HC Dovetails: where did I go wrong???(LONG)

Re: HC Dovetails: where did I go wrong???(LONG)

L. Hanson - N. Idaho

>A couple quick thoughts -

A minimal set saw won't work well in soft woods. They work better in harder woods such as maple - if you are still getting binding, it could be that there isn't enough set on the teeth for the wood you are cutting.

Have you tried using the Disston for cutting the dovetails? Try it out and see how you do. If you can do better, it's the set up on the other saw that's at fault.

If it continues binding even in hard woods, you will need to add more set to the teeth.

If after setting the teeth, the saw is tracking consistently to one side, lay the saw down on the bench with the side that it tracks to facing up - then *lightly* run a stone one time down that side to remove some of the set - this could obviously be a problem if there isn't enough set already, but is one possibility. After drawing the stone down the blade try cut to a line and see how it does. If it still tracks to the same side, repeat the above until it doesn't. You may have to re-set the teeth and start over.

These sorts of issues are the reason that I advocate learning to sharpen saws yourself - it allows you to fine tune the saw to your own specs. Vintagesaws.com has a great primer, and I put something on my site the back saw project about shaping and sharpening teeth that might also be of some help

HTH

Leif

norsewoodsmith.com

Re: HC Dovetails: where did I go wrong???(LONG)

John Vancil in Silverdale, Wa

>Hi Doug did you test cut your freshly sharpened saws to see if they cut straight. If you don't know how? For the rip saw take a straight grain board and mark a few lines from the end down grain and for the crosscut mark a few lines across the face and top of the board. Now start your cuts to leave the line and see if the saws will follow the lines. Now remember to use a very light grip on your saws so you won't try to steer the saws. If your saws won't track the lines you need to take a very fine stone to the side of the saw on the inside of the curve. A couple light stokes and then retest the saw until the saw track straight most of the time. I hope this will help you. Good luck Doug! John

Re: HC Dovetails: where did I go wrong???(LONG)

Rick Hoppe (Los Angeles)

>Doug, I'm assuming that you are new to hand sawing and that you are using backsaws. How you start the cut is very important, especially if the saw is newly sharpened.

You need to take most of the weight of the saw when you start. Proper stance is also very important in getting a straight cut.

This is covered in detail in "The Complete Dovetail" by Ian Kirby. This is a book, in any event, I would recommend to anyone who wants to make hand-cut dovetails.

Re: HC Dovetails: where did I go wrong???(LONG)

paul womack

>sharpened by a pro

Sadly pro(fessional) just means someone who charges for their services. Not all "pros" are excellent at their job, although performing most any activity 8 hours a day should result in the eventual improvement of skills.

In particular, the sharpening services offered by hardware stores (in my area) varies tremendously, and they all charge :-)

Conversely, I know some damn good amateurs.

I'd echo the "learn to sharpen and tune your own saw" suggestion, certainly as a long term solution.

BugBear

Agreed

David Miller from Iowa

>Most pro places do it by machine which, IMHO, doen't come close to a hand done job (especially on crosscuts). Sort of like buying a new plane - the iron always needs a little work.

Re: HC Dovetails: where did I go wrong???(LONG)

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Doug -

I'm not much further along with DTs than you are - so please take what I say with a huge grain of salt!

First, if you're going to use the rip profiled saw (i.e. the Richardson) exclusively for DTs (and not tenon cheeks, too) then you might want to try some parrafin on the blade (before you try adjusting the set). You say the saw is binding. That sounds like the set is too minimal. On the other hand with DTs your only cutting (usually) and 1/2 - 1 inch deep and in my limited experience even a saw with no set doesn't bind much under these circumstances. The parafin will lubricate the blade and may help with the binding. If you going to use the saw for more than DTs then you might have to add some more set. Otherwise you might try parafin first (i.e. from the bottom of a candle) and see if that helps.

Second, is the Richardson a DT saw or a standard backsaw. I ask because (as you probably know) the angle of the handle on a DT saw is different from that of a standard backsaw. A DT saw's handle is set so you can more easily watch both the endgrain and longgrain lines as you're cutting your DTs. This improves your chances of following both lines at the same time. If the handle is a standard backsaw handle you may have to make some conscious adjustments so you can keep both lines in view while sawing - many folks do this.

On keeping your cuts straight - it's hard to know without seeing you cut. But as others have said: practice is essential - just make alot of lines in the endgrain down along the long grain and keep practicing. One of the things I've found useful (and I have a long ways to go) is saw SLOWLY. One of the great things about hand tools is that you can so slowly - you can see (and correct) your mistakes as they unfold. It also helps you develop your eye for this kind of thing.

Anyway, best of luck, and keep us posted on our progress.

Regards -

Dave

So the word should be used is...

HC Sakman

>..."expert" not "pro". Right? ;-)

Chico...

Re: HC Dovetails: where did I go wrong???(LONG)

Mike L

>Hi Doug,

Just an observation from a fairly inexperienced member of the peanut gallery. When I decided to get into woodworking using primarily hand tools, I bought a few Adria backsaws. They are sharp with minimal set. One thing I noticed is that they work better if I ease up on my grip and let the saw do the work with me just there to pull it back and forth. When I gripped the saw tightly, it would bind up; probably because it is difficult to hold the saw perfectly in line with the narrow kerf. Try a lighter grip and see how that works. HTH.

Cheers,

Mike