Peter Gavin
12-12-2005, 12:12 PM
This weekend I began practicing hand cut dovetails. I'm amazed at the quick learning curve as by the end I was cutting much faster with improved results. Sorry, I'll post pictures once I get some film developed and then scan them.......... kind of a round about way to go but I don't have a digital camera and my Christmas wish list was filled with other tools. So, on to my question...............
I was chiseling out the pin and tail waste usine a knife line to set the original depth. This worked great, but ocassionally my hardest blows were not enough to make more than the slightest indentations. I resharpened and then honed several times, but really had to whack at them to get a decent cut. I was convinced that the problem was cheap chisels, but then after completing a cut I went to pare and clean out the cut and generally clean it up and............ the chisel cut like butter using only hand pressure!!!!!!!!! The wood was 1/2" hickory (hard) and not quite flat so maybe the wood was rocking a bit. Anybdy else have any ideas?
Thanks
Peter
PS. When I originally started cutting the pins and tails (using a Crown gent's saw filed rip) I was having a terrible time following the line (it kept pulling right). Suddenly I remembered someone on this forum (Leif I'm pretty sure) suggesting to stone the set on the side its drifting towards. A few swipes with a stone and cutting straight became much easier. Another demonstration of my father's old saw "keep your eyes and your ears open and you'll learn something new every day". Thanks Leif.
I was chiseling out the pin and tail waste usine a knife line to set the original depth. This worked great, but ocassionally my hardest blows were not enough to make more than the slightest indentations. I resharpened and then honed several times, but really had to whack at them to get a decent cut. I was convinced that the problem was cheap chisels, but then after completing a cut I went to pare and clean out the cut and generally clean it up and............ the chisel cut like butter using only hand pressure!!!!!!!!! The wood was 1/2" hickory (hard) and not quite flat so maybe the wood was rocking a bit. Anybdy else have any ideas?
Thanks
Peter
PS. When I originally started cutting the pins and tails (using a Crown gent's saw filed rip) I was having a terrible time following the line (it kept pulling right). Suddenly I remembered someone on this forum (Leif I'm pretty sure) suggesting to stone the set on the side its drifting towards. A few swipes with a stone and cutting straight became much easier. Another demonstration of my father's old saw "keep your eyes and your ears open and you'll learn something new every day". Thanks Leif.