Learning to dovetail

[Adam W.]

I thought dovetails might make a nice change for 50 pages of nonsense.

It seems to have worked quite nicely.

 

[Adam W.]

We don't have to do euro dovetails anymore, thanks to brexit, the gift that keeps on giving.

It's all Jeremy Corbyns fault, he cuts them pins first too, and nobody wants to be like Jeremy Corbyn.

 

[Farm Labourer]

The OP is in Norfolk. I was in a similar position 4 years ago.

TIP #1 I went and did a course with Roger Berwick in Shelfhangar to learn dovetailing. It was worth the money.

I cut tails first but have tried pins first, too.

TIP #2 Derek Cohen from Perth (WA) wrote a post on using blue Scotch-tape to mark out dovetails on dark wood, it literally changed my accuracy up a league. I now use it on all my hand-cut d/t's.

 

[Tony Zaffuto]

There’s as many techniques to dovetailing as there are to….wait for it: sharpening!

There is a trick to each - sample a couple of methods, then pick one and stick to. Then practice! Practice a lot! Finally when you think you’re really good and patting yerself on the back, go try to cut a tenon joint.

 

[user 40242]

Some great information here, thank you all. I am reading & digesting it all.

Looks like I'll buy a couple of saws to see what suits, practice cutting with them to see if I can make some straight, accurate cuts and then I'll be back for more advise.