problems laying out, marking 135 degree dovetails

Thanks for posting these

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

Knowing how you're solving - and not solving - this interesting problem is really valuable. Things that are easy at 90 degrees can get complicated fast at other settings, as you're demonstrating.

Re: problems laying out, marking 135 degree doveta

Barry Irby

I have only hand cut a few dovetails in my life and none of them as good as the ones you do, so take this with a grain of salt.

I would have thought you would mark this off with the ends of the boards still square and cut the 135* bevel later, maybe after the joint was assembled.

I know you realize that you are one of the few people who will ever see these joints and perhaps the only one who will give a damn about the excellence of the fit. Therefore, you should do a fine job of it.

Years ago I made a table that had very slender legs. I punched the mortises for the rails with a hollow chisel mortiser. They neatly intersected. I suppose I should have mitered the tenons. I dovetailed them. No one ever saw them or knows they are there, except me. I imagine somebody trying to disassemble the table to repair it and what they will think if they manage to get it apart. I still smile when I think about it.

Put dovetails on that drawer that make you smile.

trading one problem for another

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

The marking suggestion off the board before mitering is an attractive idea. It could be done with two marking gauges. But then the miter would need to be cut at a length with great accuracy, maybe aided by a shooting board. I'll give this idea more thought.

Somebody solved these problems in 1720 but they never wrote a book about it.

Re: trading one problem for another

Barry Irby

How about marking them and sawing the kerfs and then cutting off the ends with a chop saw or miter box? Not sure that's any better than chopping and fitting the tails and then cutting the ends, but maybe.....

Bill after this, you might as well slope the sides

Keith Newton

Like a pyramid to add another huge level of complexity. Not only are the ends not square like on this plane, the side bevel requires the opposite sides of each tail have a different angle. Otherwise on the tails, one side may follow the grain, while the other becomes too fragile from having the apparent sum of both sides.

If you haven’t already done this, you’ll like the journey.

Re: Bill after this, you might as well slope the s

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

"If you haven’t already done this, you’ll like the journey"



Maybe someday I slope some sides like for a dandy tray. But right now I'll be delighted to get a drawer made with acceptable hold- it- together joints. Other daughter is designing a coffee table I am anxious to get into after the corner cupboard is in its corner.

Re: problems laying out, marking 135 degree doveta

William Duffield

Would it help to make a custom marking gauge with a 45° fence face? This might help to minimize the damage to the edge.

Nobody puts baby in a corner!

working on that idea

Re: problems laying out, marking 135 degree doveta

Paul in NJ

Hi Bill,

Here is how I have set the base lines in this situation. Set a marking gauge or pair of dividers to the distance of the baseline. In this instance it is 1.41 x the thickness of the drawer side. Use the dividers or marking gauge to put just a mark on the drawer side. Next use an accurate square (I am sure you must have a combo square) and a marking knife to mark the length of the baseline across the end of the board. Flip the board on edge and use the 45 degree side of the square with the knife registered in the baseline and mark the angle. Do this on the other side also. Now just mark the opposite baseline using the marks from the side and the square. You now have accurate and parallel baselines.

You can mark, cut, and transfer the dovetails as you usually do. A saddle square is helpful to mark the 90 degree lines.

For this to work you must have an accurate square.

Regards,

Paul Dzioba

Re: problems laying out, marking 135 degree doveta

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Paul, can you draw this - I am having a hard time visualizing it.

I have made many compound dovetailed drawers, and my first goal is to find a way to make perpendicular joins, rather than angled ones.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: problems laying out, marking 135 degree doveta

Paul in NJ

I am proposing angled joints, easier to layout. The most difficult thing is to mark the baseline of the pins and tails. Once you have that everything its the same as a normal dovetail. You just cut further down one side to meet the baseline. Just like a normal dovetail, half of the cuts are 90 degrees on both boards.

Regards,

Paul Dzioba

Re: problems laying out, marking 135 degree doveta

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Your's is a better ideal that what I came up with, or at least more versatile. I made a saddle the indexed off the arris point with an edge the proper distance from the arris. It took diddling to get it right. Would have been quicker to mark and use a square to scribe the line as you suggested.