Creating Hand Cut Dovetails with American Furniture Design
| For some mysterious reason dovetails seem to instill fear in many
woodworkers. Phrases like I can’t do that, Aw nuts! Messed it up again! Are many
times the common language for a beginning woodworker. In this article we hope to walk you
through the procedures that you need to learn to cut dovetails and half blind dovetails
just like the Pros! You will need seven tools to start; an adjustable bevel gauge, a small
square, a steel ruler, a marking gauge and a scribe or a very sharp hard pencil. These
tools will enable you to do the layout for the pins and the tails. The selection of the dovetail saw is much debated, as there are several types. The saw needs to have 16 to 21 teeth per inch and a fine or narrow set to the blade. The blade itself should be of thin gauge steel. The idea behind any saw used is that it should cut a thin kerf and be easy to handle. Your last selection is a set of chisels that are very sharp. Do not start to cut with a set of dull chisels. Dull chisels will ruin more woodworking projects than improper setup on the table saw. A couple of the best practice woods are poplar or alder. Pine will also work but
it is really too soft for beginning work. Stay away from maple for your first try. If you
are patient enough, your first dovetails will be surprisingly well done. |
Before you lay out the base line, the boards must be true and
square. Scribe the baseline for the pins and the tails. This line determines the length of
them. Set this line to the thickness of the board. We always set the gauge just a bit
oversize, about 1/32". This will make the pins and
the tails just a bit oversized and it will be necessary to sand them slightly when they
are done. Sure beats having to sand or plane the sides if you cut them too short. Marking
gauge and base line.Start by laying out the pins first and on ½" to ¾" material. The centers of the pins should be about 1 ½" to 2 ½" apart. Space the pins equally and set them so that the narrow side of the pin is on the outside. Set the sliding bevel to the angle you want, we use 80 degrees. Use a pencil to mark the angles. An easy way to determine 80 degrees is to mark a board 6" long with a 1" offset. An 80 degree slope rises 1" over 6". |
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After you have marked the pins on the end grain,
connect them to the base line with a square. To cut the pins, use a fine tooth dovetail
saw. Place one tooth up against the pencil line. The saw should be angled so that the cut
is made on the face of the board on the first few strokes. Saw about two thirds of the way
down staying on the waste side of the lines. Don’t cut below the baseline. If you do
it will show in the finished drawer. We always use a backing board to chisel the pins. Clamp the backing
board along the baseline. Hold the chisel vertically and tap straight down on the
baseline. Carefully remove about 1/16" of material
with a chisel to the baseline Next you will undercut which will give you a little clearance when you put the joint together. After removing half the waste turn the board over, put the backing board in place and continue to remove the waste with a slight under cut.
Clean up any bad cuts with a knife or a chisel. To mark the cut lines for the tails, use the board for the pins on the baseline and mark from the inside with a very sharp and hard pencil. Be careful as the joint goes together and check the boards for splitting. If it necessary to force the boards stop, and adjust as needed. Since you have made the base line 1/32" longer it will be necessary to trim the pins with either a very sharp chisel or a sander. As you become more experienced, this will not be necessary. |
HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS
| Half-blind dovetails are really easier to cut than they look. You
will find them in the majority of the plans that we offer. They are used to join drawer
sides to the fronts. With half-blind you only see one side of the joint, so small mistakes
are not as noticeable as through dovetails. As with the through dovetails, start by laying out the base lines. The tail stock is equal to 2/3 the thickness of the pin stock. When you cut these dovetails start with cutting the tails. |
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 Cutting the tails |
| Again use the backing board and undercut the tails just slightly.
Trace around the finished tails with a sharp hard pencil and extend the lines down the
inner face using a square. You now know how we cut these rascals here at American Furniture Design Co. We even sometimes pull out the Leigh Jig and an old Craftsman dovetail jig! Brian
Murphy |
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Mark to 80 Degrees
Marking the pins
Pin layout