Recently I had to make 3 large box pieces joined with 1/2 blind dovetails on all of the corners. That added up to about 70-80 sockets. I made a couple of jigs to remove the bulk of the wood around the pins before cleaning up with chisels. It saved me a bunch of time.
If there are any interested dovetailers that might like to see these homespun jigs, send along a reply and I’ll post some photos.
I had to do this in 12 corners. Lots of chopping.
dan
Replies
Dan,
Ok, I'd like to see 'em.
Looking good man.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Jigs to cut pins. Again, I cut pins first so I am not trying to zero in on a perfect pin established by the existing tail pattern.
I use 2 jigs. The first jig is set up for a dovetail bit set for the exact depth of the socket(split the scribe line in the end grain). The guides for the router base are tight so there is no left to right slop. This allows me to slide the jig over to the pin and cut the angle I want for the pin. I do not cut all the way to the scribe line on the inside face of the board surface. The bottom portion of the bit would cut to deep and leave a hollow angle that I don't want. I go back with the second jig for the final cut.
The second jig is for use with a pattern bit. By setting the jig on the board in the scribed line, I can get the bearing to follow the straight edges and cut very close.
Edited 1/23/2008 12:43 pm ET by danmart
I have 120 pins and 120 tails to do in a couple of weeks by hand. I was going to just wait till Festool came out with a new tool that can do it in a matter of minutes, but if you will post the jigs.. I might consider going ahead and doing them now. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
Sarge..
I too would be interested in seeing these jigs. There is nothing wrong with looking to further the process with a little (not a lot) of mechanical help! HA!
Adam
Adam,
After you mark the pins, use a straight guide to get the portions (between the pins) of the inside base line. Freehand a router to remove the bulk of the waste between the pins. It is easy to get close to the lines, so that there is very little cleanup needed with a chisel. A jig can (should) get you closer to the lines for even less hand trimming. The router also gives you nice portions of the outside base line - you are free to mess it up with final chiseling <g>.
Best wishes,
Metod
Here is a better photo of the straight bit jig for getting closer to the face scribe line and getting into the corners a little better. You can see the photos for the other jig in a reply to Bob.
Hope it helps. Questions welcome.
dan
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