

(On the other hand, we could start wet, which wld rule me out, so that could recover your chances of winning.

I used to play pool with a Scot; the more I drank the worse my game got, and he wasn't lax in setting up drinks along the table!

Only way I found to best a Scot in money matters )

I look forward to it Ern, let me know when you are ready, I am here 99% of the time.

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Can it do this? In fact, can any machine do this?



Regards from Perth

Derek

What would be the point of skinny tails like that, apart from showing off, certainly not the usual strength of a dovetail joint?
Apart from that I bet a computer guided machine can do it. Sorry, can't remember what they are called.
Cheers
Wolffie

Ah, the question everyone wanted to ask, but never had the courage...

They're called London pins, and their sole reason for being so thin is their good appearance. That's a pretty good reason when you're doing quality woodwork.

Originally Posted by Wolffie

What would be the point of skinny tails like that, apart from showing off, certainly not the usual strength of a dovetail joint?
Apart from that I bet a computer guided machine can do it. Sorry, can't remember what they are called.
Cheers
Wolffie

Hi Wolffie

Why do skinny? The narrow pins are a traditional dovetail design, called London dovetails. Why do them? Partly because they are great to look at and partly because they are difficult to do, so it is a challenge.

They are, really, a private pleasure in the home since no one else (guests especially) has a clue about dovetails - machine- and handcut are all the same to most non-woodworkers. The only people who would appreciate the artisty involved (such as these) are my fellow forumites. So there is a little showing off here as well. But all in fun.

The machine you are referring to is a CNC machine. I doubt that one could cut London dovetails - it is the narrow pin that would be their limitation.

Regards from Perth

Derek

The thing I've always wondered is how strong they are? I can see that they have the same glue surface as any other dt, but isn't all the force transmitted through that 0.5mm of wood?
Edit: Or is the strength carried laterally via the whole cross section of the pin to the drawer front?

Originally Posted by rhancock

The thing I've always wondered is how strong they are? I can see that they have the same glue surface as any other dt, but isn't all the force transmitted through that 0.5mm of wood?
Edit: Or is the strength carried laterally via the whole cross section of the pin to the drawer front?

That has always had me puzzled too.

They would be less strong than equally sized tails & pins, but they are usually used in circumstances where they still have adequate strength. They still have quite a bit of mechanical strength because of their shape.

I agree wholeheartedly with Derek and Alex, they look fantastic and I consider them an indication of the skill and care of the craftsman.

Is it possible that some people use dovetail jigs do so because they feel they are not capable of cutting dovetails by hand. Rather than state that, they attempt to strengthen their argument by trivialising the advantages of hand cut dovetails?

I feel that most people are capable of cutting dovetails by hand. The biggest barrier is in their mind, perhaps they feel inadequate or fear failure.

I have run a few woodwork classes for women. the prerequesites (apart from being a female) include very little to no experience or understanding of woodwork. Some students may never have hammered in a nail or used a screwdriver.

The last group made boxes with hand cut dovetails. Their lack of knowledge about woodwork meant they had no idea that hand cut dovetails were meant to be difficult so they just did them.

The quality of joints varied but all of those joints were excellent for people who four hours earlier didn't know what a chisel was or how to use a square.

I am not knocking people who use jigs, some have valid reasons such as Rsser but I am attempting to encourage some people to step outside their comfort zone and give hand cut dovetails a go - you may surprise yourself.

If a mug like me can do them, they can't be that difficult.

I could hand-cut dovetails easy but the RSPCA would be after me.

Finger joints, no prob either but the screams disturb the neighbours.

Originally Posted by Wood Borer

Is it possible that some people use dovetail jigs do so because they feel they are not capable of cutting dovetails by hand. Rather than state that, they attempt to strengthen their argument by trivialising the advantages of hand cut dovetails?
Or is it possible that they get irritated by the superior expressions by the so-called craftsmen, patting themselves on the back, bathed in the lucent glow of their own self appreciation?

I feel that most people are capable of cutting dovetails by hand. The biggest barrier is in their mind, perhaps they feel inadequate or fear failure.
Actually, for some people it is not fear of failure or inadequacy but simple physical/mental and sometimes even financial limitations.

In my instance, for example, my vision is too poor and my hands too weak to be able to sharpen a chisel or use a handsaw to follow a scribed line and my financial advisor will not allow me to spend oodles of dollars to buy a Tormek.
Does that mean that I am inadequate or a failure?
Does that mean that I do not have the right to be proud of what I CAN do?

I believe we are moving away from the original question of the OP, who simply asked whether members do or do not use a dovetail jig.

Cheers
Wolffie

wasn't the OP about lightbulbs?

Oh, sorry, wrong thread.