I'm new to the world of woodworking, having done pretty basic projects with a miter saw, circular saw, pocket holes, brad nailer, etc. in the past. With the help of my brother-in-law I made a jewelry box for my daughter this past November and decided I enjoyed it enough to dive in deeper. I bought a basic set of chisels, some supplies to sharpen them with (scary sharp method), a japanese saw, and a few other things and dove in.
I've been practicing dove tails on poplar blanks and have been struggling with keeping the angled cuts next to the line I mark. As a musician I'm familiar with practice aides (metronome, tuner, etc.) and decided to make myself a little template to help get a feel for the angle I need to cut at.
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It's nothing fancy, and I know I could go buy one of many dovetail guides but I spent my budget for the time being on some other tools so I made this from scrap. I don't use it to actually mark the lines for the cuts (I have a t-bevel and combination square for that) but I've found it very helpful so far with regard to getting a feel for what angle the saw should be at, etc. As long as I make sure my workpiece is square to my vice jaw
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I can use it to act as a guide for how to place my saw. So far, it has been very helpful and I'm seeing some progress in my cuts!
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As a musician and orchestra teacher I am acutely aware of the process versus product mentality and so far I am really enjoying the process of learning this craft!11