Shop Made Dovetail Square

[Jim Koepke]

Recently Frederick posed a question about dovetail squares:

You know, the ones that have a blade that's only a couple mm's high? They are intended to make it easier to slip between close-set tails to check for squareness across the grain. Sterling Toolworks and Chris Vesper both sell versions. (You can get Vesper's version at Highland WW now, BTW.)

Are they as useful as they appear to be?

Thanks!
Fred

Just for fun I decided to try one.

Looking at the selection at Highland WW was a bit of a shock.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/s...ovetail+square

So what the heck, I started rummaging around the shop for wood and metal to make one. After finding a bunch of brass and deciding an old brass pump organ reed could not only make a good blade but also a metal edge for the registration it dawned on me how to do this the easy way. After all, my plan was to see if I liked it or not.

So a little time was spent making a piece of scrap alder as square as can be. Then a 6d nail was cut and smoothed. The nail was chucked into the drill press and pressed into the piece of alder. Fortunately it is easy to turn off my drill press with my foot.

Shop Made Square.jpg

Checked it out for square and it looks good from all directions.

It likely won't make me saw any better, but it will show me how much better my sawing needs to be.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

Jim,
It looks like it will work. If your not going to make one, I favor the one I mentioned before.

It is a depth gage, square, and protractor. It costs $18.18 at Amazon.

[Frederick Skelly]

That's pretty neat Jim!

[Jim Koepke]

This square was used in the shop today. Took it to my sharpening station and put some flats on the sides of the nail.

If I can find my bluing compound I may blue the blade.

It did well at showing the results of my sawing and just where needed a bit of paring.

If another is made, I may look for a skinnier nail.

jtk

[Ray Bohn]

Would it be possible to make a functional dovetail square by reducing the size of a blade on a small double square?
I also, was amazed at the prices I found.
I am sure that I am missing something.

Thanks

[Mike Henderson]

Would it be possible to make a functional dovetail square by reducing the size of a blade on a small double square?
I also, was amazed at the prices I found.
I am sure that I am missing something.

Thanks

Sure, if you want to grind down a double square blade, that would work. What prices are you talking about? The company I bought the small blade from (don't remember their name right now) charges $25 which is not too bad.

Mike

[Ray Bohn]

Sure, if you want to grind down a double square blade, that would work. What prices are you talking about? The company I bought the small blade from (don't remember their name right now) charges $25 which is not too bad.

Mike

See, I knew I was missing something. I wasn't aware that a universal dovetail blade was available for my squares.

I will look for it. Thanks

Update edit: Just ordered one from Sterling Tool.
Thanks again