Magnetic Dovetail Guide

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Miv

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I was browsing the Sept edition of F&C and came across the Magnetic Dovetail Guide, home-made by David Barron, shown in his article on making a jewelry box. Is this a wooden guide with rare earth magnets let into the sides or something more technical? Has anyone any experience of anything similar? Presumably the magnets hold the saw in position but let it still slide along the guide. I would be interested in any comments or details of construction.
 
I saw David use one of these at West Dean in the Spring and it seemed to work very well. I believe they are for sale you were to contact him...I think he has a website - Rob
 
Miv":1wpd8tlc said:
I was browsing the Sept edition of F&C and came across the Magnetic Dovetail Guide, home-made by David Barron, shown in his article on making a jewelry box. Is this a wooden guide with rare earth magnets let into the sides or something more technical?
It appears to be the former.

Miv":1wpd8tlc said:
Has anyone any experience of anything similar?
My initial reaction when I first fell across a reference to it a few weeks ago is that Lee Valley's patent lawyer must be fairly familiar with the idea. :wink: I believe they work very well, but it's not as difficult as you might think to do without. I recommend a copy of Rob Cosman's dovetailing DVD and a good DT saw - worked for me anyway.

Cheers, Alf
 
Thank you both very much for your replies. Alf, your links were very revealing. I think I shall pursue the Rob Cosman DVD approach as the device looked more bother than it was worth.
 
I tried the Lee Valley guide which works quite well but then got the Rob Cosman DVD and a Veritus DT saw. What I like about the Cosman method is the speed but I still cant get his accuracy. How long or how many practice joints does it take to get a result approaching Cosman's?
 
inandout":2tn7iohx said:
What I like about the Cosman method is the speed but I still cant get his accuracy.
I will hazard a presumption based on that sentence and suggest aiming for the accuracy first, then work towards speeding up. And there's some evidence that everyone has a set number of bad dovetails the gods have decreed they must cut, so you just keep pluggin' away until they're gone. Or at least until they don't out-number the good ones so much. :D

Cheers, Alf
 
inandout":1vegws6k said:
What I like about the Cosman method is the speed but I still cant get his accuracy. How long or how many practice joints does it take to get a result approaching Cosman's?
RC though is doing these d/t's all the time, so he ought to be quick. As Alf has said, concentrate on the accuracy first and after a while you will get quicker at them - Rob
 
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