Dovetail gauge lines.

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ColeyS1

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Whats the deal with gauge lines? Should they be left in or allowed to be planed off ? Ive just about managed to be able to cut them o.kish but cant decide whether the lines should be kept in or not :? Looking at loads of pictures still doesnt give me a definite answer. Some have, some havent. So if I were using a dovetail jig should I gauge along after to make them a little more hand made looking :cool:

Coley
 
It's all down to personal preference. I have seen justifications from each side.

Some say they show off skill by emphasising that it is made by hand.

Others say that a skilled worker wouldn't leave a mark behind

I like gauge lines on drawers. I tend to plane mine away when doing carcass work.

At the end of the day the best way to get dovetails that look like they have been done by hand is get a dovetail saw out as it allows for sizes of pins and tails that most machines can't handle.
 
I think you've answered your own question - you can leave them visible or clean them off, whichever you prefer!

In my limited experience, looking at old furniture where the joints would have been cut by hand, it was normal to leave the lines in place on the sides of drawers - they would not show any way, while the drawers were shut.

It was later on - C20th - that dovetails became a feature to be made visible - and I suggest that a joint meant to be out on display looks more finished without the lines.

And what is this 'jig' of which you speak? Is it a sort of dance? :wink:
 
Its a kind of specialist dance I do when the bearing on the dovetail cutter comes loose :twisted: im making a laptop case/box and have cut the dovetails by hand......by saw :-? Other than my tail vice think its the only ones ive ever cut by hand. I need to turn this thread into a poll and go with the majority - chicken scared smilie if I had one :smile: thanks for your thoughts so far. Cant say ive ever noticed the lines as much on older furniture.
 
I think if you've taken the time to prepare your timber, marked out and cut your dovetails by hand and finished the item as smooth as possible, it's just lazy to leave marking lines in (unless they are never going to be seen).


~Nil carborundum illegitemi~
 
It's simply personal preference
Some folks like them some don't
Some folks don't believe they were done by hand if they don't see the lines
and Some folks just don't care (the majority i would say)
As in all things in life it's sods law that Which ever way you go it will be wrong :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Roger
 
RogerBoyle":2qa7n292 said:
Some folks don't believe they were done by hand if they don't see the lines

Could one not simply rout the joint with a jig and then lay a ruler along the edge of the cut and cut a nice obvious line in there, if one wanted...?

I don't particularly like the look, personally - to my mind it seems just as bad as cutting too far down the cheek of your tenon and leaving a bit of the kerf line visible when it's assembled - but maybe I'm just jealous 'cause I'm rubbish at dovetails anyway. ;-)
 
Leaving the lines on "because they're not seen anyway" gets me wondering what else the maker has skimped because it's not seen.
 
RogerP":13opngst said:
Leaving the lines on "because they're not seen anyway" gets me wondering what else the maker has skimped because it's not seen.
Traditional makers quite sensibly skimped on everything possible. You only have to look at the back or undersides of some very classy pieces.
It's not really skimping it's just a common sense approach to optimising materials/time/costs etc.
 
Hi,

They did leave them in the 14th century.

DSCN0419.jpg



Haddon Hall in Derbyshire, its a must see.

Pete
 
Last time I saw new pieces with prominent lines was in a fancy outlet down in Plymouth docks area, the whole range was made with random different length and depth cuts left all over the place, including front faces, "that's so folks know they are hand made" looked shoddy to my eyes and some very niece Oak & Ash furniture ruined as far as I was concerned.
 
JakeS":2wsd18nk said:
RogerBoyle":2wsd18nk said:
Some folks don't believe they were done by hand if they don't see the lines

Could one not simply rout the joint with a jig and then lay a ruler along the edge of the cut and cut a nice obvious line in there, if one wanted...?

I've seen that done :-(

BugBear
 
When I was trying to figure out whether they should be left or not, the only thing I could think was they were deliberately left there to show the box had fitted exactly to size with minimal planing to fit. My first thoughts were I prefered them without- but I also liked having the score line to rest the chisel in :roll:
 
If you lightly scribe the wood with a cutting gauge, after making your saw cuts you can go back and deepen the scribe where the waste is which you can then rest your chisel in. This is my method because I don't want the lines to be visible.

Phil.
 
I use a cutting gauge to mark my dovetails and like to see the knife marks left in when making drawers, It shows I made my drawer accurately and did not have to plane the drawer excessively to make them a piston fit (the students are doing this for the first time tomorrow, we will see how they get on), this also stops any polish that is applied to the drawer front and ends from bleeding up the drawer side.
I do not like to see cutting gauge lines on the outside of cabinets or boxes but as with most of these things there are no right and wrong ways, only preferences.
 
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