paring with the grain

[adzeman]

Missed posting a picture

Two sharp taps just slightly off the base line and then chop further back a couple of times taking out the waste with a coping saw.

 

[adzeman]

Every time you make dovetails you get better each time. I dont get it right every attempt This batch of drawers 5 in number the first drawer was not perfect but because it was for just me I can live with it. If it was for someone else I would have re-made the defect part.

Still no paring, I have a dovetailer dont use it. Beleive me it is easy by hand just practice. Like on Bargain Hunt "Keep on Dovetailing"!

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Hi Mike, that looks nicely done ... but ....

What you have is a short width with just a few dovetails. What happens when the drawer expands into a carcase, say for a kist (blanket chest) where the main box section is 20" across ... ?!

And you are connecting 4 similar sides ...

Then your margin for error is reduced considerably, and you have multiple times the opportunities for a misfitting join. Add to this mix the joining of two very hard woods - here they are Curly Marri (from Western Australia) - and there can be no compression of a soft wood into a hard wood. You have to be spot on, or else ... :?

Lots of curly hardwood here as I approach the first third of the current project ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[adzeman]

What happens when the drawer expands into a carcase, say for a kist (blanket chest) where the main box section is 20" across ... ?!

Thanks for the comments and your fine example proves you know what you are doing, Its at least 10 years ago since I built my last blanket box but still used the same principles. Why I replied to this thread was I could not understand what the problem is to paring with the grain. I cant see where it would occur. If you cut the pins going with the grain using a fine saw, starting the across cut with a bevelled chisel(I dont say sharp as there is no other kind) and taking the waste away by what ever means, the waste then breaks away cleanly. When I built the blanket box I did remove the waste free hand using a router. (After point) I did use a stop lath to stop me spoiling the carcass. I have just one more drawer to make for my cabinet so I will watch the process and take some more pictures if required.
The work in progress will be to show how my tool cabinet has evolved since I made it a year ago rather than how I make dovetails.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Hi Mike

To be clear, I do not expect that one pares all dovetail this way to fit, just the very occasional one when the circumstances fit and the wind is blowing in the right direction. But it can be done.

I'd say that 95%+ of my dovetails fit off the saw. The sawing is the easy part. It is the transfered marks that make-or-break the accuracy, and this is even more of an issue in dark woods as your eyes age, like mine. A while back I developed a method using blue tape to ensure accurate marks. Then it is a simple matter to saw to the line.

Article is here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/ ... arrah.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[adzeman]

It is the transfered marks that make-or-break the accuracy,

You read my mind and I could not have explaned it better. As I posted last night I had one more drawer to make and would give attention to the process and that point stood out. I do like the idea of the blue tape. My eyesights not to bad even though I have past the three score and ten but I am weak in the right eye (had to fire a rifle and play snooker left handed) so I always make cuts on the left of the line, blue tape would help. Back to todays drawer, I mark my dovetails using a knife.

Not a 100% you can see I overcut on a couple of pins

second pin from left cut and therefore the dovetail angle not consistent

and it shows on the finished corner marks say, 8 out of 10? They are so satisfying to produce and I use every excuse to hand cut them for right angled joints. Practice makes perfect.

“but I'm not quite there yet.”

Quote from Madge Keep trying Madge and lets see how you are doing.

 

[G S Haydon]

I might regret doing this but I did quite a few DT's recently. It had been a while since I had cut a dovetail. It was quite large scale like Derek's project however the timber was a forgiving pine.

I wrote a guide here if you are interested http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Dovetail/. I'm not claiming to be a expert at all. Being a joiner it's all about the mortice and tenon rather than the dovetail. I did find on the tool chest it was helpful to add a leading edge to the underside of the tail. It made it easier to align and stopped any damaged happening to the pins. However I am unsure if it is considered bad practice.