Dovetail box

[Jacob]

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Where I would disagree with him is on the use of these techniques for drawers - where the need to cut lap dovetails favours sawing tails first, which are then worth gang-sawing for a further time saving,.....

Agree - pin holes first for lapped DTs, either way for through DTs. But they'd do for the drawer back DTs so it's only a detail.
I've looked at quite a few DTs in old work of various qualities (including good) and have come to the conclusion that they ALL did them much in the same way as in Seller's video, plus a bit more attention to the shoulders as I said above. Basically freehand, but with lesser or greater attention to the precise spacing. Some (exceptions, not the rule) must have been divided off accurately. I doubt any serious woodworker would ever have used a DT angle gauge, or even a sliding bevel. No need - easy to do accurately enough by eye.
I also think that although gang sawing sounds a good idea, in practice it wasn't done. Basically it's too fussy. Cutting the shoulder lines, them getting them lined up and then cutting in a batch very precisely just over the shoulder line, is not easy and it is faster just to bang them off one side at a time. Even more so in cheaper work where the over cut goes well past the line usually at a steep angle so it shows on the outside faces but not the inside. Not possible to do in a "gang".

 

[AndyT]

There's a technique I've seen suggested for cutting half-laps, where you stack up drawer fronts with each one sticking out a bit from the one above like a flight of steps, held down with a hold-fast. The idea being that you can then do all the chopping work without needing to rearrange or re-clamp.

Has anyone tried this? Is it a timesaver?

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Where I would disagree with him is on the use of these techniques for drawers - where the need to cut lap dovetails favours sawing tails first, which are then worth gang-sawing for a further time saving, with quick chiselling on thin stock rather than all that coping saw work.

Andy, in that video I'm pretty sure I remember Paul Sellers mentioning the demonstrated technique is suitable for kitchen drawers. I tend to agree with that because most contemporary kitchen drawers consist of a drawer box of some sort mounted on metal drawer slides. A planted front is added later after installation. In the example given, I suspect quickly cut hand dovetails in solid timber would be perceived by many people, eg makers, sellers, and buyers as a better quality product rather than an inferior product when compared with, for example, an MFC drawer box held together with dowels at the corners.

In the case of multiple drawer box dovetails executed in solid wood, whether through (at the back) or lap (at the front) I generally gang the sides together if it's a practicable option. Slainte.

 

[AndyT]

Where I would disagree with him is on the use of these techniques for drawers - where the need to cut lap dovetails favours sawing tails first, which are then worth gang-sawing for a further time saving, with quick chiselling on thin stock rather than all that coping saw work.

Andy, in that video I'm pretty sure I remember Paul Sellers mentioning the demonstrated technique is suitable for kitchen drawers. I tend to agree with that because most contemporary kitchen drawers consist of a drawer box of some sort mounted on metal drawer slides. A planted front is added later after installation. In the example given, I suspect quickly cut hand dovetails in solid timber would be perceived by many people, eg makers, sellers, and buyers as a better quality product rather than an inferior product when compared with, for example, an MFC drawer box held together with dowels at the corners.

In the case of multiple drawer box dovetails executed in solid wood, whether through (at the back) or lap (at the front) I generally gang the sides together if it's s practicable option. Slainte.

Ah yes, that makes sense - I was thinking of trad drawers. Simple boxes like those to use with metal slides could just have a ply bottom glued on across the whole width - which would be simpler than trad grooving or slips.