Thread: Dovetail choices and time demands

Sinjin,

Look at http://www.anglemag.com/about.html this jig allows you do do these tricky Double angled dovetails, if you want to cut them by hand you'll probably get frustrated easily and quickly. I don't know if they are Japanese or not but anyone who can do them by hand should take woodwork up as a full time job.

As far as getting a dovetail jig to do the project we're talking about, if you can get a Gifkins Dovetail Jig buy one otherwise try this site http://www.stots.com/tm.htm this looks to be a good jig that I am interested finding out more about. My wife too is threatening to go out and BUY something that I want to make myself.

Woody

Hi Derek,

Pic 1: those wouldn't be, <gasp> shavings on the floor would they?

Pic 2: I notice that you didn't stop the tranches/dados for the shelves; any particular reason?

Cheers!

Steve B

Originally Posted by MikeW

I think you would be pleased with the speed of the PC once you go through enough practice pieces to get use to how it works.

MikeW

And there goes the time element again. Buying a jig isn't a magic solution; at least it wasn't for me.

So, despite having a Carba-Tec jig and, (much, much, much, etc) better, a WoodRat, I'm now finding myself boning-up on the hand-done method. Sure, when set up properly, a jig is great for multiple repeats, but you can't beat the look of a properly done hand-cut joint (so I'm telling myself, as I haven't made one yet that I could reasonably call "proper")

So, Lyptus, If time is of the essence, have you considered simpler (e.g. box) joints? They can still look good, through or half-blind), and are a fair bit simpler to mark up and cut with accuracy.

Cheers & good luck!
Steve B

Originally Posted by Steve.Bisson@te

And there goes the time element again. Buying a jig isn't a magic solution; at least it wasn't for me.

...I'm now finding myself boning-up on the hand-done method. Sure, when set up properly, a jig is great for multiple repeats, but you can't beat the look of a properly done hand-cut joint (so I'm telling myself, as I haven't made one yet that I could reasonably call "proper")

So, Lyptus, If time is of the essence, ...
Cheers & good luck!
Steve B

I agree. But after seconding Dereks reasoning for hand cut DTs, the OP decided he would go the jig route due to time constraints.

My opinion is that if one wants DTs and doesn't want to hand cut them, why settle for a joint that will not stand up as well as the DTs?

I have several dressers from the mid 19th century. While the drawers are definitely hand cut, they are so evenly spaced and, well, wide tails and ugly, their appearance is as if they were cut with a 14 deg router bit.

While I do hand cut DTs from time to time, I sure like having the Rat the rest of the time.

Pic 1: those wouldn't be, shavings on the floor would they?

Pic 2: I notice that you didn't stop the tranches/dados for the shelves; any particular reason?

Hi Steve

Pic 1: Yes, shavings all over the place! That particular chest of drawers was made completely with handtools - not a power tool used at any time. The timber (pine and jarrah) was thicknessed, dadoed, cut, jointed, planed, dovetailed, etc by hand. No sandpaper either. It was a challenge to myself to see if I could get away without my tablesaw, router/table, and bandsaw.

Pic 2: The dados were not stopped simply because I liked the look, which was on the picture of the original Shaker chest I used for inspiration. It just looks a little less clinical that way.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Hi Steve

That particular chest of drawers was made completely with handtools - not a power tool used at any time.

Hi Derek,

I can understand this.

My Godfather, an R.N. Commander, rtd, and with whose family I essentially grew up with, was, so I thought at the time, a total fanatic about woodworking!

All of his tools were lovely pieces; testimony to a craftsman's love of wood. His one and only power tool was an elderly electric drill - something clearly not fit for working wood with.

It was he who helped me build my first couple of dinghys and small keel-boats. Actually, and truth be out, he did most of the work, and I just got in the way a lot - according to him...

I guess that we're just spoiled now with all the great tools we have (or wish to have!) access to.

Cheers!

Just a completely left field idea, but have you tought of dovetail keys? It seems to be a pretty simple jig to make for the router and you fabricate up a length of dovetail pin on the table saw/router table. You could simply butt join the drawers together and run the slots for the keys/fit the keys. If you fit a drawer front, they would be indistinguishable from a dovetail joint, unless you take the drawer right out and look at it from behind. You could even choose whatever spacing you desired for a more "handcut" look. Here's a couple of sites I found using google:

http://home.austin.rr.com/sawduster/...ed%20Boxes.htm

http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/pri...ml&catref=wd21
Cheers
Michael

ps. actually, I don't think you can use a but joint, I think you do have to have a mitred corner...

As usual, you all have been very helpful. I've done way to much obsessing over the dovetail issue but following your all's collective advice I think I've come up with a good compromise solution. I intend to get the Veritas dovetail guide and a better Dozuki saw than the one Veritas sells with the guide. I will use the guide and the saw to cut half-blind dovetails for the drawer fronts and then use my table saw to cut rabbets and dados forming lock joints for the drawer backs. This way, I can gain experience and the pleasure of cutting hand cut dovetails while also minimizing the time it takes for me to construct the drawers.

Thanks for all of your advice.

- Lyptus

Probably a great choice, Lyptus.

And remember, most of us try different methods of doing the same thing as time marches on.

Any choice you make now isn't permenant. The LV guide is a good way to see if you even are going to like handcutting the DTs. Not much different than using a honing guide in my opinion.

Let us know how you get along, OK?

Just for the record... I contacted Lee Valley about using one of their Dozuki saws with their dovetail guide and they recommended against it because the guide uses up 1 7/16" of a saw's depth and the nice Dozuki's all have a back stiffener that limits the depth of cut to about two inches. So combined you could only make cuts about 1/2" deep using a Dozuki with the Veritas guide. So I guess I'll just get the saw that comes with the guide for now and invest in a better Dozuki when I gain more confidence.

- Lyptus