Thread: Question for the gurus???

Use masking tape (one of the coloured ones that suits you) wrap around the timber whre the dovetails are going, mark and cut the tape with a knife, then proceed

Originally Posted by rwbuild

Use masking tape (one of the coloured ones that suits you) wrap around the timber whre the dovetails are going, mark and cut the tape with a knife, then proceed

I like that idea a lot I don't know if it will stand up to my chisel 'skills' but I'll give it a go anyway.

I mark mine with a sharp awl, then use that to mark a fine pencil line. I can't see a marking knife line cut with the grain either.

I mark with a gauge and rub chalk into the line. And plenty of light, too. Helps my eye see.

I saw a guy do it once with coloured chalk after marking the line with a knife. He just scrubbed it in.

Wiped it off with water afterwards.

Gday TTTTT ?
chalk is a good idea, try it and see if it works for you
I do a lot of big and small dove tail joints,
use a hard lead pencil, cut inside the line,(the waste side).
a good gents or tennen saw, and finish with a good sharp chisel
test fit as often as you can, take your time.
good luck
Baz...

Originally Posted by homesy135

I mark with a gauge and rub chalk into the line. And plenty of light, too. Helps my eye see.

Originally Posted by Evanism

I saw a guy do it once with coloured chalk after marking the line with a knife. He just scrubbed it in.
Wiped it off with water afterwards.

Originally Posted by bandd

Gday TTTTT ?
chalk is a good idea, try it and see if it works for you .....................
Baz...

Looks like the ayes have it! Thanks Guys. I'll have to see if I can find some darker coloured chalk - only got white in the shed - which will be OK on Gidgee and other dark stuff

Pink chalk stands out well in dark and light coloured wood. I picked up a big tub of thick multi-coloured chalk sticks for $2 at my local $2 shop.

Was your suggestion of using gidgee just a pun?

Most dovetail gurus use soft pine to demonstrate their technique and the wood can be squeezed together if the joint is too tight, and stretched or bent to 90 degrees. I wouldn't try that with our hard timbers. The dovetail joints have to be cut and pared to fit for most Aussie woods I've used.

Originally Posted by homesy135

...........Was your suggestion of using gidgee just a pun? ............

No joke . I've found a source of finely Ringed gidgee and if I can ever get my skills up to scratch, I want to dovetail some against some very light coloured timber like Norfolk Island Hibiscus

Lasic Eye Surgery, ~ $6K + or - and you'll see 20/20 again!

Scary stuff but it works!

I use an HB Pencil, providing you cut on the waste side of the line it'll be OK.

Tried a marking knife but when using a Jap Saw had a lot of trouble with the blade wanting to fall in a follow the score mark.

Also another bonus with Pencil if you stuff up (which I do) it's easy to rub out. Not so easy to get rid of cut marks.

Cheers

Steve

Originally Posted by Timless Timber

Lasic Eye Surgery, ~ $6K + or - and you'll see 20/20 again!

Scary stuff but it works!

Looked into that once but apparently I'm not a candidate - both long and short-sighted with damage to the left from a bleed at the back of the eye a few years ago

Originally Posted by fineboxes

I use an HB Pencil, providing you cut on the waste side of the line it'll be OK.

Tried a marking knife but when using a Jap Saw had a lot of trouble with the blade wanting to fall in a follow the score mark.

Also another bonus with Pencil if you stuff up (which I do) it's easy to rub out. Not so easy to get rid of cut marks.

Cheers

Steve

There's just something about pencil lines under fluro light - they just become almost invisible to me, particularly on darker timbers

Have you tried turning the fluro off?

Replace the fluro with a Led set up up.