I would like to start cutting dovetails by hand. Looks fun, I think. Just wondering what books, videos, and tools I’ll need. I plan on buying a Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw. Not sure on what size chisel, or chisels I should buy. I’ve seen little marking jigs in some mail order catalogs. Wondering if they help and are worth the money?
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Firewood; not too long ago there was a discussion on this very topic. Try this link http://forums.taunton.com/n/find/findRedir.asp?webtag=tp-knots&mg=6F55EC66-27D7-4FF1-9FF7-4DE8493104B6for details.
For my money, I like the video from Rob Cosman - available through Lie Nielsen. It's great for showing you how to cut through dovetails, and an efficient way of laying out your spacing using dividers.
For a marking jig, I use a piece of Maple that has been dadoed into a TEE shape with the 1:8 or 1:6 angle and when flipped it gives you a square edge. Again this is shown in Rob's video.
Chisels: your blade cannot be wider than the narrowest pin, as you won't be able to cut the socket. I use a fret saw to cut out the initial waste and then clean up to the line with a chisel.
Regards,
Greg
Edited 1/19/2003 4:49:01 PM ET by Greg
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