How many of you have used the new Veritas Dovetail saw and guide and what do you think of it? I am interested in either purchasing it or investing that $50.00 towards a nice Dozuki or Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw. Is the learning curve really that steep that I’ll need the guide for years to come? Or, with a little practice, would the guide quickly become unnecessary such that I’d be better off investing in a quality saw?
– Lyptus
Replies
Lyptus,
Making dovetails correctly requires the development of several skills that are applicable to many areas of woodworking. In addition, fixing mistakes are important skills too. The beauty of the LN Dovetail saw (and some others)is they give great feedback if your going astray...so really help with the learning curve. I'd put my money in the saw and not the jigs.
After finally trying a Lie Nielsen dovetail saw at a show in March, I broke down and bought it. I was cutting perfect dovetails by eye time after time. I've added a LN Small Crosscut saw to my arsenal, and my 5 Lee Valley dozukis have been gathering dust since.
I truly fine saw is a joy to work with, and improves both your mind-set and consequently your skill-set. Dovetails are not so mysterious as they are often made out to be, and hand-cut dovetails stand out from all the others.
You will definitely not be disappointed.
The older I get, the better I was....
I looked at the Lee Nielson website and they sell a dovetail saw but also a straight ghandle dovetail saw - which one woul you recommend for cutting dovetails for someone new to using a saw to cut dovetails?
the dovetail saw with the "normal" handle (the pistol-grip type).
I find it very natural in the hand. Maybe that's why I was never satisfied with any of my Dozukis.The older I get, the better I was....
Any operation that is done by hand requires practice in order to develop muscle memory. Having said that and having a Japanese saw (which works well for a lot of things), I will be buying a L-N dovetail saw shortly. That thing cuts like butter and is really easy to control because (IMO) of its stiffness, thin kerf and feel. The Japanese saw is made for softwoods and I may try working with it more for these, but for hardwood, the L-N is the way to go.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Any operation that is done by hand requires practice in order to develop muscle memory..Ya bet.. I can cut a straigh line.. With a normal saw.. I CAN cut a straighter one with a Japan Pull saw....EDIT:: YES I lift the saw on the back stroke for each.. I think that is the real problem with most folks.. They try to cut on BOTH strokes!
Edited 8/14/2005 12:38 pm ET by WillGeorge
Will,
I cut dovetails in hard woods,some of which are very abrasive. Which will cut faster, assuming that I am capable of cutting , er , straight? I am referring to that 15tpi LN dovetail saw, a Yapanese Dosomething, or my Spear and Jackson 14tpi dovetail saw?
And yes I am light on the back stroke:-D
Philip Marcou
Edited 8/15/2005 6:18 am ET by philip
Actually, if the wood is abrasive, you may be better off with a Japanese saw, some have impulse hardened teeth that are pretty tough. Since they don't expect people to resharpen them, they make them very hard.The older I get, the better I was....
I agree with others here that the skills are a better path than jigs. Hand-cut dovetails are a great skill, and will improve your WW in other areas, as has been mentioned already.
Where I differ, at least from this crowd, is that my dovetails immediately improved to acceptable levels when I bought the Toshio Odate dovetail saw; it's a dozuki with a "modified" rip tooth, designed for ripping on the diagonal, precisely what dovetailing is. It costs exactly the $50 you wanted to invest, too. Ultimately, you'll have to try both to get an idea which one really works best for you. You can get 'em at Highland Hardware, or Tools For Working Wood, both of which have obvious URL's.
Good luck,
Charlie
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