My first dovetails.. yep another one

[Derek Gilmer]

So my wonderful swmbo got me a veritas dovetail saw, LV chisel set and bevel gauge for Christmas. Which meant I had to try some dovetails tonight after work.

After watching a Robby Pedersen and Shannon Rogers podcasts about dovetails among many others I decided to give it a go. I went pins first. I tried using a coping saw to cut waste but switched to chisels after two attempts.

20 rupies to the first who can tell me what is wrong with this picture. I call this my modified open style finger joint.... :D
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Moral of the story, don't get in a hurry. You'll mark it wrong and feel like a dufas.

On to the other end of the board where the real dovetailing began.
Seperation on the ends is due to the cupped 50 cent pine board I practiced on.
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Marking depth was a bit off. And that poor tail at the end. She didn't fair so well.
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Things I learned.
1. Take your time
2. Take your time
3. A good marking gauge would be handy
4. A dovetail saddle gauge would be nice
5. I love the veritas dovetail saw
6. Hand cutting dovetails is great fun!

On a side note be warned. LV chisels are sharp and have a taste for blood!

One question (of many...) I have is about marking the bottom line for the length of the pins and tails. Do you mark shallow then go back and deepen where you are going to cut off?

[Mark Baldwin III]

I agree with everything in your "things I learned" list. #4 is easy to deal with. You can easily make your own in a matter of minutes. I made a little one for 1:7 out of a piece of purple heart. And to #5...yeah, I love mine too.

[Jim Barrett]

Derek,
Your DT's look pretty good for first attempt. Get some poplar and I think you will be happier with your results...
If I understand your question...I use my tite-mark gauge or Cosman gauge to scribe a deep enough base line so my chisel will register in it sufficiently.
Keep cutting...
Jim

[Derek Gilmer]

Derek,
If I understand your question...I use my tite-mark gauge or Cosman gauge to scribe a deep enough base line so my chisel will register in it sufficiently.
Jim
Cool, I have never noticed the left over line in dovetails so I wasn't sure how deep to make them. I guess they plane/scrape/sand out?

As for poplar I may try it next. I have a lot of cherry shorts I practiced cutting straight lines in that saws very sweetly. I'll probably try some dovetails in it next. I went with pine because I've heard it was difficult.

I also forgot two other lessons.
1. When you get the knack of starting a cut the push stroke feels like magic!
2. When your bench is too light it and it dances away on the push stroke you don't make much magic. :)

[Jim Barrett]

Different opinions on your question...have seen the scribe lines in some work and not in others... kind of "depends"....:)

Jim

[gary Zimmel]

All in all not bad for your first attempts Derek.
And I relate to the blood and sharp chisels... Mine seem to draw a lot too.
As for the scribe lines. On most of mine you will see a faint line after the joint has been cleaned up.
Keep cranking them out, they will just get better and better...

[Mark Baldwin III]

Cool, I have never noticed the left over line in dovetails so I wasn't sure how deep to make them. I guess they plane/scrape/sand out?


I'm trying to learn by only scribing in the waste on the outside of the joint. This will leave no scribe mark in the finished joint. I really don't want that line there.

[Brian Vaughn]

Hey, that first picture looks just like the first dovetails I tried. :) I was excited at having a new saw, in a hurry, and i wasn't until I got ready to scribe the pins that I realized what I had done. I took it in and showed the LOML, who of course, saw nothing wrong. I've since learned to take my time and mark which side of the material gets removed.

Now the only thing left for you is practice practice practice!