Through DT's - Lotsa Pics!!

[Roy Wall]

You guys have really inspired me- thanks for all the tips and encouragement. Here is my first "hardwood" through DT's ( did a couple on poplar already).

I've always been a "veneer ply" guy making case goods, cabinets, etc... so I'm excited to try a little more "craftsmanship" in my WW. These fit pretty good - I followed the advice of "paring", took my time (about 45 min to make the joint:eek: ), and used my +1.25 reading glasses!!! Those made the difference!! I realize it could take me all day (or maybe 2) to make a whole drawer----but I should have a longer time to look at it:)

I'm learning patience....this is a good thing....it's like therapy!!!

[Roy Wall]

last group:

the bottom half pin got bent a little...I dropped the board on the floor:eek: --must be more careful........

[John Dingman]

Very Nice Job Roy!

Keep up the good work!
John

[Terry Hatfield]

Roy,

Those look greeat!!!!! You did a super job!!

t

[Lou Morrissette]

Roy,

You're realy getting into this DT thing. Great job. Practice, practice, practice.

Lou

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Looks good!

[Jim Becker]

I think I'm going to cry, Roy...amazing. I think I'll put a burlap cover over my mantel and just go back to burning electrons...:o

(Seriously, those are wonderful!)

[Tom Scott]

Great job, Roy!
Don't worry about how long it took for that set, the more you do the faster you will get. Once you get more confidence in your sawing ability you will be cutting out the paring step almost completely.

BTW, couldn't you get that middle pin any narrower? ;)

Tom

[Pam Niedermayer]

Great job, Roy.

Pam

[John Weber]

Roy,

Very nice! That was my goal before buying a Leigh DT jig. I wanted to learn to handcut dovetails. I did a couple, but my best wasn't that nice. Once you get the hang they do go faster and are much better.

John

[Mark Singer]

Roy...Amazing, you came along way in one day! Great work...!!! Now I read your post and you really listened...it will go faster with time...The key is to do it correct once and then you know the tricks...Excellent!

[Doug Shepard]

Nice work. Reminds me of the Karate Kid when he catches the fly with chopsticks - ayew beginna ruck.:D

[Alan Turner]

Nice, very nice.

[Mark Stutz]

Roy,
You had better be careful. If you ever want to see any more stuff from me you had better quit! :D ;) Those look great!

Mark

[Corvin Alstot]

Nice narrow pins.
Hand cut dovetails have so much more style and personality than machine cut.
Great job.

[Roy Wall]

Thank you everyone-- I will certainly keep practicing...and practicing....I hope I just didn't get lucky and it's downhill from here... You all have shared your talent and expertise unselfishly - and I'm learning from it - THANKS!!!:)

On Paring:

I beveled the inside edges of the tails for a better start over the pins.
I also pared the tails and pins with a 1/8" chisel...somewhat "undercutting the bottom (or concealed) edges of the pins.I think I could have done this even more....

As for mistakes...I beveled those edges BEFORE I Marked the tails to the pin board- I don't think I should have done that - although I could see it as a way to guarantee the pins could start out oversized.

The good news is that it did fit (albeit tightly) over the pins right from the saw marks...but too tight to push down.

On Chiseling:

I went with my widest chisel (1") to score/deepen the scribe lines first.
When chopping out the waste- is it best to have a few taps DOWN, and then pare out? Which side of the chisel is UP when coming in from horizontal??---I did it both ways???

I do like this style of tails - so would it be prudent to invest in wider chisels? I assume its best to get the widest one you can to score/chop the pin board..

I cleaned up the inside/bottom pin edges with a 1/8" chisel....Okay???

On Sawing:

I angled the board to create vertical lines....hadn't done that before....
and learned a "light touch" while resting the end of the saw over the board to start each cut - it helped a ton!:)

The Reading Glasses :eek: were the key to seeing---but I also need more light!! I know this now:cool:

LOML even liked them--- I think I've got cart blanc for hand tools now!!!:rolleyes:

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Roy, coming in late here, but those look great! Like you said, it doesn't matter how long they take, you will be admiring them for years to come!

[Michael Gabbay]

Roy - Very nice! It takes a lot of guts to do such narrow pins.

Mike