Red oak blues

[Jim Matthews]

So is the difficulty in the dovetails?

I wonder if a router plane could be used to progressively clear waste? It would be slow going, but no hammering required.

I drill mortice in Red Oak, anymore. A little paring on the sides doesn't require a mallet (which aggravates my elbow).

[lowell holmes]

When I saw "Red Oak Blues", I thought it must be a new song.

I put a tiny back bevel on my plane irons and it helps.

[Rob Luter]

It's not the planing that makes me weary. It's the fact that no matter how sharp, a marking knife doesn't make much of a mark, and it's a pain in the biscuits to chop and pare dovetails. I like the song idea though. I'll get to work on that. I'm thinking a 12 bar format in A Minor.

[Prashun Patel]

With red oak, it's her way or the highway. It splits and works fantastically with the grain. But going against it's grain, is just asking for all kind of trouble. You're right about it being a bugger to mark. Pencils, knives, everything wants to follow the grain lines. Then to SEE the line is a pain.

[Rob Luter]

With red oak, it's her way or the highway. It splits and works fantastically with the grain. But going against it's grain, is just asking for all kind of trouble. You're right about it being a bugger to mark. Pencils, knives, everything wants to follow the grain lines. Then to SEE the line is a pain.

You're feeling my pain Prashun. I will say that using blue tape has made a huge difference in marking. Once you pull it off though, same old same old.

Blue Tape Trick

And from our good friend Derek: https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furnit...hBlueTape.html

[James Pallas]

Pictures of work in oak. There are lots of inlay in both red and white oak. In flat sawn, rift sawn and quarter sawn. There are 150 plus dovetails. Tails in oak on lipped drawers oak to hard maple. Not easy but doable. On dovetails a sharp chisels with a low angle, 20*, light strikes with a mallet on the baseline. Across the grain when paring if possible. Light first cuts with marking knife at first then deeper. Keep your strop by your side. I like using my Lynx 20 tip dovetail saw filed crosscut just for oak. A bit slower but cleaner cuts. I experimented a bit with using the chisel with the bevel against the baseline. I think Brian H. mentioned this technique. Seems to work okay but I need more time with the technique to comment more. Once you get a good cut started on the baseline you can switch to a steeper bevel chisel and harder strikes. If the chisel or the saw starts pulling out strings sharpen up. Haven’t used the blue tape yet. I’ll have to try it someday. I’m just starting to get back in the shop after 7 1/2 month health problem.
Jim

[Mike Allen1010]

This thread is making me love cherry even more.

+1 In my rapidly advancing old age and infirmity, I increasingly find myself ruling out potential projects in woods unfriendly to hand tools. The ease and fun of working mahogany, walnut, cherry, white pine feels like cheating- but totally worth it!

[Jim Matthews]

That's a very intriguing chest of drawers.

Kudos

[Jim Matthews]

it's a pain in the biscuits to chop and pare dovetails.

I ran into the same problem. When I was considering regluing the second fractured pin on the first drawer front, I did an end run with Rabbets, dowels and epoxy.20200331_204833.jpg 20200331_204915.jpg