# Dovetail marker (first wood working project)



## TheOak84 (Nov 2, 2016)

Hello all! I come from a carpentry background but i am new to wood working. Im fascinated with all facets of this dying trade. I decided to make a small shop, with basic essential tools i needed to practice joinery. 

After setting up shop, i completed my first project, the Paul Sellers dovetail marker. 

A few things i noticed was, i need a more stable work table and more lighting. That would give me better accuracy when using saws and chisels. I did start with the crown gents saw. And i noticed that with cuts longer than an inch, the saw is harder to control. It kept diving to the right of my pencil line. Anyway, this is what it look like. 

Comments/suggestions welcome


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

Nice, and welcome to the addictio... er.... hobby! That marker looks quite good... congratulations!

I have a similar saw, and found that the teeth had been set incorrectly: they opened the kerf more on one side of the saw than the other, and encouraged it to drift in that direction. IF that's the problem, you may be able to solve the problem by running a fine sharpening stone over the right side of the saw (since you said it's drifting right).

There's an excellent treatise on saw sharpening here: http://www.vintagesaws.com/library/primer/sharp.html

I will give you two cautions right now, though:

1) Buying the cheapest tools you can find will result in just as much irritation as buying the most expensive you can find.

2) This stuff is addicting, and if you're not careful you're going to buy a lot of tools you don't actually need. Be careful when you go to the tool store!


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## TheOak84 (Nov 2, 2016)

Thank you sir.

I was told Crown is a good company, but it did seem odd that the saw was only $24. I think it will do fine for 3/4" deep dovetails in the future. I did just order a Veritas standard dovetail saw, im hoping that will be more accurate. 

If it is, i can use it for tenons as well. 

I am a tool freak though, a collector as well. I invested enough to get me started in joinery for small projects, and i guess bigger projects with an increase of experience. 

When i get a bigger space im going all out for the electric powerd tools. Cant wait to build my dining table, bedroom set, cabinets etc. seems far fetched but in a few years i think i can accoompish it. 

Im in floor covering by trade, and now im transitioning over to wood working as a hobby, but who knows how far ill go!


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