With all the cold up here its been hard to spend much time in the basement working on projects. I’ve been spending an hour or so in the morning and at night practicing dovetails. I have done enough of them now to know what my problems are..absolutely no natural talent…so I’m going to have to practice, practice, practice..and save the saw dust for filling in…lol.
Anyhow, I’ve been wondering is there is a jig out there that could help me saw straight and get the proper angles. This morning I made a jig by dadoing out a piece of stock and cut both ends at 15 degree slope (trapazoidal in shape). I can slide that over the the stock and cut the tails at the fifteen degree slope easily..while giving support to the saw to keep it on line and square to the stock. I made another jig..very similar to the first..except made it a rabbit cut with 15 degree slope on each end…that I can slip up against the stock and cut the tails.
What is going through my mind is there must be something like this already available…and maybe adjustable. Does anyone have any ideas?
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Lee Valley puts out a product that is exactly what you just described. I don't know anything about it. One thought though. I have 2 western style dovetail saws one cuts straight as an arrow. One doesn't. I know it has to do with the set of the teeth. My point is Dovetails take alot of practice and patience but cutting a straight line down a scribed line shouldn't be that difficult.
Circlekid,
Your correct, cutting a straight line should not be difficult. It may be saw related, I have been going back and forth between a japanese saw and a Jents saw. Eighteen or so of the cuts are fine and one or two are not perpendicular to the stock...ugh! I don't mind the practice as long as the wood is basically scrap pieces. However, with good stock I want to be assured that I have a fall back method that is relatively fail proof.
I'll continue to practice and will take a look at the Lee Valley jig. Thanks
I think your jig sounds even better than the LV one. It is making me think that I could speed up my cuts a bit with such an animal, and may just make one. Cutting them right the first time is sure better than trying to pare them in. Incredibly faster.
I kind of use a similiar method to polish the edge of my scrapers perp to the sandpaper. I remove the main piece for my starrett double square or a combination square and then use it as a guide to keep the scraper square to the paper. It works great for me.
Circlekid,
I like that, do you have the honing jig from Veritas..?
I do, but really don't use it that much anymore. Usally only for the initial grind of a new chisel or plane blade.
Nice idea. What I do is chuck a flat file in my vice, which has a square, flat 2" wood jaw, and use the jaw to register the scraper. Then I do the same thing with a diamond sharpening stone. Keeps the edge square, and is quite quick.
S4S,
Yes, as a matter of fact it is pretty fast. I have been sitting here thinking (not about work) that to build the 6 draws I could make a couple of templates that could make it fast and accurate. The draws will all have 7 1/2" sides, I can take two pieces of stock (7 1/2" long)put a dado in bottom, turn it over and run it through the thin kerf blade at the angle and spacing I want. Turn it back over, slip it over the draw stock and draw the saw through the kerf cuts...tails are done. Take the second piece, chop out half the dado (ie. rabbit cut) place that over the draw stock, draw sht saw through the kerf cuts...pins are done.
The Lee Valley cheats..it uses magnets....lol.....mine method takes skill....lol
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