# Dovetail, first attempt, don't laugh



## jkristia (Feb 6, 2009)

Ok, so this is actually my second attempt, I won't event post pictures of the first one.

Over the weekend I went to Woodcraft and got a Crown saw for dovetail and a Crown 1/4" chisel (wanted something better than the cheap Stanly set I have), and this is the result after 1/2 hour - not great, but it is a start. I think the biggest problem I have right now is to keep the saw straight (to the line) and perpendicular to the board, but I guess it just requires lots of practice.

Any suggestions of how to improve the accuracy of the cut, other than practice practice practice.


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## Old Dutchman (Nov 2, 2011)

I think You are doing fine if that is Your second hand cut dovetail! It does take practice. I used to try when I was working, and they take time to learn! Always remember to stay on the inside of the line, or the outside of the line. That was one of My first mistakes! Nice dovetails for the second time hand cutting them!


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## desertforest (Aug 6, 2011)

nice.:thumbsup: i wish i had the time to learn to cut dovetails by hand. post pictures of future dovetails so we can see the improvement-however not saying that this is not good.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Honestly they look pretty darn good. As far as technique I'm not sure what your doing so I can only speculate to offer suggestions. 

Mark ALL of your cut lines. So with the tail board for instance the board is vertical in the vice. From the front you should have the top and face marked so you can try to follow your lines. 

Cutting straight doesn't mean twisting the saw to follow your line, that give you a curve. If your a bit off on your pins (I cut pins first) it doesn't matter just keep the saw going straight in and transfer the results to you tail board. You're the only one if any who will ever notice a half degree difference in angles from the others. 

I suggest cutting as much as possible and chopping as little as possible. If you can use chisels only for clean up you'll have more fun and be much quicker at it. 

Always leave your tails and pins a hair long to be trimmed flush.

A skew chisel is a dream for cleaning up before fitting.

A marking gauge is very handy.

An adjustable bevel gauge or dt marking gauge is also very handy. 

If you have more specific technique questions, fire away. Like most here I'm still learning too!... But I may be able to help :smile:

:thumbsup:!!!

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

I don't see anything to laugh at here. I see a great attempt with clean lines and, in my mind, a successful venture in dove tails. They are a little loose, but the are even and symetrical. Personally, I think you did a great job.


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## Jim West Pa (Jul 27, 2010)

*Yep, what Kenbo said.*

It is a mighty fine attempt indeed.Looks like all that got away from ya was what Tom mentioned, you cut your marking lines away.
As Tom suggested, get yourself a marking gauge or even make one. That'll keep your bottoms even on both boards.
Try using a knife to scribe your pins on your tail board and then like Tom said, focus on leaving your lines on your work piece.
Roy just had a pretty good show on yesterday about this very subject and saw technique.
There is a lot more to accurate hand sawing than just pushin and pullin the saw thru the board.Keep yer elbow close to yer body and make the saw an extension of your forearm.It helps to 'point'. Also, more times than not the saw needs very little help to do the job it is intended for if it's sharp enough.

For practice, i would scribe some straight lines on a board with a knife and practice cuttin parallel to the mark without cuttin the line away.
Focus on your technique more than accuracy. A well developed technique will produce accuracy.


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## eagle49 (Mar 22, 2011)

*sove*

I made a template out of a piece of metal to layout the tails. Don't use splity, chipy wood like curry maple. I think your doing good for a 2nd time.


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## jkristia (Feb 6, 2009)

Thank you all for your comments, much appreciated.

>>I suggest cutting as much as possible and chopping as little as possible
Good point, I did watch a youtube video where he used a coping saw to cut the waste. I will try the same next time.

>>For practice, i would scribe some straight lines on a board with a knife and practice cuttin parallel to the mark without cuttin the line away.
I will try this next for sure, and maybe also practice on some soft wood instead.
Jesper


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

jkristia said:


> Thank you all for your comments, much appreciated.
> 
> >>I suggest cutting as much as possible and chopping as little as possible
> Good point, I did watch a youtube video where he used a coping saw to cut the waste. I will try the same next time.
> ...


You actually want a fret saw. Much better than a coping saw! You can find them online. I wanna say amazon has one for around $30. You won't find then in box stores and they are about the same price as coping saws. 

The fret saw can use a much finer smaller blade and get down into your existing saw cut where as you'll almost be re-cutting the line with a coping saw. 

Some's experience with that may vary, I'm sure... But that's been mine. I guess it would depend partially on the thickness and set on your DT saw though...

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## jkristia (Feb 6, 2009)

I'm going to order a fret saw from Woodcraft (I was not aware of the difference), and then I'll order another chisel since I only have 1/4". Any recommendation on size, should I go for 1/2" or 3/4" - or should I just get both from the start?

Edit: I have 1/4", 1/2", 3/4" of some cheap Lowes / Stanley chisels, but I want good quality chisels and would rather just buy the one I need and pay a little more.

Jesper


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

I would suggest buying a set, maybe of four.
If you can use a chisel that's the width of your cut, you get a perfectly straight line across it with one chop. 
A set of Marples is a good starter.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=22071


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