Hand-Cut Dovetails (Shop Copy)

RobCosmanb TECHNIQUEBOOK

A11rights resewed.No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronicor mechanical,includingphotocopyng,recording,or by any rnJormahon storageand refrlevalsystem.Mthoul wntten permissionftom Rob Cosman. 02008 AvsRlcANCnarrsl,nNPunucenous Box 3260,Grand Bay,New Brunswic( Canada E5K 4V5 1-877-967-5966

rsBN978-0,9809412-0-3 Visit wr.rw.robcosman. com Photographyby Kim Hilchie Book designby JohnHoffrnann

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Hand-Cut Dovetails

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

DEDICATION

5

PREFACE

6

SECTION1 TOOLS FOR THE TRADE

12

SECTION2 STOCK PREPARATION

15

S E C T I O N3 T H E M A R K I N G G A U G E

21

SECTION4 LAY OUT

28

SECTION5 DOVETAIL SAWING

33

SECTION6 THE FRET sAW

36

S E C T I O N7 S P L I T T I N G K N I F E L I N E S

40

S E C T I O NB C H I S E L I N G

45

SECTION9 TRANSCRIBINGTHE TAILS

50

SECTION1OSAWTNG PINS

55

S E C T I O N1 1 C H I S E L I N GT H E P I N W A S T E

51

S E C T I O N1 2 P R E - A S S E M B L YC H E C K

53

S E C T I O N1 3 A S S E M B L Y

59

SECTION14 TROUBLESHOOTING TheTailBoard ThePin Board TheJoint

Hand-Cut Dovetaih

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ROB(OSMAN3

I owe my mosthumbiegatitude to the giverof all talent.Often asI cut into wood I am humbledat thebeautythat is oursto enjoy. andlovingwife,Kimberleyhas My success in this field is largelythe resultof an encouraging andthe first to jump in andhelp.Thisbookwas alwaysbeensupportiveof my endeavors madepossibleby the manyhourssheput forth. In additionto helpingme shehasraisedand educatedour ten children.Trulya remarkablewomarywife and mother. I alsoowe a debtof gratitudeto both Kim's and my parentsthat amongmanythingstaught us the valueof hardwork. Into the livesof the fortunateentervery specialpeople.Forme this wasDr. DaleNish. Earlyrn my careerDalerecognizedmy ability and providedme with every opportunityto expandmy experienceand developmy skll. He openeddoorsthat would not talentand givingthose haveotherwisebeenopened.Dalehasspenthis careerdiscovering individualsthe opportunityto displayit to the woodworkingworld.I would alsolike to thank that I havehad the pleasureto meet,teachand the manywoodworkingstudents/friends be{riendaroundthe world.Finallymy childrerya most cherishedblessingin my life. FamilyFirst! RobCosman

4 I

] ROBIOSMAN

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Dovetails Hand-Cut

PREFACE I havebeenworkingwoodsincemy earlychildhood. On my motherssidemy grand{ather and greatgrandfather wereboth carpenters. I knew themboth andhad the opportunityto work with"Gramp".My fatherwasan industrialartsteacherfumedcarpenter sowoodworking was definitelyin my blood.Duringmy boyhoodI wasalwaysbuildingsomething,from boatsto gunhandlesandIromgo-cartsto woodenbowls.Not onlywasI fascinated with woodbut my questfor perfection nearlydrovemy fathercrazy. Duringmy earlyyearsof professional furniturebuildingI workedhardto masterthe art of dovetailing. As a studentandteachlngassistant at BYU,I usedmy access to thewoodshopto practicecuttinga row of dovetails eachmomingbeforeclass,OnceI mastered theprocess my nextquestwasspeed.I hadthe incredibleopportunityto spendsometimewith mastersLike TageFridandAlan Peters. Theirinput to my careerwasboth priceless andinspiring.It is because of thisI now feelit both an honoranda dutyto passon whatI know andhelpkeep the traditionalive.Tothis endI haveproducedthreedovetailvideos,writtenthis bookand continueto traveltheworldteachingthosewantingto learn.Sawcutto sawcutjoineryis my motto,straightfromthe sawandwithouta testfit. \A,hi1e somescom,hundredshavegoneon to do it anddo it extremely we1l. I continueto build fuiniturefor my ever-expanding familyandwith no endin sightI am thrilledat the prospect.To teachandworkwoodfor a livingis bothan honorandprMlege.

Hand-(ut Dovetails

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ROB COSMAN 5

1 TOOLS FOR THE TRADE L SECTTON I havcfonnd countrieshoi,tto hant-lcltt dovctails, of iolksin ser,eral Ater teachinghr-rtrclrecls do theiobrvellthetoolsneedto be sharpand theuseof impropeltoolsquitecommon.To fronithehandleto thatcoversevcrything properlysuitedfor the task.On a dovetailsar'r,, i,r,hat to lookfor rnrhen on to inform you ihc numberoi teeth.Thisfirstsectionis desigred brand,thebetter an-v spccific not \'\thile promoting too1s. r.naking vor-rr dovetail or choosing belon'lAs vor-r sr-Lggestcd toolsrvil1olien comewith lnostif not a1lof the character.rstics qr-ralitv yorlmavwantto fine tr.ure1,.our I haveoitendonethisandI notethose too1s, gainexperience in thetcxt. changes

in A pistolgripregisters thehandthesanrervav eachtimeit is pickedLLp. Thisallorvstheuserto dcvelopa feclforvertical a blg helprvhen sarving, sawingpins. . A thinblade(.018-.020) removeslcssrvoodai-rd is easrer to push. . Thcsetof theteeth (s1i bending ght or,rtrvarcl be of eaclitooth)shoLrld in therangeof.001kt DO\TTAILSAW .003persideto helpthe bladetrackpropcrlv (cutstraight). . Dovetailing is primarilv ripplngr,tooclvs.cross hcncethetecth cLrtting, $ppi8f shouldbefiledrip (cutl i n gf . r c rer fl , r u l lpl s l p q n d i c u. r -t n l c r r $ ho i b l ; d r ) . . PPIor points(tccth)per inchshouklbein tbe toomanv 14-16range, teeth(20+)sklvsthe lvhiletooferv sarving teeth(-12)rnakcsthe to start. san r'lifficr-rlt

DO\TTNLSAWPPI

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(OSMAN ROB

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HandtutDoveraits rl

. Barrel hme qarseq rrp

usuallyreadyto useout of thebox. . Thc vrhppl nn ' ' . ' ' - 'crrftino .-'.t]

thisgaugeis easierto sharyenthanthepin on traditionalgauges. . Themicrometer adjustmcni

el]nurq fnr rrpnr

precisesettings. . Rarrel onrropq crn hp

rolledinsteadof pushed/ pulledfor precisemarking or on difficultsurfaces -..^L DUlrr

^^ d)

^ -^--^-,, d rrdrruvv

^l^^ cu6c,

. Sawingthe buik of the wastebetureen tails

"M*iu;; .: .':::. I€r"t

^-,1 -;-^ ;- ^^-;^dl tu Pl1 tJ rJ gdJltrl

+L^u ld r l

chiseling, especially with naffowor Londonstyie tails& pins. . Frpl q:urq r:n -*"

rqp \/pn/ -'"' ''-J

finebladesthatwil1fit a naffowdovetailsawkerf. . Frpt qaurq urith ' ' ' . ' . ' 'riqid tr'* lremeq end urin o nr r I

a11ow tensionadjustments for a verytauntbladethat resistsbowingduringuse.

FRETSAW

. Toexceed the limitation of a 3" throat,theblade canbe twistedabout30 d * 'pl rm' 'p' "p*s. . 'a. t' ' ,t h - ,p' . rc'l.a. m t ) nino nnintq Thiq Lppnc lhp

frameabovethejoint on a horizontalcut.

Hand-(ut Dovetails

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ROB COSMAN

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. Dividersarea more accrlrate mcthodoi tr:ansierrineciinrensious. . Six-inchdnidersarea comiortable sizcior jointlavor-rL. . Scrcith'peacljr-rstments arcbetterthanfi-iction h'pefor prc.rrenting accidental mo\renrent.

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. A gooclnrarkingkniic

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MARKINGKNIFE

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. A six jnch sqnat-c ts larire enor-rgh to be accuratc vet small anclconrrenient to rlse.

COMBINANON SQUARE (O5MAN ROB

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DMDERS 1 ' 1 . . ' .1Jo-h e, ' ," t ' i , , r [ . t b lht r hold anclaccuratc to Lrse. . Tlie blaclcneedstctbc thin enoughkr passin the dorretailkerf r.ctr-igid enough to pre1,g1l1 ataatsivc flexirrerlurins nse. . If thc blacleis too sharp thc mark left in cnd erain can bc cliilicultto scc, dullingthe bladcmakes t l r , n ' . r r kr rt t l c t, t r t .rl ' . 1 > : e t to sec. . The blacleshoLLld bc rvide ct'totjshat the tip to allcnv the userto fccl jt registcr againsttlie tail.

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il

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Hand(ut Dovetails

P P P P P P P e P P e P P P P e I

Ff p

Fr Fr Fr Fr p

. Thismarkerallowsthe angledfaceandthe squareendto be marked urifh nnp cpl-tinq

. Dovetailanglesvarywith hardandsoftwood"1:7 for hardrake(8 degrees) woodand1:6rake(10 degrees) for softwood.

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A roundmalletdoesnot requiredirectionaihitting likeihe hammert1pe. Themalletshouldbe light enoughto be comfortable yet hear,yenoughto allow gravityto do most of the work.

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. A steelhammerallows theuserto"feel"orread whatis happeningwith eachstrike. . ForassembLing small boxesandmostdrawer dovetails, a 12-ounce hammeris sufficient.

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Hand-CutDovetails

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ROB COSMAN

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. A spatula is invaluablc for east'anclaccurate placcnrent oi e1ue. . Steclblarles arcmorc dr-nable bLrtplastic blacli.s arccasler to ctean.

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CLUINGSPATT]'I-A

. Chisels nceclto bc conrtiltablekt use,lightanrl lvellbalancecl. . Thebettcrihestceland sharpcr thechisclthe lonsertheeclgcrctenturn. . Thesidcslopcon bevcl cdgedchisels nccdstcr extcndlron thechiscl backkr thetop,alloning ior clear-ance l hcncliop plnebthveentai1s.

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G) . Uslngan insiclerabbetis an cfiectirrctvav to r-eiercncc.the tailboartlto the pln boarclu4renh-atrsfer ring d(r'ctails.Secpage18. . Thc skew,blockplancr,r'ith its fenceanclskciverlblade rurakes thc srtroothcstci-rt on crossgrair-t, . The shor-rlcler planecan alsocb tht lob though sorlctjnresncttr1-lteas cleanor as convrrtient.

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-*J, SHOONNG BOARD

. Shooting boardsare desigredto enablethe luserto casjlvplanetlic endof a rnorkpieceat rightaneles to itstacc anci1tsedge. . ;\ goodnraterialfor shooting boarcls is I,icdir-r nr densih'fiber' board(NlDF), it is stablc, inexpci'islve andhasa longtvearing srLriacc. . Thereis no spcciflc size, ho\t'ever thisshootine boarrlis28"br,17' andis madefor bothrlghtand lefthandnsc.

. Thcbaseis 28 bv 17 bv r/r",thetopis28 bv 11 bt"/," andthefrontcleat i s1 7 b r ' 1 / i ' b v 1 , " . . Thetop'/,"piecchasa shallor,r, rabbet('/ru"bv '/r")cr-rt alongtheedgcior theplaneto ridcagainst. . Thctop,bottomandcleat afeghledanclscr-en ed togethel; it is bcstto clamptheunitilatnfiile thc glr-re sets.

ry Hand(ut Dovetails

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. Theshootine board r,r,orks bestif theienccis positioned 6-8"in fionr thecnd. . Thcicnceshouldbe a clr-u-a bleharc'hvoocl and secr-rred lvith ghreand screivs, thisoneis 10r/:" br'1 '/,' br'1'/.'. . Thcicncemustbesqr-rar-e to thcleference siclcoi theshooting board (tvhere theplancrides) andhelclback'/'"h.om touclring theplancin use

(Ost\4AN 1l ROB

SECTION2 STOCK PREPARATION

TIPS Oftenoverlooked" oneof the keysto a successful joint is to haveaccuratelymilled stock. Yourboardsshouldhavethe insidefacehandplanedflat,smoothandparal1e1 to the outside. Theedgesshouldbe planedstraighfsquareandpara1le1 to eachother.Theendwherethe joint will be cutneedsto be squareto the long edgesandthe face.Theendalsoneedsto be smoothto bettershowthe knifelayoutmarks. It is a goodideato practicewith the samewoodsyou usefor building.Themostcommon placefor dovetailsis in drawerconstructionand slncethe drawerfrontsarethickerthan the sides,throughoutthis bookyou will see13/16"stockdemonstrated for the pin board(simulating the drawerfront)and 1i2" stockdemonstrated for the tail board(simulating the drawerside). Using contrastingwoods is anotherhe1pfultip. In finishedwoodworkit is a greatwayto showoff the dovetailedcornerasthe drawergetsopened.Darkpins againstlight tailscan evenmakea so-sojoint look a lot better.\.A/hen you fust startcuttingdovetails a bit of success cango a longwayin encouraging you to persevere.

. Placeyourhandon the widestpart of the side andbe carefulnot to tip the p1ane. . Usethe longsoleof the planeto straightenthe board'sedge. . Usethe shootingboard to keepthe boardsedge and planesquareto eachother. . Do the sameto the onnocite - r r ' " _ - - ' *edoe o-'

I . Planca smallchanriertcr prerrentsplintcringof the backetlge. . Planethc chamferbv hnl, lir,' tlrp h,rrr, i rurrr: "-'''''tl

irom lireleft sicleof the lence.

'-\

PLANINGACF{AMFER

. Position thc boar-cl lvith thechamfered sidc against thelence. . Kccpingtheboardtighttcr tl.refencc,thcplanetight to therebatccl cclgeancl thc boarcliedurtop1ane, cutnntilthcchanrier" almostclisappears. . Rcpeatthesestepsrvith thetailboarcl. SHOONNCENDGRNN ,W"'

. Theinsideiaccoi thcpin andtailboarcls nrustbe plancdbciorcthcjoint is cut. . IrLanc b rcniorre themill nrarksanc'l to leavethe flat,snroothand sr.rriace finishcd.

PLANINGTHEINSIDEFACE A p l e c e o f 1 8 b r ,1 1 b ) , r / : n ' rdilrjthabottotufroltcleatat'ida'/,'topbackclcat makcsa g-eatplirningboard for wofking on short and smallprieces. H a n d ' (D u to v e t a i l s

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ROB CO5MAN 13

S E C T I O N3 T H E M A R K I N G G A U G E

TOOLTIPS . ,,

Whencuttingdovetailsthe marking gaugeis secondonly to the dovetail saw in importance. It needsto leavea clean1ine,squareto the goodsideof the scribeand angledon the waste side.Thegaugecreates partof thefinishedjoint sothebetterthe markthebetterthejoint.

of the shapeof the cutter,it pullson the gaugeasit is draggedthroughthe wood. , Because For easein making fine adjustments,somehave a one-handoperatedmicrometer. ' Theseareequippedwith two lockingscrewsthat hold the gaugefirm1yin place. Thecutterson the banel t)?e gaugesarevery easyto sharperya bit of facehoning on a fine stoneis a1lthatis needed. Alsolook for a gaugethatis well-balanced andcomfortable to use. Thesharperthe markthe betterthe chiselwiil hold in the line asyou getreadyto chop.

. Setthe markinggauge to the thicknessof the pin board.

Hand-Cut Dovetails

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ROB CO5MAN 15

. Scribethepin board thickness on all four surfaces of the tailboard It is easierto pull the gaugethanpushit.

ff# SCRTBINGTAILBOARD $*

t**;:i

. Thehvo edgesaremore easilydoneby holdingthe gaugeagainstthe endof the boardandrollingthe cuttersideto side. . Makethismarkasdeep asthe gaugewill allow

ROLLT}IEEDGE

. Setthe markinggauge about'/r"lessthanthe thickness of the tailboard.

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Hand-(ut Dovetails

. Scribejustthe hvofaces of thepin board.

SCKBEPINBOARD U

I

Thefollowingprocess will helpalignthe tailboardto the pin boardwhentranscribing thetails.

. Makethe planea rebating lnnl hrr rpmmrin o the ci,la nlafp ln pvnnqp ihp p,'lop r-*.'.".,'r""'.'.''*tr.

of theblade.

. Adjustthebladeto project irrql hprunnd fhp cdoe nf .''' '*b' ''

l-"'

"'J

""-

thetool andpara11e1 to the snlp Spt il fnr a liolrt crt

Hand-(ut Dovetails

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. Clampthe tailboard, insidefaceup andpro jectingjr-rstoff the edge of thebench.

. Adjustthe fencesothe pointof thebladeis cuitingon thescribeline.

. Balance fhetoolsoii starts,cutsandendson thesameplane.

. Theshavingneedstobe uniformin width, lengh andthickness. . A coupleof light passes areusuallybetterthan oneheavyone.

. A shoulderor rabbet planecando thejob with the aidof a fence.

. Checkyour resultswith a str"aight edgeanda backlighf it shouldbe lower andparallelto the inside faceof the tailboard. . If it is out of parallel, dependingon the condition,eitherrepair it or startwith a new tailboard.

Hand-Cut Dovetails

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ROBCOSMAN 19

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Hand-Cut Dovetails

SECTION4 LAY OUT

TOOLTIPS Thefewerstepsandtoolsln layoutthebetter.Reducethe steps- reducethe risk of errors.

Combined with a goodsteelrule,dividersarethe mostaccuratemethodfor fransferrinp dimensions. .^-^.".'''''.t]

Usea fine ballpoint pen for layout- it is easierto see,the ljnewidth doesn'tchange --l:+/^ ^l-,,^-, ^L^*l 4rru rL J drvvoyD DItdlPl

A precisejoint startswith a preciselayout.

. Secure the iailboard r*rrn. 'rti]o' .h. 'f' . i n l h c r r i q e r c o e

squareor bubble1eve1 to ensureit is plumb. . Keepthe endof the tal1boardlow in theviseto preventsawingchatter. . Seftin o thp * ' ' urnrL niono """"b

plumbhelpsdevelop the abilityto saw nprncndier rlar

Hand-(ut Dovetails

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. Thesenarrorvpin dovetails arcsimpleto l;rr nrrl hri:

"

h" " i. l- . bt "n r o h

to cutfor beginners.

LONDONDO\ETA]LS

. Markthehalfpinsby r p f p l c n c i n o n" "n- 'p- b l p o n . - f" l h p' f irrirlor rt tho e,loo nF th..

tailboard andmakinga markrviththe other. . F o r n r o q i -; r_nf rn_l_i c- -r-t i-o n- s

'/r" will work.

. Do bothsidesar.rd sa\reth€ sclnrglu lar.,utfrreotl,ol comefsof theproject. . Usea second pairof drviders for thencxtstep. 1/2PIN LAYOUT

. Divldethedistancc betleenthc '/rpinmarks by the desirednumber of talls,leavea shallor'v nrerlz rl o.rrh irrnrlinn

Seetop of page67.

LONDONLAYOUT www.robcosman.com

Hand(ut Dovetails

. Usethedoveiailmarker to layor"rt thcjoint. . Rcfcrence both angles fromthesamemark.

DO\ETA]LMARKER

i, . Widepinsoffel morc lvill be roomto rvorkar.rd thp qrrhic.cf .f ih{. rPct r )f " '

! 4 l '

"

thisbook. . T h l e v n r l r'r' r' i-d- c' tr- n" i' n" s l.l'r'p-

dividersettinghaskr includethcrvidthot one tailandonepin.

\\'IDEPINSAMPLE

. Balance make thc'/:pins, themr,videenoughto roqicl qnl;rinq

hrl

nnl

sowideasto be out of nronnriinn io ' ' ihe _ ' ' _ ioint T "T'- '''" l''_'-'

. '/*"is a goodsizeto start fine with thor-Lgh sor'ne tuningwillconewith prachcc. r An i r q r- r" n f h . T ' ! d l ! c ' -r J lih'h ' - n t_ h _ ' T _ _ _

mark. a shallolv . Savethisdir,idersetting for ihe othercomers. LA\{NG OUT1/2PINS Hand-fut Dovetails

!Fp{ij;:':r;:

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ROB(OSMAN 23

. Startthesecond pairof divrderson the '/: pin mark. . Wthout leavingany marksadjustthediviclers untilyoucanstepoff the desired numberof tails andlandon theopposite '/' piu.

START ON 1/2PIN

. Openthecljviders a small amountto begincxperimentingwith pin widths.

. Starton thc 1/'pin and walkacross thejoint. . Notc horvfar beyondthe '/:pin thedivider opposite leglands. Thiswili r:lti matelyreprcsent the widthof theinsidepins. . Openingthe dlviderswill increase the pin width andclosingthe dividcrs will shrinkthepin width. . Don'tpresshardcnough to leavemarksuntil the desired settingis found. STARTINC INTHE ]/2 PIN www.robcosman.com

Hand-(ut Doverails

. With the desiredstetting, LL^ l/- ^;,- ^-J )LdrL urr Lrrtr /2 PIr drru

stepacrossthejoint leavingshallowmarks a I e a c h i rr n c l i o n

Spe lnn

of page67.

DMDERLAYOUTl

. At the oppositeedge dont leavea mark h p v n n d l. h' ' 'p "'J

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Anin

li{r thp

dividerout andsiartfrom +L ILL ;r J. r / - - ; //

Plrr

. - , 1 .V^V,A^Al l , LU .A-L1\ ,

AlrU

leavinga secondmarkat eachjunction.

. T. -Jnon rrol r . - " ' . -cnmnlptinn -"r,-'-.-" J ".^ qhnrld havp vnr rr 1/,nr'n l"-'''Y' *^-l-^-l -^;-^f ^^..^l rLr4r^D drru PdlrJ ur cL]udr ^;- *^-1.^ ^^.^-+L^ l r t d r N J d L L U J J tltg P[t

board.

Hand-[ut Dovetails

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(O5MAN ROB

25

. Set e finp hallnninl non

"-'r"-"'r-" in thelhpinmarkand slidethe dovetailmarker againstit usingthedesired slope,1:7for hardwood 1:6for sofh'vood.

. Startthe penat the scribe line anddrawup. . Thispreventsaccidentally drawingbelowthe scribe line,somethingthat couldleadto sawing belowthe 1ine. . Anglethe peninto the gaugeto getan exact placement.

. Themostcriticaltailboard cutis the perpendicular acrossthe end,the Line andsawcutmustbe square.

SQUAR]NGTHE ENDMARK

Hand-(ut Dovetails

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ROBCO5MAN 27

I

SECTION5 DOVETAIL SAWING ---

TOOLTIPS Practiceso you canassembleyour ioint from the saw.Thepurposeof a dovetailsawis to cut a cleanstraightkerf that canbe giued.Intentionallyleavingmaterialto be paredlateris sawcut to saw counter-productive and non traditional,dovetailsweremeantto be assembled cut.Yoursawneedsto be up to the task,goodtoolsequalgoodwork. The peqpendicularcut on the pins is critical.Forthejoint to work the sidesof eachpin must A pistolgrip sawhandleregistersin your be straightand plumb.Thisis wheregravif canhe1p. hand the sameway eachtime you pick it up with a bit of practiceyou wili be ableto saw verticallywithout watchinga line. Rememberto alwaysplumb the work piecein the vise! Youshouldhold your dovetail saw like you would cradlea baby'shand.Holdingtoo tight is a commonenor madeby beginners.Held lightly a properlysetsawwill cut straight and leavea smoothkerf.

J J G J J J J J J J J J

a J J J

. Hold the sawwithyour indexfingerpointing down the blade. . Yourgrip shouldbe similar to the pressureusedto cradlea baby'shand. . Holding on to the sawtoo tightiy preventsit from sawingstraightand causesa raggedkerf.

28

ROB COSMAN

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Hand-CutDovetaih I

. J Jsp fho hnftnm

' f nrrrfpr **-.''

nf rrnrrr inrler . "finopr ' . { r ' ' * ' .:n,-] * thrrrrh to ninch ihp pnd

of theboardto forman anchorfor the saw. . Pinchingwith the bottom quarterkeepsthe contact pointwith the sawabove the teeth.

& FNGERPINCH TTII-,MB

. Pressthe sawlaterally againstyourfingerand thr rmh

to nrerrpnf il " T'-'.''.' ]1,^* ^l,l-r;-^ -- -.^., 1 1 v l r r ) N 1 1 L U 1 5d D ] V U

beginthe cut.

PRESSTRE LATERAL

. T lqp rrorrr anehnrirro dioiiq ""'J""."'.''."''-.t]"'D.."

to pressthe sawinto nncitinn

hacir.lo

the

lino

. Thiscutshouldbe nextto not thelinebut shor-rld removeit.

Dovetails Hand-Cut

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29 ROBCOsMAN ?th,nCq!FEFWTrylFJ

. Startthe cut by tilting the sawforwardand taking about80%of its weight off thewood. . Continuingto presslaterallyagainstyourfingertips will increaseyour saw startingcontrofusea light touch.

. fu you cut alongthe line, focuson wherethe saw meetsthewoodand makethe necessary coreclons.

. Afterestablishing a shallowkerf pausefor a second. . \A,4ththis part of the task done,takea breath,aim the sawaiongthe angled markandheadfor the bottom. . Don't attemptmid cut conections, its betterto havethe kerf straight evenif the angleis slightlyoff.

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Hand-(ut Dovetails

. Sawrightto the scribe linel . Stopping on theline establishes yourcorners andsaves a lot of time.

STOPONTT{ESCREE

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. Sawall of thesame anglesbeforechanging yourbodypositionand 1'ourbench1amp. . Thissavestlme and you will benefitfrom therepetition.

M. REPETTTTVE CUTS

. Tosawthe othersideof the tail pull yourthumb out of I'ourline of sight andusejustyourindex fingerto anchorthe saw

Hand-(ut Dovetails

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(OsMAN ROB

. Finishthe sawcuts.

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SECTION5 NOTES

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ROB COSMAN

www.r0D(0sman.c0m

Hand-CutDovetails f

SECTION6 THE FRET SAW

TOOLTIPS A goodfret sawwill havea rigid frame and a tensioningsystemthat allowsfor a very oneon the frameto takeup tauntblade.Thebettersawshavetwo tensioningmechanisms, on the endof the bladeclamp.\A4thnanowblades mostof the slackanda fineradjustment moretensionis requiredto preventseverebowingduringuse. Go slow until you get accustomedto how the saw performs.Thenanowbladedoes not providetrackinglike a dovetailsawsoyou haveto steerthe cut asweli aspushand pu1l me saw Tapingthe handlewith adhesivesport tapewill improveyour grip andmakethe saw easierto control.Thenalrower(3") th,roatsawsareeasierto balanceon a horizontalcut.

. Installthe fretbladeto cut on the pull strokeand put it undersubstantial tension. . Usea pairof pJiersor side cuttersto twist the blade at the about30degrees e]emninq nninfq

. Thiskeepsthe saws frameabovethe joint on horizontalcuts.

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. Havingtwistedthe blade you wili needto tilt the sawsiightlybeforeyou drop it dov,nthe kerf. . Comeoffthe bottom about'Ar"beforeyou starl keepsyou a sawing.This safedistancefrom the scribeline.

. Sawascloseto the scribe asyou can.Althoughfast cuttingthis sawcanbe fficult to control,slow dov,nuntil practice enables you to saw accurately.

. Slowdownasyou the endof the approach cut to preventscaffng +L^ ^li^^^-+ rrrs 4urdlsrrr

+^il r@.

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Hand-Cut Dovetails

I

SECTION7 SPLITTING KNIFE LINES tF

a

TOOLTIPS A ballpointpen worksbestfor drawingthe tails.Howeverwith the precisework of sawing the pins to fit, a knife line is better suited.Theknifeline givesa verydefinitedividing poinf splittinga pen or pencilline canbe verysubjective. V\henyou aretransferringthe tailsto the pin board,concenhateon keeping the knife tight to the part being copied.Pushingtoo hardinto the part beingmarkedwill causethe knife to A slightlyduiledknife is easierto useand for the path of leastresistance. wanderasit searches Ieavesa wider and easierto see'\,/". When sawingagainsta knife mark on the pins,aim to take half of the knife "V" out with the saw kerf while leavingthe otherhalf of the"V"with the pin.

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. Think of the scribeline as a"V"shapedgroove. . Propersawingleavesone half of the'T"with the tail or pin while the otherhalJ is sawnaway.

e f e t e q -j

35

ROB COSMAN

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Hand-(utDovetails e

. Setthe iailboardleveland low in theviseto prevent sawingchatter. . Usea bubblelevelif you cant"eyeball"it.

. Useyourdigitsto anchor the sawasit startsto cut on thewastesideof the scribe. . If yourgripis sufficiently l;^Lr ^1161tLi 4)

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cutit will slideoverto the scribedshoulder. . Thistechniquegivesthe crrlr

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point. reference . Thisis the reasonfor errttino dppn rmth thp

markinggauge. Seepage16.

. Splitthe scribelineby Lppnino helf fhp"V"in

thekerf. . Striveto geta perfect$ vertlcalcut. . Slowdormatthebottom to avoidscarringthe side of thetail.

HALFWAYDOW\] Hand-Cut Dovetails

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ROB COSI\4AN

37

. Sawingan angledcomer with a sawthat cutsa squarebottomleavesa bit of wasteto be removed with a chisel.

. Check)our cutsforexcess waste.Anythingabove the scribeline needsto be pared.

. If thereis materialto be removed" startwith the chiselon the marking gaugeline andundercut the surfacein the middle of theboard. . Thiq ic pnd mein cn ii

doesnot reducevaluable gluesurface. . A nanowchisela11ows greatercontrolby reducing the pressure required to cut.

. With the middleremoved you now havesmaller areasro pare. . Keepthe chiselreferenced nn fhe qlrop b**b" ""'^'-

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S E C T I O NB C H I S E L I N G

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TOOLTIPS

I

Thechiselis probablythe simplestof commonwoodworkingtools,howeverfor it to perform it must be properly preparedand sharpened.Thebackdf the chiselmustbe madeand maintaineddeadflat.Todo thisthe sharpeningstoneshaveto be keptflat.Thismeansflattening the stonesbeforeeachuseand everyminuteor so duringheavyuse.Thecloserthe chisel " back.is to beingdeadflat the sharperyou canmakeit ani the b"etterit will perform.youcan checkflatnessby inspectingan imagereflectionon the chiselback.No distortlon- it,sflat. Distoriion- it's not flat. If thereis distortionyou needto reflattenthe chiselstartingon your coarsest stone. Yourdrisels should to be comfortableto use.Top-healychiselscanbe awkwardandtiresome sinceyou oftenhold thechiselnearthe tip to benergLudeit. Modifythemif necessary, I have cut handlesin halJto lightenthem up especia,lly on the smallersizes. Thebevel anglecan dramaticallychangea chiselsperformance.whiie 25 degrees is cornmonfor benchchiselsyou mayfind a steeperangleis neededfor mortisechise"ls (30)and a moreacuteangleoftenworksbestfor softwoods.I havea few chiselsgroundat 17degees for choppinglight woodsthat easilycrush.

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. Usea sacrificialboardto protectyourbenchtop andyourchisels. . Setthe tailboardinside faceup, startchiselingon theinsideandfinishfrom the faceside.

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40

ROB COSMAN

www.I0Dcosman.(0m

Hand-Cut Dovetaik

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. Positiun thc tailLroartl andchisel sovoucarl secplrlm0. . Keepthechisclplunrb or-pcrpenclcr.rlar as vouchopr.

CHISELPERPENDICULAR

ffi'r'..;:; . Chop the scribelurc kr thc midpointbetl cclr e a c ht a i l . . Note; somcnooclsnrar crushbeforcthel cr-rt. ]f so,rtr.r mav neecla narrorvchiscln,ith an aclrtecLLttlng anglc (17-18dcgces)

CHOPFL{LF\\AY

. Flipthetailboartl ovcr.and inspect thescribc hnc. . Toon'r-rch n'asteincreasts plessLLre un thcchisel bevelthr.eateniue kr push it bcronclthescribelinc.

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EXCESS \\ASTE H a n (du tD o v e t a i l s

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(O5MAN ROB

41

. If the sar'vcutwastal<en to thescribeline,the and corneris established thejobis done. Secpage31.

M |r i# INSPECTION CORNER

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Cornerslike tliis dramati ca1lv increasc thetimert takesto cuta dovctail.

INSPECTION CORNER

. \\brking frontto back, chiselto skell a narror'v cleanand critthecorncrs removethc ilebris. . Usethe straightedgeof thechiselto checkfor h,,m,rc

hah,-oon

tho trilc

be flat or the surfaccmr-Lst slightlvr-rndcrcut. 3l*,*,.,CLEANINGCORNER Hand-Cut Dor/etails

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ROB COSMAN 43

. Starton the insideface of thejoint with the tailboardsecurein thevise. . \'Viththe guidinghand anchoredagainstthe tailboard"finnly graspthe chiselcloseto the cuttingedge. . Setthe chiseledgejust insidethejoint to start the cut. . Pareto the centel,flip the boardandrepeatfiom the otherside.Easeoff asyou approach the center.

N0TE:Hffm:';:ffi:lT.i''1:ilffi ::.''*zeappLiedrorce SECTIONB NOTES

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Hand-Cut Dovetails

S E C T I O N9 T R A N S C R I B I N G T H E T A I L S

TOOLTIPS Thisis a critlcalprocess, perfectly executedtails are of no use if the transferto the pin boardis not accurate.Cuttinea shallowrabbeton the undersideendof the tailboardcan neatlyalignthefr,vo boards. Ir needsto be1/32"deep, smoothandparallel to thefaceof theiailboard. Findinga goodmarkingknifeis difficult.It needsto be thin to fit betlveenLondondovetails, flexible to bendslightlywhenpressedand wide at the tip to registeragainstthe tail.You -l .r.l d y h . lt nu m r LNas ^u "r m r r"d' v q l l rd r n6liftr "uu")

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Try to resistpressingthe knife hard into the end grain of the pin board.Doingsowill makethe knifedifficultto controlasit triesto followthe pathof leastreslstance. Forthis reasonit is betterdull thansharp,when dull the markis easierto seeandthe bladeeasier to steer.

. Secure the pin boardin thevise,faceout andthe top flushwith theplane.

PINBOARD INVISE Hand-Cut Dovetails

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ROB CO5MAN 45

. Pushthe planebackirom the pin boardto createa bridge.

. Usethe rabbetto register the tailboardinto poiition with thepin board.

. Pulledinto placethe hr,zo boardsarelinedup and justneedto be flushed on theedge.

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Hand-(ut Dovetails

. With drawersandboxes thereis a"bottomhousing" grooveon eachpiece thatneedsto bealigned. . Usethe dovetailmarker or anyflat surfaceto flush theedgeof eachboard.

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Useyouroppositehand to preventthe tail board frommovingasyou scribe thetailsin thepln board.

. Approachthe sideof the tailwith the marking knifeat 10-20degrees andbendit to 1ayflat. . Thispressure keepsthe -k" 'n " 'i f p

tLi]ob -h t t n t h p t e i l e c i t "

lhnr tho en,.l 'iq " - .draoop,l *trtr'*

grainof thepin board. . Don'tpushdornnsohard thatit becomes difficult to keeptheknifetightto the tail.

Hand-(ut Dovetails

www.robcosman.com rylF5wit{F

{$trGF;.ffiF,

. U:e a bendrlampto checkfor strayknife marksbeforeremoving the taiiboar"d . Makeanvcorrections now andnotethemwith a markassoonasthe boardis removed.

. Bv anglingthe bench lampto shineacrossthe pin boarcfshadowswill makethe knifernarks morevisible. . liy,to avoidhighlighting wur chalkor penciJ, the baremarksarebest.

. C-hamjer theinsideedge oi eachtail. . Startthechisel'/,u,' from theend. . Forgreatercontroland safely.chokeup on the cntsel.

ROB CO5MAN

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Hand-Cut Dovetails

I

. Thechamferneedsto run dov,nthe"side"ofthe tail tn eeco eccemhkr enrj facilifetp oLrino -"--'-'..'' lr'*,''b'

CFIAMFERTT{E EDGE

. Clipthe shavings at the scribeline.

Hand-Cut Dovetails

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S E C T I O N1 OS A W I N G P I N S

TIPS Practiceso you cansawwith,confidence.Alwaysattemptto spiitthe line, don,tbe tempted to sawawayfrom the line and haveto pareto fit. Precisesawing.is a lot easierif you arerelaxed.Afterlayingout thejoint takea fewdeep breaths,look off in the distanceto giveyour eyesa quickrert Ina th.n i.sume vour work. Thereis no substitutefor good light. A werl-positioned benchlampwill go a longwayto helpingyou makeaccurate sawcuts.

. Makesurethe pin board is low in the viseand standingplumb.

. Usea dovetailmarker on its side(or a square) ln rJreur nomon,-lin'l"t

linesfromthe scribeline to theknifemarksin the endgain.

PLTIMB LINES

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