Thread: Which Dovetail Marker?

Knowing nothing about hand cut dovetails other than I tried without a guide using a video that showed how "easy it was" here is my take.

From what I have seen, Derek is a user who makes tools to purpose and having seen his shed and how meticulous he is with everything he makes I would be recommending his. In fact I saw the previous posts when he was developing these but never new he was marketing them.

PM sent Derek, please put aside a set for me.

Cheers,
Burnsy

If Derek will still make you one, it is the best value for money, but I think the production issues have led him to stop taking orders.

The AWR one is pretty good (as is the Veritas that you have not listed).

The best tho' IMHO is the Bob Wearing style as shown in his book on jigs and in this thread on the UK Forum - but it's not commercially available AFAIK

I would never do any injustice to any of the markers mentioned above - especially the ones made and sold by Derek. Let me go on the record as stating that the most accurate ones are the fingers of the Leigh dovetail jig.
Les

I can recomend the Veritas dovetail marker set, $20 from Carba-tec.
You get one for softwod and one for hardwood and they are so easy to use, mark one side then flip over to mark the other side.

Bino

A small piece of 3mm x 25~50mm aluminum angle cut at you desired angle works a treat to... only cost's a few cents!


You can use a CMS to cut it, just clamp it down before cutting it and do it outside as the ali dust goes everywhere.

I have and use the LN dovetail marker and it has served me well over the years. Prior to that I used a bevel gauge and square.

i made one outa a bit of perspex glued to a small wooden block. befor that i just used a sliding bevel square.

AWR sells them in kit form you shoulda got the deal at the show where you get one with the subscription. they are around $45. or you can buy the dovetail marker and multisquare for $79.

I can't imagine why anyone would chuck away pots of money on something as basic and home-makeable as a dovetail marker. There must be at least a dozen ways to make one, and all will do a perfectly satisfactory job. If you must have a fancy one, (& I'm just as guilty as the next woodie of wanting my tools to look attractive) it would be a great start to your dovetailing career to make a couple a la Derek.The exact angle of the tails is neither here nor there - too shallow & you have finger joints, too steep & the tails have fragile ends. The rest is a matter of taste or what historical period you are trying to emulate.

The real secret to making perfect dovetails is not some fancy marker, because you only use it to mark out the first component, and (whether you are a pins-first or tails-first adherent) this is NOT the critical step. Accurate scribing & cutting on the SECOND step is - this is what determines the fit.
This was made very clear to me many moons ago by a crusty old cabinetmaker who did know what he was doing. They used to make wash tubs out of Huon dovetailed together. No glue, the joints just had to be near-perfect & when the water hit the wood, a bit of swelling took care of the seal. Now THAT's watertight!

I think I got out of bed on the wrong side, this morning.....

If you like pretty, functional tools then Colen Clenton's are amazing. If you can justify the cost buy one. If you want to develop your skill set further build a couple. I have both the Chris Vesper and Colen Clenton Tools. I'm now in the process of building some similar tools myself. The sliding bevels are great for marking out dovetails. Adjustable to any angle you like. Just get a little one and a ruler/protractor.

I was going to ask, don't you have a sliding bevel? It does much more than laying out dovetails. Perhaps if you are making dovetails day in, day out it might be worth having a special layout guide, but seriously, spend the money on something useful, like a bottle of glue to stick them together with.

Funky, If I were you I would seriously think about making your own from either brass or ally angle. You will learn a hell of a lot from making one. You can check if you have made it equal angle if you have or can borrow a sliding bevel.

. . . . . .if you learn how to make one, you can then make any other with a different size and angle, eventually you can make a whole set, if you get good at making them you may be able to sell them, then set up a business, and ultimately rule the world

Cheers

But isn't that why we have sliding bevels: so you don't need to make lots of guides at different angles and sizes?

The advantage of using a dovetail marker over a bevel gauge is that you can mark the dovetail angle and the perpendicular at the same time.

Originally Posted by Wood Borer

The advantage of using a dovetail marker over a bevel gauge is that you can mark the dovetail angle and the perpendicular at the same time.

I also find the the bevel gauge and square is that its two tools and you are constantly picking up one or the other back and forth. Making marking out the most tedious part of dovetailing by hand, and anything that makes it simpler is nicer.

And this is why I am making my own, it is such a simple tool why not! It does not need to be a high precision tool just consistent. Plus its the transfer lines that is the real challenge. I am looking forward to trying to talcum powder trick.