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Thread: half blind dovetail kerfing tool.

  1. #1
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    half blind dovetail kerfing tool.

    The tool is designed for deepening the kerf depth on half blind dovetails. For those not familiar with its use watch the following video from 1.00min by Rob Cosman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY9MzSCvxc8

    The design I made features an 0.025" saw plate gauge x 3 1/2" (length) x 1 1/4" (depth below spine). The 3/16" brass pins used to secure the saw plate, and handle fit, were 1st 2 part epoxied, then hammer peened to achieve a lock tight fit.

    The pins used through the saw plate feature a pierced pattern commonly used by knife makers.

    The brass parts received a final sanding to 1200 grit.

    Lock-tite was used to secure the saw plate within the brass spine slot prior to pinning.

    Time taken to complete this project was around 6hrs. (excludes handle).

    Stewie;




    Last edited by Stewie Simpson; 06-27-2018 at 11:59 PM.

  2. #2
    Well done. It looks almost too nice to hit with a mallet!

  3. #3
    Hi Stewie,
    I like the curved back and blade, and the pierced pins.

    I watched the vid and still can't quite see how the tool works - does it just compress the wood when you hit it (which seems like it would be damaging), or does it cut it?

    Thanks,
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  4. #4
    Quite beautiful. I admire the curved back too.

  5. #5
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    Fred; cleave would be a more appropriate description.

    split or sever along a natural line or grain.
    Last edited by Stewie Simpson; 06-28-2018 at 8:51 AM.

  6. #6
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    Very well done, as usual, Stewie. Nice design. My Bonz is nice, but yours has more style.

    Fred; it was a little nerve wracking the first time I put mine in the kerf, and gave it a few whacks. But it works wonderfully. I do clamp the board to keep the end pins from possibly breaking out.

    Ideally, the thickness of the kerfing tool is the same as the tooth set on the dovetail saw. I’m assuming Stewie’s dovetail saw tooth set is near .025”.

  7. #7
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    Nice tool, mine, like Phil's, came from Ron Bonz.

    How did you make the slot in the brass?

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  8. #8
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    Your tool is really nice, Stewie! I've got one of Ron Bontz' Kerfing Tools. Wow what a nice piece of kit. Completely changed the way I cut dovetails.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Phillips View Post
    Your tool is really nice, Stewie! I've got one of Ron Bontz' Kerfing Tools. Wow what a nice piece of kit. Completely changed the way I cut dovetails.
    Ditto, well at least for half blind dovetails.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  10. #10
    Stewie, that is a beautiful tool.

    Jeez, I just use an old scraper (just like Tage Frid did) and rap the scraper with a 16 oz claw hammer..

  11. #11
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    Nice work as always, Stewie. Looks to be a handy tool for blinder type dovetails.
    David

  12. #12
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    You did a nice job on your kerfing tool Stewie..
    Looks like a very handy tool to have in the shop.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stewie Simpson View Post
    Fred; cleave would be a more appropriate description.

    split or sever along a natural line or grain.
    Stewie, this is incorrect. You would never want the kerfing tool to do this as it will cause the sides of the sockets to split.

    I built possibly the first dedicated kerfing tool (that is not simply a scraper blade) and posted an article on it in 2011, and have used it ever since, with numerous posts on forums. Everyone must be familiar with it. It is made from a stainless garden trowel. The steel end is the thickness of a typical dovetail saw. The ends are squared off - a bevel, as on a chisel, would cause the end to slit the wood. The action is to compress fibres rather than cut them. Link: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMad...erfChisel.html

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

    Edit to add: Stewie, regardless of these comments, you have made a beautiful tool - altogether nicer than Rob Cosman's version. (Incidentally, it was a Creeker who first made this design, not Rob Cosman. There is a picture somewhere in the archives).
    Last edited by Derek Cohen; 06-28-2018 at 8:32 PM.

  14. #14
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    To maintain a kerfing tools edge, follow steps 2 & 3. You should end up with a bottom edge that's straight with sharp 90 degree corners.



    Regardless of later designs; Tage Frid deserves full credit for his innovative idea of using a card scraper to deepen the kerfs on half blind dovetails.

    pages 72 & 73. https://books.google.com.au/books?id...etails&f=false
    Last edited by Stewie Simpson; 06-29-2018 at 4:48 AM.

  15. #15
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    Thank you for posting that Stewie!

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