Contributor
If you decide to get a jig, my recommendation is to not go with a cheap jig. Get one that you can adjust the spacing of the tails/pins. If you get a fix spacing jig, you'll have to compromise on the placement of the tails/pins, or you'll have to make the drawers fit the jig (high high to make the drawers).
I had one of the Rockler jigs and felt it was a waste of money - a serious waste of money.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Member
+1 on cutting by hand and the Veritas dovetail saw. I'd be very surprised if anything from the borg would cut well without some work.
Just wondering, if you were to cut the pins with a router and do the tails by hand, how would you mark them? If your marking from one board to another, you have to do the tails first on half-blinds. I guess you could make a template of the pins, but my bet is that will make for sloppy work unless you're really careful.
Member
If you want to spend money get the Leigh D4R Pro or Porter Cable 24" Omnijig. If you don't want to spend money cut them by hand and get this: http://www.zonatool.net/35-380.html
Zona saws are the best kept "secret" in woodworking. Although I am sure Chris Schwarz doesn't use them for dovetails he seems to love Zona saws for many other purposes. Here is one guys review of it: http://www.timberframe-tools.com/too...uxe-razor-saw/ I have several of these saws from another hobby of mine and other than taking a few more strokes they work well.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
Member
I just recently cut quite a few dovetails by hand and used my Lie Nielsen saw for most, however, this saw is a fraction of the cost, and I'd hate to say it (because I spent the money on the LN) but it was even easier and more precise to use....
Shark Corp 10-2410 Fine-Cut 19-Point Finish Saw, around $22
Good luck,
Brian
Member
There's a new-in-box Porter Cable 4210 jig available on the ncwoodworker.net website right now for $65. That's 50% off of the store price. I know almost nothing about the Porter Cable dovetail jigs, so I don't know if this jig will do half blind dovetails, but thought it was a great buy that someone might be interested in. I have no connection with the seller. I don't even know him.
Charley
Member
I used that method a few years ago and it was amazingly easy and good. I haven't used it since then but only because I haven't done much woodworking with dovetails but this is a system I will always use.Originally Posted by Greg Cuetara
Contributor
I'll add my vote to the "cut them by hand" crowd... The Japanese style saws (Shark listed above, or Irwin sells one badged with their name for around $20) work fine and cut fast. The blades are disposable, not meant to be sharpened like the Veritas or LN saws. I'd recommend finding a video (online or otherwise) that shows the layout and cutting techniques, which are both pretty simple if you are methodical about it. Roy Underhill did a great show about cutting half-blind dovetails a few years ago -- one of his tricks was to clear most of the waste on the pin board with a Forstner bit chucked in his brace. I use my drill press rather than a brace, but it makes the work go quicker for me as I don't feel the need to hone my chisel as often when the bulk of the work is done by the drill. If the pins are large enough, you can also use a coping saw to remove most of the waste on the tail board. If not, just use a chisel to hog out the waste. Some people prefer to use chisels for all, which is fine too.
By the third drawer you'll be cutting dovetails like a pro.
--Dan
Contributor
Hi Greg,
Dont know if you have started this or not. I have a project underway (two dressers - 18 drawers total) that I am doing through dovetails by hand. It takes a little time, and since Im relatively less experienced than many it takes me more time than it would others here. (part of the reason I chose to do them by hand was because I wanted to practice and develop the skills).
Note that I have built some dressers and other assemblies using the Leigh dovetail system. Once setup, and if the drawers are all matching patterns, a fixture like this would be overall much faster. I find half blinds much easier on these fixtures than through dovetails, and have had luck knocking these out with pretty quick setup.
You can find some basic fixtures on CL relatively cheap - that is one way to go.
But if I was advising, I would recommend you trying the hybrid method noted by Greg and the article in the link. In fact, my next project I will use a hybrid approach (cutting pins on a Woodrat system and tails by hand - not entirely unlike that article). The one area that takes a lot of time (for me) is paring out the waste from the pins - and this needs to be straight and even, etc - a router is great at this (I have even been known to go at this freehand with a router, just to quicken the step of removing the pin waste). Given your bandsaw is out of commission, this path isnt an option for you and making the cuts with a hand saw is no big deal - its the waste paring that is the pain (just my experience).
If you think you might ever want to learn to cut by hand - just start out doing it now and get on the learning curve - its not that hard (just takes a little time)
Looking forward to hearing which path you go down, and how it works for you.
Last edited by Carl Beckett; 01-13-2012 at 11:07 AM.
[OP]
Member
ok well this weekend was a fairly good experiment. I tried to do the hybrid method described above with a router to cut one piece then use a saw to cut another piece. well i gather that the router bit that i have is not that good becuase it was very difficult so don't think that method will work. I took a not so good saw that i have and tried to cut one of the pieces and then pared away the waste with a chisel and at first i thought no way am I going to do this for every piece but after a minute it started to go quick and wasn't that bad at all and I think with some experience and getting a method down it might not be that bad.
So In the end I think I am going to go for a full hand cut method. I just need to re-read some of the posts above to try and find a decent dovetail saw that won't break the bank right now.
Thanks for all the advice so far. I have Mike's articles up in my browser right now so need to re-read them a few times but that is my story and i'm sticking to it for right now. I may rethink this method but I figure I have some good people to draw on if I have problems.
Greg
Member
Check out the neanderthal forum - there's a lot of good posts on hand-cutting dovetails. And there are reasons to learn to cut dovetails by hand other than avoiding than the noise and expense of a router jig. For one, it makes it really easy to vary spacing, slope, and other aesthetic considerations without being constrained by your tools.
However, there's one aspect of your plans that would give me pause. Mating one very hard piece of wood as the drawer front and another very hard piece of wood as the drawer side is not going to go well, particularly if you're just starting out. One of the "cheats" that cabinetmakers have used since the 18th century up to this day is to rely on the relatively soft wood for the drawer sides (poplar, eastern white pine, basswood and aspen are popular choices) "crushing" under the force of driving the hard wood of the drawer front home when the joint is put together.
Doing dovetails by hand isn't a big deal, but it does take practice, and it's a skill that's necessary if you aspire to be truly proficient at woodwork. And even with a relatively hard wood going together with a relatively soft wood, many folks that are primarily power tool users are surprised at the very high degree of precision that is required to get the joint together gap-free. Mating two pieces of soft/hard maple, hickory or even walnut is certainly possible, but it requires an even higher level of precision to avoid gaps.
Member
I promise the Zona will surprise you, do some googling. It is about $12 and it is NOT a heirloom tool but it works.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
Member
I have the PC 4210 basic jig. Have not bought the accessories for the other DTs 'cause I just use the half blinds most of the time. Once set up, it has been a good investment.
Bill
On the other hand, I still have five fingers.
Member
Also a point no one else mentioned. Since half blind dovetails require a bit more precision sawing and a lot more chiseling you could cut through dovetails and then apply the nice looking thinner drawer front. This makes it look like half blind dovetails with the advantage that it is a bit easier and faster to do.
Member
If your "..bandsaw is currently out of commission...". Get it re-commissioned. Junk doesn't deserve space in a shop. Second, start making dovetails on scrap NOW. You don't want to make your mistakes on your a major project, do you? Use whatever tools, methods you have available. The experience will tell you more than all the internet wizards in the world. First thing I learned is that I can't "steer" my Japanese saw. It has no set. However you start is the exact direction you will continue line or no line. Your experience may be different.
Contributor
I also have the Rockler jig and it worked great for what I needed for making drawers. Downside was that it did take a bit of fooling around to get it set up. You need to make a few test joints before the real thing, but that is true for hand work. Downside of mine was the fixed spacing. I made about 20 drawers with it and I dovetailed both the face fronts and the drawer backs the same way as long as I had it set up. You can get a thru dovetail jig plate for it but I never did. It is way faster than hand cut.
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