Replies

1. 
   JHTait | Feb 19, 2003 07:12am | #1

   First thing to do is make sure your stock is PERFECTLY square. Mark out your shoulder cuts with a sharp scalpel or knife (not with a pencil). Use your dovetail saw to cut a half millimeter (1/32") just to the waste side of your scored line, leaving the scored line on the stock. Then switch to a shoulder plane to take away the rest, right down to the scored lines.

2. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Feb 19, 2003 12:14pm | #2

   Hi Paul,

   As 'chip' said, you must use an accurate square and a marking knife.  The cut from the marking knife guides the saw and it is also important (and sometimes overlooked) that your stock is four-squared.  Score the surface of the wood with the knife face held in such a way to produce an uneven v-cut, with the 'keep' face of the shoulder scored perpendicularly to the face of the tenon and the 'waste' side scored at whatever angle the knife kerf produces.

   You can actually cut by starting the saw in the knife cut, leaving half the line behind. Why make work for yourself?  (the marking knife line guides the saw initially).

   Here's a few sites that I refer my students to:

   http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/articles/mortiseandtenon.cfm

   http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/articles/markingtools.cfm

   http://www.gre.ac.uk/~eduweb/showcase/d&t/schools/resmat/woodjoints/mortice&.htm

   Cheers,

   eddie

   
   

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   Edited 2/19/2003 4:16:28 AM ET by eddie (aust)

   
   

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   Edited 2/19/2003 5:09:38 AM ET by eddie (aust)