Oct. 6, 2024

What is a dovetail?

Two mini projects I'd like to do here. One is the dovetail template. This will help me draw out the same angles each time. I could make 3 templates; one 1:6 one 1:7 and one 1:8. The 1:7 is the angle that is used most I believe. Here is an article on how to do it.

The second is a dovetail guide, this i a guide for the saw cut, to make sure you do an accurate angled saw cut each time. Probably even more helpful than the template, but maybe doesn't last as long.

These two bits of equipment, probably won't be used together, but I think both would be useful. This is part of my mini series of woodwork projects to learn some skills, gain tools, and practice woodworking in general, before I stumble through my big project. Paul Sellers has done walk throughs on both of these, so will be following his instructions. First thing I need is some solid wood. Currently I only have plywood. Since these are quite small off cut pieces, I wonder if I can forage for some somewhere...

20 Sep

The two dark pieces in this picture are the dovetail templates I made. I made it with thin plywood (6mm), which I cut out the small angled pieces and glued them onto the main rectangle piece. I haven't used them yet.

24 Sep

I used the dovetails to make the dovetail guide, and realised I made the templates wrong! Oh dears. Each side of the template needs to be a mirror image. I made them on the same side, so when you flip over the template to draw the opposite angle, it is the same angle. Classic mistake. Sometimes, you don't quite understand what you're making / why it works, until you make it and try it. Now I understand what's going on here. I'm going to have to remake it. 

I ended up making the dovetail guide, using a protractor to make the mirror angles, so it's not really a blocker on other projects. But yeah, these templates don't work. I did end up from some scrap wood in a skip, one piece of which is a solid wood piece. So I might try to a remake the template out of that so i can carve out each side, like the article suggests, instead of gluing it on. 

5 Oct

Since the dovetail template was the wrong way round, I remade the 1 by 7 dovetail from some solid wood, carving out the guide. It was another rough job, but I have something in the end. I don't think it's particularly accurate though and after practicing make some dovetail joints I've decided I'm not quite ready yet. I've downgraded myself to making box joints for now and will come back to dovetails later.

For now, it's a reasonable attempt and probably useful once I get better at wood working.

 

 

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