Thread: How do you hold your dovetails?

G'day Tiger,

The same as you, in my vice. But I cut on the bandsaw and clamp it in the vice to pair down to the line with chisels.

Even with long boards I can still clamp securely in the vice, I just come in from the side. I think the solution to the chatter really is to clamp the stock as low down to the bench as you can to avoid it.

Which part of the process are you clamping them for?

How big is the box?

If it is a small box (around 100 mm high) holding it in the vice works fine. If it is something like a blanket box then you will need to secure the piece along the whole width. Derek Cohen has one solution which is effectively a very wide vice that the piece can fit in the middle.

Other methods include:

Cutting half of it on one side of the vice and then securing it in the other side of the vice.

Using an arrangement of clamps and scrap timber so the piece is supported along the whole width either clamped to the workbench or clamped to a shorter but similar width that is clamped to the piece being cut to stiffen it up.

Don't leave too much unsupported.

Originally Posted by silentC

Which part of the process are you clamping them for?

Chiselling the waste out.

For that, I clamp them flat to the bench and chop down.

I too clamp them on the bench and chop down.

Silent, Wongo and I compared notes and demonstrated our various techniques on hand cut dovetails at CraigB's workshop one morning.

G'day,

Ditto

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" width="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Given my situation, I've decided to make a twin screw end vise similar to the Veritas model. I've been playing around with a prototype and it holds the wood very securely for dovetailing. I'm trying to refine the vise a bit by adding bench dogs to the vice so that I can hold work pieces down as I plane etc. It is along the same lines as Derek's except mine is situated at the end of the vise.
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