# Hand cutting dovetails



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Hey guys, I'm trying to quit smoking so I needed something to focus on. So the past three nights I spent some time trying to cut dovetails by hand. First and second attempt are kind of embarrassing to show to you guys lol! But I am pleased to say that I am making progress. Third attempt is much better. I found it very relaxing sitting at my bench with just the sound of a hand saw and a chisel. I'm realizing that it's not as hard as I thought it was going to be I just have to take my time and I'm sure I'll keep getting better. I watched the 6 minute dovetail video. Mine are more like 60 minute dovetails.

pit bulls rock!


----------



## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Yep...progressively better.
Keep practicing.
What are you using for tools?
Pay attention to your layout marks.


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Thanks. I have a dovetail saw I bough from rockler but I seem to get better results with my little Marples flush cut pull saw from home depot. I have a cheap set of dewalt chisels right now that don't seem to hold an edge very well but it all seems to work ok for now, and you are right about paying close attention to layout lines. I cut a chunk of oak with an 8 degree bevel on either side and a lip on it to help layout and that really helped

pit bulls rock!


----------



## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

I'd say you are a quick study. Those last dovetails are really starting to look good. If you haven't looked at it yet, about a year ago Billy De put together a dovetail tutorial thread here. It's got lots of great information and tips.


----------



## Leprechaun (Dec 5, 2012)

Dude, you rock! (I'll bet your earliest efforts were so frustrating that it made you crave the smokes!)

Your progress is awesome, and it seems you've almost mastered the joint. Maybe you can still benefit from learning some technique from Paul Sellers, a Welch master woodworker. He recommends using a fixture like your oak one. He also recommends laying out with a pencil, then tracing the lines with a knife. Doing so avoids the tear-outs like you show in one of the joints. I believe he might have one or two other things you might benefit from. Check out this video:





Cheers!
-Lep-


----------



## Millzy (Nov 30, 2011)

Sweet

Nice job
As for speed , repeat and repeat


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Thanks guys, it is really fun to try something that you have never done and suck at it and then research it and and keep trying till it starts to work out. Still got a ways to go. I think in the next couple days I'll try to actually do it on four different parts and put them all together lol!

pit bulls rock!


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Leprechaun said:


> Dude, you rock! (I'll bet your earliest efforts were so frustrating that it made you crave the smokes!)
> 
> Your progress is awesome, and it seems you've almost mastered the joint. Maybe you can still benefit from learning some technique from Paul Sellers, a Welch master woodworker. He recommends using a fixture like your oak one. He also recommends laying out with a pencil, then tracing the lines with a knife. Doing so avoids the tear-outs like you show in one of the joints. I believe he might have one or two other things you might benefit from. Check out this video:
> Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dPb_5KFEYk
> ...


Thanks for the link, I'll watch it after work today. I was already thinking I should use a knife in my lay out process

pit bulls rock!


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Leprechaun said:


> Dude, you rock! (I'll bet your earliest efforts were so frustrating that it made you crave the smokes!)
> 
> Your progress is awesome, and it seems you've almost mastered the joint. Maybe you can still benefit from learning some technique from Paul Sellers, a Welch master woodworker. He recommends using a fixture like your oak one. He also recommends laying out with a pencil, then tracing the lines with a knife. Doing so avoids the tear-outs like you show in one of the joints. I believe he might have one or two other things you might benefit from. Check out this video:
> Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dPb_5KFEYk
> ...


Thanks for the link, I'll watch it after work today. I was already thinking I should use a knife in my lay out process

pit bulls rock!


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Leprechaun said:


> Dude, you rock! (I'll bet your earliest efforts were so frustrating that it made you crave the smokes!)
> 
> Your progress is awesome, and it seems you've almost mastered the joint. Maybe you can still benefit from learning some technique from Paul Sellers, a Welch master woodworker. He recommends using a fixture like your oak one. He also recommends laying out with a pencil, then tracing the lines with a knife. Doing so avoids the tear-outs like you show in one of the joints. I believe he might have one or two other things you might benefit from. Check out this video:
> Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dPb_5KFEYk
> ...


Thanks for the link, didn't watch any of his videos yet. I'll check it out after work. I was already thinking I should use a knife in my layout I'll try that tonight too.

pit bulls rock!


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Wow don't know what happened, tried to send a reply and phone was being weird. Retyped and sent again now it sent that one and doubled another one lol

pit bulls rock!


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

tcleve4911 said:


> Yep...progressively better.
> Keep practicing.
> What are you using for tools?
> Pay attention to your layout marks.


Not only pay attention to layout marks, but try to be consistent with your marks. Have a mental rule as to whether or not you cut on, to left or to right of mark.

George


----------



## Islandguy (Dec 28, 2012)

Practice makes perfect as they say...keep working on them!


----------



## Islandguy (Dec 28, 2012)

Oh one other thing...I am a "tails first" guy and like to cut my tails on my Bandsaw and they follow up the pins with my handsaw.


----------



## Islandguy (Dec 28, 2012)

Leprechaun said:


> Dude, you rock! (I'll bet your earliest efforts were so frustrating that it made you crave the smokes!)
> 
> Your progress is awesome, and it seems you've almost mastered the joint. Maybe you can still benefit from learning some technique from Paul Sellers, a Welch master woodworker. He recommends using a fixture like your oak one. He also recommends laying out with a pencil, then tracing the lines with a knife. Doing so avoids the tear-outs like you show in one of the joints. I believe he might have one or two other things you might benefit from. Check out this video:
> Make a DOVETAIL TEMPLATE with Paul Sellers - YouTube
> ...


He is a pretty amazing guy!


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Ok guys. Just finished another attempt and I'm pretty pleased. I stopped at my local rockler this afternoon and picked up a better Japanese saw and a cheap marking knife. I also whipped up a quick jig to help me out. I was clamping the stock to my bench with a squared up chunk of 2x4 to use as a fence/chisel guide. I found that to be pretty akward lining the edge of the guide on my scribe line and then holding it there and getting clamps tight, then I have to do it again when I flip the stock and it better be right on or the joint would suffer. So while I was working today a design came to mind. It worked great.all I have to do is hold the opposing part flush with the part I'm chopping and slide the fence over to it and tighten. Only thing I might add is some sticky sand paper to the base to keep the part from sliding, this wasn't a real problem but it did move just a bit cutting throughout a bit of wild grain/small knot area in the walnut piece.I did watch a couple of Paul sellers videos, man he moves quick.

pit bulls rock!


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

If I hadn't went a bit deep wit the saw on two spots I'd be really happy with it. Very tight joint that fit together with just a few light tapeworm a mallet. Thanks for all the advise and encouragement guys.

pit bulls rock!


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Lol, auto correct says some funny stuff sometimes. I wonder how it gets tape worm mallet from tap from a mallet

pit bulls rock!


----------



## J Thomas (Aug 14, 2012)

Fine looking joint you're getting there! I've tried dovetails a few times but it ended in frustration & some chunks of firewood..


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Thanks, I'm having fun learning and seeing results each time I do it

pit bulls rock!


----------



## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Much much better
You're doing great, learning from videos and your own mistakes
Well done


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Ok guys had some good shop time today. So I built my first dovetail box, took me a few hours but I had fun doing it and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I think it actually worthy of giving away. Grand ma has been wanting something nice to put her bingo chips and markers think I'll give it to her when it's done.

pit bulls rock!


----------



## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

:thumbsup: Nicely done.


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Thanks

pit bulls rock!


----------



## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

Question for folks. I see more often than not people using chisels to get rid of the waste. How many folks use a fret saw and what are the advantages and dis advantages for each? I am getting a dovetail saw this week and thought about picking up a fret saw also (already have chisels.)


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

I'm not sure if there are any advantages/disadvantages.I was going to buy a fret sew when I went to rockler the other day but they didn't have any so I have been just using a chisel. Still may pick one up tho

pit bulls rock!


----------



## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

mengtian said:


> Question for folks. I see more often than not people using chisels to get rid of the waste. How many folks use a fret saw and what are the advantages and dis advantages for each? I am getting a dovetail saw this week and thought about picking up a fret saw also (already have chisels.)


I think it all depends on how large your dovetails are and how many you plan on cutting. Most of the dovetails I've cut to date have been in small boxes with tails as narrow as 1/4". For those I obviously don't use a fret/coping saw. 

If I was going to be cutting a lot of large dovetails I would probably try using a saw to remove waste. 

Advantages - speed - you can quickly remove most of the waste and then pare down to your baseline with a chisel. It can also be a lot more accurate. If you start your waste removal right on the baseline with a chisel, you can get deflection by chiseling out thick material and "dent" the wood below the baseline. A fret saw removes the bulk of it and you won't get deflection when you pare the last little bit away.

I've also seen people use a chisel to quickly chop most of the waste first and then use a paring chisel to work down to the baseline. They start the chisel work maybe 1/8" or a little more above the baseline and roughly chop out most of the waste and then come back and trim down to the line.

There is no right or wrong, play around with different methods and see which fits your situation best.


----------



## Merkava_4 (Nov 22, 2012)

This guy does it in 3 minutes and 40 seconds flat.


----------



## Wood4Brains (Jul 25, 2012)

> "Hey guys, I'm trying to quit smoking so I needed something to focus on. So the past three nights I spent some time trying to cut dovetails by hand."


Huh...

hand cutting dovetails is what caused me to START smoking...


----------



## the dude (Jun 15, 2012)

Grunkle Stan said:


> Huh...
> 
> hand cutting dovetails is what caused me to START smoking...


Haha I hear ya, well the quitting smoking didn't go so well but I can do some real nice hand cut dovetails now.

pit bulls rock!


----------

