So all this recent talk about dividers got me to thinking about laying out dovetails. Some folks go for the Frank Klausz "lay 'em out by eye" method, and that certainly works. For the more OCD set (myself included ) who prefer a more symmetrical layout, Rob Cosman's divider layout method works nicely. The only problem is this method requires some "guess and check" fiddling. For the really obsessive compulsive woodworker, I put together an Excel spreadsheet to calculate your divider settings.
dovetail-layout.jpg
It's more or less self-explanatory, with a few caveats. You input W, a, b, c, and n. The calculator takes care of the rest. Note that when entering the dovetail slope, you just enter the "run" (i.e. for 1:7 dovetails, you'd enter 7). By default, it assumes that the full-pin-width, pn is exactly half the half-pin-width, b. Change the formula as necessary to suit your taste.
Check to make sure your chisels will fit for removing the waste (tn and pn), set your dividers to b for the half-pin and d to walk off the pins and tails, and go to town! Feel free to share this with anyone who may benefit from it, and let me know what you think.
Share and enjoy,
Jon