Hand cutting dovetails

[holsgo]

NUhobby mentioned this in another thread so here goes an explanation. The method here is called pins first. Some guys do tails first. It doesnt matter but here I use the pins to mark and then cut the tails.
Here is the desired look. The piece on top would be the drawer front. Be sure to orient to get this configuration.
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First, use a marking guage to set the width of the board on the guage.
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Mark the board face with this setting.
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This show the angles of my dovetails. This is just for reference. Your angles can be anything you want them to be.
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[holsgo]

Use a bevel guide to lay out the angle. Here I am referencing off a part from the corner shown in the first pic. I keep a sample joint in a corner of my shop. This way, if time has gone by between cutting a dovetail I can use it as reference.
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Use a pencil and mark the edge of the board. Space the pins to that the narrowest part still has room to pass your smallest chisel through.
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Bring the lines down the face of the board to mate the lines from the marking guage
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Use the coping saw to cut the material away. LEAVE THE LINE. Cut a small wedge out of the waste material so you can rotate the coping saw and cut perpendicular to the first cuts.
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[holsgo]

Use a chisel to clean up. Plunge straight down. Clean up ever so slightly. You can trim to fit during fit up.
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Use the pins to mark the tails. Fat side of pin in, contrary to the pic and marks.
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A long view. Reference the first pic if needed. Fat side of pins in. I seem to have marked the opposite in a rush but show it in this pic.
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The fat side should be in instead of out. Oh well. Use a pencil and mark between the pins on the face of the board. X where the material should be removed.
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[holsgo]

Test fit. Notice the Fat side of the pins is on the inside of the corner. My pic shows otherwise but I was really rushing.
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Tight.
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All the tools you need. I made the marking guage out of walnut and some brass I get from the local trophy shop. You really need one to do a number of techniques.
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It took longer for me to do this thread than it took to actually cut the dovetails. 10 minutes actually but I really had to add in some pic time so it was a bit more.

[nuhobby]

Holsgo -- thanks for the tutorial and your responsiveness!

I'd done some separate reading on getting a good coping saw (hey, why not over-analyze everything...). A high blade tension was said to be good; not every saw-frame can achieve this without 'give' in the frame itself. Also one guy added some O-rings where the saw-blade mounts are secured, to prevent unintentional twisting of the blade while in a cut.

Do you recommend any specific tooth-pitches? I seldom use anything really fine-pitch, just going by the guideline to keep 3 or 4 teeth in the thickness of the wood.

[holsgo]

Honestly, I just picked up some blades from Lowes. They seemed to fit my antique saw. The teeth are medium. The coarse seem to be less control but the fine should be OK.
Play with a few different types and the types of wood. Hardwood would be best suited to a medium blade. At least thats what I used on the maple in the pics.

[terrydowning]

I use a back saw (actually a dovetail saw) for making the saw cuts. Other than that I use a similar process.. Nice Tutorial.