Scott Winners
03-01-2022, 10:38 PM
I have been (mostly) quietly trying to up my dovetail game. I honestly despise making them, but I like having more or less permanent pieces around the house put together with dovetailed joinery. It is kind of like sharpening. I don't like to sharpen, but I do like using sharp tools.
This is probably Derek Cohen's fault, but I am honestly not sure to whom else credit is due. I have used a bunch of bandwidth at Derek's site, and now when I have a layout issue with joints i pretty much just throw blue masking tape at it until I don't have a problem anymore.
What I got rid of is the baseline, on the outside of the finished case that is the baseline for both pins and tails. I took a lovely piece of quartersawn Doug Fir and got it to s4s within the limits of my ability to measure 90 degree corners and straight sides and flat faces.
Pictures.
474969474970474971
I think that covers it. First pic is what the DT saw would see if it could look. Second, old guy standing up. Just saw down to the shoulder of the rabbet on the visible side, and then lower the tip of the saw until it grabs the Doug Fir. Finally, knife in the baseline only where it is needed as a reference.
Maybe this is a feature of Derek's most recent Moxon vise that I understood subconsciously but still don't understand explicitly. I know I didn't think of this myself, am just not sure to whom credit is due. Whomever you are, thank you.
One contributor to my thought process is here:
just to lightly scrub them with a marking gauge.
and another
Scott,
If you don't want to see gauge lines on the show side don't put them in until you have sawn down the to the bottom of the pins or tails. Use a pencil line first to define the baseline then saw down to just a bit above the pencil line, now you can use a combo square and knife to mark the baseline on the waste portion.
A Paul Sellers video of the technique:
https://youtu.be/OCYjoj6cfno?t=365
I personally cannot see the shoulder of the rabbet on the front side and a pencil line on the back side simultaneously. My wife probably could.
Down side, as I chew up a surface of the Doug Fir it will go out of flat and will eventually need to be planed flat again.
Anyway, thank you kind wood worker whoever you are/were.
This is probably Derek Cohen's fault, but I am honestly not sure to whom else credit is due. I have used a bunch of bandwidth at Derek's site, and now when I have a layout issue with joints i pretty much just throw blue masking tape at it until I don't have a problem anymore.
What I got rid of is the baseline, on the outside of the finished case that is the baseline for both pins and tails. I took a lovely piece of quartersawn Doug Fir and got it to s4s within the limits of my ability to measure 90 degree corners and straight sides and flat faces.
Pictures.
474969474970474971
I think that covers it. First pic is what the DT saw would see if it could look. Second, old guy standing up. Just saw down to the shoulder of the rabbet on the visible side, and then lower the tip of the saw until it grabs the Doug Fir. Finally, knife in the baseline only where it is needed as a reference.
Maybe this is a feature of Derek's most recent Moxon vise that I understood subconsciously but still don't understand explicitly. I know I didn't think of this myself, am just not sure to whom credit is due. Whomever you are, thank you.
One contributor to my thought process is here:
just to lightly scrub them with a marking gauge.
and another
Scott,
If you don't want to see gauge lines on the show side don't put them in until you have sawn down the to the bottom of the pins or tails. Use a pencil line first to define the baseline then saw down to just a bit above the pencil line, now you can use a combo square and knife to mark the baseline on the waste portion.
A Paul Sellers video of the technique:
https://youtu.be/OCYjoj6cfno?t=365
I personally cannot see the shoulder of the rabbet on the front side and a pencil line on the back side simultaneously. My wife probably could.
Down side, as I chew up a surface of the Doug Fir it will go out of flat and will eventually need to be planed flat again.
Anyway, thank you kind wood worker whoever you are/were.