Bad wood??

[Colarris]

I've been 'trying' to produce a dovetail joint using bits of pine but Im noticing the wood is cracking and spliting along the surface almost as if it was verneered(?) Looking across the end of section I've cut the wood seems as if its very dry and and again as if its made of many 'veneers', for want of a better description. What could cause this? Is it just poor quality wood, too dry??

 

[mtr1]

Pine is good to practice certain types of joinery, but not dovetails. Do you have a picture of the offending article?

 

[Colarris]

ha ha, I'll try and get one. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Colarris]

Heres two pics. Sorry about the quality, my camera doesnt handle close ups too well.



http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/blazer-glory/Picture014.jpg


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/blazer-glory/Picture013.jpg

 

[Lardman]

Looks normal to me. At a guess your chisel isn't sharp enough an your breaking the wood rather than cutting it - still better than anything I managed to produce though

 

[mtr1]

As has been said, the pine looks normal. However it also looks like the kind of pine bought from the big shed's? And as such not suitable. Pine is ok to try mortice and tenon joinery on, but you aren't going to get good results with dovetails. I've been cutting dovetails for a long time, and don't like using the stuff for dovetails, I can do it but its much harder. I would get some cheap hardwood, and try again. This of course assumes your chisel are sharp, and they need to be very very sharp. If you are set on using pine, then I would look at your sharpening technique.

 

[Colarris]

Many thanks for all the info.
I've never actually tried sharpening my tools myself, always send them away. Guess I'll have to get them to the shop.

 

[Rob Platt]

Try taking smaller cuts and sharpen your chisel down to less than 20 degrees If i`m cutting dovetails in pine this works for me. Start sharpening your own tools. you will never achieve success with blunt tools. HTH
All the best
rob

 

[Benchwayze]

Many thanks for all the info.
I've never actually tried sharpening my tools myself, always send them away. Guess I'll have to get them to the shop.

:shock:

Col;

You MUST learn to sharpen your own tools in this game. Seems to me, that's your only problem here. To make dovetails in softwood, you MUST have chisels that are as sharp as you can get them.

Please don't let me put you off the hobby, but if there is a secret, sharp tools are 'IT'! They are the next important thing after knowing how to cut your joints.

It isn't difficult to learn to sharpen, and if you want to go down the Honing gauge route, to get the proper sharpening angles, then so be it. At least your tools will do the job they are intended to do and there will be no reason why you can't cut acceptable joints in any species of timber.

Best of luck

Regards

John

 

[tomatwark]

Col

John is right about learning to sharpen your tools, I been involved in training a few apprentices over the years and it is one of the first things they are taught. After how to make the tea and which end of the broom you use :twisted: :twisted:

But seriously you will get alot more satisfaction and confidence by sharpening your own tools.

Tom

 

[Crooked Tree]

As the others have said, sharpness is everything. As a relative beginner, I have so far found that most problems with tool usage are fixed by sharpening them! I bought a 1000/6000 grit combination waterstone and an Axminster deluxe honing guide (neither expensive) and they have done wonders for my sharpening. It is useful to make a projection guide from scrap to go with the honing guide so that you can set it up quickly and easily - this is just a piece of ply with a stop fixed to it at a distance from the edge that will give 30 degrees with the blade in the guide. Remember that you need to flatten the backs of the chisels first, but this only needs to be done once.

I think that it takes serious skill to work in pine like that - it always breaks away on me. Hardwood is much easier.

 

[Colarris]

Thanks again all.
Does it matter what kind of sharpening stone I get?

 

[woodbloke]

Col

John is right about learning to sharpen your tools, I been involved in training a few apprentices over the years and it is one of the first things they are taught. After how to make the tea and which end of the broom you use :twisted: :twisted:

But seriously you will get alot more satisfaction and confidence by sharpening your own tools.

Tom

Agreed...on all counts :wink: Learn how to sharpen, loads on info hereabouts - Rob

 

[studders]

Thanks again all.
Does it matter what kind of sharpening stone I get?

That's a whole new slope/subject/can of worms.
As an ex - beginner I'd say go cheap (ish) until you know what you're doing. I'd recommend the 3M sheets on glass, available from Workshop Heaven: they are good and not too much of an outlay to get going.

 

[Colarris]

I have got a honning guide, somewhere. They did cover sharpening in the woodclass I did a few years ago but cant remember too much about it now and I think they only spent about 5 minutes or so talking about it. :s

 

[Colarris]

Also just found out my dad has got some kind of sharpening stone. Do you think that would be safe to use not knowing what kind it is?

 

[barkwindjammer]

Going by your pics Colarris I'd say your doing blerdy pineapples well in pine :shock:

 

[Colarris]

They may look ok but they really dont join up too well. There is daylight between some of the joints and once again my inability to saw straight is my downfall. :s