This isn’t a how to cut dovetails, but just how I cut dovetails. I still like to be able to say to my clients that all dovetails are cut by hand, and for 99% of the steps that is still very much true. However I have no wish to live in poverty, and 99% of clients are not going to pay for truly hand cut work any more. So I now cut all my dovetails in this manner. I use a router to hog the waste out, but I do this free hand, so I guess I could argue that they are still done by hand, as you still need a steady hand to guide the router, but I will let you decide this small point.
This is my old jig that I made up a few months ago to make one drawer for a coffee table, but I have six to do now, followed by another 24 or so. This jig isn’t going to cut it, for a start its way to low, and was made quick so not that accurate.
So I’m making a new one to last at least until all drawers are finished, I’m going to try a woodrat as well to see if its any quicker. First step is to join two pieces together, these must be square.
I then use my vice as a datum, and screw and glue the back support in. This must all be level and square for the jig to be accurate.
I fix a stop so it reference’s in the same place.
I then need a pencil line running up from my vice guide, and square to the top.
Then I need to fit a stop that is smaller in thickness to the drawer material.
I chamfer the top so it won’t interfere with the router.
Cut some pin’s on the bandsaw, and clean up with a chisel.
The jig in use, I start by using the jig to give my router a larger area to reference off, then hog off the waste to within 0.5mm of my knife lines. I’m listening for a change in tone from the router to let me know how far to go into the waste, once I hear that tone I stop. Then its just a matter of chiselling to the knife lines.
Then just assemble them together
And the finished result, not perfect by any means but a quicker way to make a lot of drawers, and still have a hand cut look. This was done quick to show the process, but if I had taken my time a bit they would be passable.
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