Dovetailing on a long board

[RogerS]

No you're not. But this is a modern style clock. It's all about customer perception. I can't put it any clearer than that.

 

[jasonB]

Ah that explains it then, if the DT is at the back then I assume there is also one at the front? and you are having solid front & back ? Any sketches ?

BTW I have no problem with the use of jigs, I would have just stood the board upright in the bench vice, clamped the leigh to the top and stood on something so I could reach with the router.

J

 

[Benchwayze]

The last time I had to cut lap-dovetails in a long bookcase board, I slanted the six-foot top board in the vice, both for marking out and cutting the sockets. For marking I put the piece edge upwards, on a slant. Clamped the tail board to it, and transferred the end-grain spacing. The slope I transferred with a sliding bevel.

For sawing I put the board in the vice with the width across the gape. I found the right position for the end of the board on the deck by trial and error. That meant I was working on a slight slope, and was facing the vice side on. It was easy-peasey once I got used to holding the saw at a compound angle, and on a slope! Cleaning out sockets was just a clamp down on the bench.

Depending on the length of the board, you will have to 'jiggle it about a bit' until you get the right height for working. In my case I had just enough room behind the tail of my bench to do this, but if your bench is butted close to a wall, you might need to move the bench while you do the job. As Roger said, in the time it would have taken to set up jigs etc, (I have a Leigh) I cut the joints with hand tools.

HTH

 

[Benchwayze]

Maybe I am missing something here, or customers now expect something different from the non-visible parts of the clockcase, the 1700s longcase clock (and almost everyone I have looked at) at home while uses very fine oak and fruitwoods for the display parts of the case, the backboard, mechanism supports and anything not on display are very ropey softwoods.

Likewise visible joints are very fine indeed, but the internals have parts nailed (albeit with handmade iron nails) together.

StarGazer

I think our friend Krenov had some influence here. He made pieces that were meant to be viewed all around, so he wanted the backs to be as fine as any other visible part. No problem with that, but it's grown, so that even built-in stuff sometimes needs to have as much effort put into the hidden parts. No argument with me on that either, but i agree, many antiques, good class work included, show ropey stuff that was 'out-of-sight' and 'out-of-mind'.