How-to hand cut?

[Joe Cunningham]

I'm a newb as well (and one of the "1 drawer? hand-cut them" posters on a recent thread) and I learned by reading the FWW article mentioned above (the half-blind one)--I ordered the back issue before I made the plunge into woodworking.

I tried both a western style push saw and a japanese pull saw, and found I did better with the japanese saw. Initially I bought 2 chisels, a 1/4" and a 3/8 and laid out my tails first. 2 tails, 3 pins, simple simon.

My initial practice ones were strong w/o glue, but had some pretty unsightly gaps, so I did a few more before I tried them on a project--a box for my chisels.

Since then I've only done 2 other projects with them, but still practiced before doing them 'for real' and each time the gaps got tighter, the DTs looked better, and I got encouraged to keep going.

This article might be worth investigating:
http://www.woodcraft.com/articles.aspx?articleid=249

I'm planning on taking a week long class with Mario Rodriguez this summer, so we'll see how much I need to learn.

[Alex Shanku]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-o4jryTkUc

Frank Klausz dovetailing a drawer.

[Lee Koepke]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-o4jryTkUc

Frank Klausz dovetailing a drawer.

uh, he makes that look easy

[Alex Shanku]

LOL, i know. The part "you dont need to measure for this, just use your eye" cracks me up. I am so far from that level right now!!

[Chris Padilla]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-o4jryTkUc

Frank Klausz dovetailing a drawer.

2 minutes per drawer...not bad, not bad....

[John Thompson]

uh, he makes that look easy

To Frank Klaus.. it is easy, Leo. I starting cutting them in 1973 with a Buck Bros. back saw and did OK I felt. But.. I went to a seminar at Highland Woodworking in Atlanta back in the early 80's that featured Frank Klaus doing the seminar on Dove-tails. I went back to another seminar latter just to see it again.

The man is "lightening fast" and basically can lay out and cut blind-folded. His father was a cabinet-maker in Europe and Frank's job as a young boy was top cut the dove-tails for drawers in the cabinet shop. He litterally cut thousand a day from what I understand as his father was somewhat demanding.

But.. without a doubt he can cut dove-tails. I have seen Ian Kirby cut them when he had a WW school about 15 miles from me in the mid 80's also. Ian can also cut them and he will take his time to be sure you understand each step. Excellent teacher.

Amy.... I cut 48 DT tails yesterday.. I chopped the waste out today and then have taken the rest of the day off. I doubt you could.. but if you want to drop by the shop (I'm on the NE side of Atlanta), I have the 48 pins to mark.. cut and remove waste tommorrow which is Wednesday.

It's about 100 miles for you "Tiger Girl" and you probably have a job.. but feel free if you want to drop by to see how to cut them.. I cut tails first and then mark pins with the already cut tails. As stated.. there is a variety of ways to do them. Most cut out waste with a coping saw.. I take it to my small BS and cut relief lines inside the hand cut outer lines.. then chop and pare out the remaining waste with a 3/8" and then 1/8" chisel.

Again as stated... a lot of ways to "skin a cat"..

Good luck War Eagle...

Sarge..

[Lee Koepke]

John, I wish I could come up again while you are cuttin dovetails. Its soemthing I really want to do myself. Looks like I am booked until late April on the weekends ... man time flies.

Me, I am just gonna grab a couple of boards one day and see how it shakes out ... if I use scrap, whats it really cost me but time...

[John Thompson]

Afternoon Leo.. you and your lovely lady are as welcome to come up for another visit anytime. I did 48 tails yesterday and have 96 pins to go (I said 48.. but I am using DT's on the front of the drawers only. The front piece will have pins on each side as I am putting book-matched false faces on the 4 already assembled drawers.

You definitely need to do some practice on them, Leo. Your first won't look like what you do latter.. so don't get discouraged. There's even tricks to how to use the paring chisel. If you don't use it correctly clearing waste.. you wil end up snipping a very defined line you have gone to the trouble to cut with the saw.

Any-hue.. just practice and it will all reveal itself with time. And the nice part is you create your own patterns that don't look machine engineered in uni-formity. And you don't have to be perfect.. A hand-cut DT should be immediately noticeable and you should be able to tell it from a machine cut without any guessing what-so-ever.

That's why it's called a 'signature joint" by craftsman for thousands of years.

Again... ya'll drop by the shop again any time.. The welcome mat is always out and I'll leave the porch lights on for ya if ya show up late.

Regards...

Sarge..

[David White II]

Wow. I really need to sharpen my dovetail saw. I don't think I could cut butter that fast.

[Michael Gibbons]

I'm for the Rob Cosman Videos or the Frank Klauze video. The Frank Klauze video does not show how to cut a half-blind DT though. Slightly different tecniques but they come to the same result.

[Thomas Walker]

I'll also vouch for the "5 minute dovetail" article in the current issue of fine woodworking (I think). That issue also has the Pennsylvania spice box article if you really want to be inspired.

[Michael Faurot]

I am assuming you can hand cut box joints, too? I was planning on box joints.

I was thinking about box joints and I remembered seeing a show on PBS called Anything I Can Do hosted by Mag Ruffman. In one episode she made some hand cut box joints. From looking over the web site, you can download a free PDF file that shows how to do it. It looks like you can also buy a copy of that episode on DVD[1] as well.

[1]: You'll need to scroll down the page and then look for Volume 6.

[Stan Suther]

I love reading all the posts about dovetails and tools and techniques and such. I've cut quite a few so far with decent results using everying from the very cheap saws (with some tuning), old western style I've acquired and tuned, and a couple of japanese saws. They all do quite well once you get the hang of sawing technique. Still, I went to a woodworking show last weekend, and one of the goodies I brought home was a video on Tage Frid, a well known master who passed away awhile back. Among many things, he showed his method for marking and cutting dovetails. When it comes time to saw them out, he whips out his rather large rip filed BOW saw and goes at it very matter of factly. I have had one of his books for years that shows that, but it is something else to watch him do it. Just goes to show something or other. Draw your own conclusions.

[Alex Berkovsky]

Amy,
There is a Rob Cosman article in the latest (April/May 2008) Woodcraft Magazine issue that you may want to pick up.

[Johnny Kleso]

Tauton makes a DVD and VHS called Tage Frid (one of the frist college teachers of WW)

It inexpensive and one of the best IMHO
He has a no nosense method for cutting blind dovetail that you wold use on the front of a drawer, I have seen many other versions and I just dont get the coping saw long deep cuts that some DVDs show..

Check eBay I think I paid $15 shipped for my DVD

Just checked its now $19 +$4 search Tage Frid DVD