RobCosmanb

TECHNIQUEBOOK

A11rights resewed.No part of this book may be reproduced

or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronicor
mechanical,includingphotocopyng,recording,or by any
rnJormahon
storageand refrlevalsystem.Mthoul wntten
permissionftom Rob Cosman.
02008 AvsRlcANCnarrsl,nNPunucenous
Box 3260,Grand Bay,New Brunswic( Canada E5K 4V5
1-877-967-5966

rsBN978-0,9809412-0-3
Visit wr.rw.robcosman.
com
Photographyby Kim Hilchie
Book designby JohnHoffrnann

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Hand-Cut
Dovetails

TABLE OF CONTENTS
4

DEDICATION

PREFACE

SECTION1 TOOLS FOR THE TRADE

12

SECTION2 STOCK PREPARATION

15

S E C T I O N3 T H E M A R K I N G G A U G E

21

SECTION4 LAY OUT

28

SECTION5 DOVETAIL SAWING

33

SECTION6 THE FRET sAW

36

S E C T I O N7 S P L I T T I N G K N I F E L I N E S

40

S E C T I O NB C H I S E L I N G

45

SECTION9 TRANSCRIBINGTHE TAILS

50

SECTION1OSAWTNG PINS

55

S E C T I O N1 1 C H I S E L I N GT H E P I N W A S T E

51

S E C T I O N1 2 P R E - A S S E M B L YC H E C K

53

S E C T I O N1 3 A S S E M B L Y

59

SECTION14 TROUBLESHOOTING
TheTailBoard
ThePin Board
TheJoint

Hand-Cut
Dovetaih

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ROB(OSMAN3

I owe my mosthumbiegatitude to the giverof all talent.Often asI cut into wood I am humbledat thebeautythat is oursto enjoy.
andlovingwife,Kimberleyhas
My success
in this field is largelythe resultof an encouraging
andthe first to jump in andhelp.Thisbookwas
alwaysbeensupportiveof my endeavors
madepossibleby the manyhourssheput forth. In additionto helpingme shehasraisedand
educatedour ten children.Trulya remarkablewomarywife and mother.
I alsoowe a debtof gratitudeto both Kim's and my parentsthat amongmanythingstaught
us the valueof hardwork. Into the livesof the fortunateentervery specialpeople.Forme this
wasDr. DaleNish. Earlyrn my careerDalerecognizedmy ability and providedme with every
opportunityto expandmy experienceand developmy skll. He openeddoorsthat would not
talentand givingthose
haveotherwisebeenopened.Dalehasspenthis careerdiscovering
individualsthe opportunityto displayit to the woodworkingworld.I would alsolike to thank
that I havehad the pleasureto meet,teachand
the manywoodworkingstudents/friends
be{riendaroundthe world.Finallymy childrerya most cherishedblessingin my life.
FamilyFirst!
RobCosman

4
I

] ROBIOSMAN

www.robcosman.com

Dovetails
Hand-Cut

PREFACE
I havebeenworkingwoodsincemy earlychildhood.
On my motherssidemy grand{ather
and
greatgrandfather
wereboth carpenters.
I knew themboth andhad the opportunityto work
with"Gramp".My fatherwasan industrialartsteacherfumedcarpenter
sowoodworking
was
definitelyin my blood.Duringmy boyhoodI wasalwaysbuildingsomething,from boatsto
gunhandlesandIromgo-cartsto woodenbowls.Not onlywasI fascinated
with woodbut my
questfor perfection
nearlydrovemy fathercrazy.
Duringmy earlyyearsof professional
furniturebuildingI workedhardto masterthe art of
dovetailing.
As a studentandteachlngassistant
at BYU,I usedmy access
to thewoodshopto
practicecuttinga row of dovetails
eachmomingbeforeclass,OnceI mastered
theprocess
my
nextquestwasspeed.I hadthe incredibleopportunityto spendsometimewith mastersLike
TageFridandAlan Peters.
Theirinput to my careerwasboth priceless
andinspiring.It is
because
of thisI now feelit both an honoranda dutyto passon whatI know andhelpkeep
the traditionalive.Tothis endI haveproducedthreedovetailvideos,writtenthis bookand
continueto traveltheworldteachingthosewantingto learn.Sawcutto sawcutjoineryis my
motto,straightfromthe sawandwithouta testfit. \A,hi1e
somescom,hundredshavegoneon
to do it anddo it extremely
we1l.
I continueto build fuiniturefor my ever-expanding
familyandwith no endin sightI am
thrilledat the prospect.To
teachandworkwoodfor a livingis bothan honorandprMlege.

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

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ROB
COSMAN 5

1 TOOLS FOR THE TRADE

L SECTTON
I havcfonnd
countrieshoi,tto hant-lcltt dovctails,
of iolksin ser,eral
Ater teachinghr-rtrclrecls
do theiobrvellthetoolsneedto be sharpand
theuseof impropeltoolsquitecommon.To
fronithehandleto
thatcoversevcrything
properlysuitedfor the task.On a dovetailsar'r,,
i,r,hat
to lookfor rnrhen
on
to
inform
you
ihc numberoi teeth.Thisfirstsectionis desigred
brand,thebetter
an-v
spccific
not
\'\thile
promoting
too1s.
r.naking
vor-rr
dovetail
or
choosing
belon'lAs vor-r
sr-Lggestcd
toolsrvil1olien comewith lnostif not a1lof the character.rstics
qr-ralitv
yorlmavwantto fine tr.ure1,.our
I haveoitendonethisandI notethose
too1s,
gainexperience
in thetcxt.
changes

in
A pistolgripregisters
thehandthesanrervav
eachtimeit is pickedLLp.
Thisallorvstheuserto
dcvelopa feclforvertical
a blg helprvhen
sarving,
sawingpins.
. A thinblade(.018-.020)
removeslcssrvoodai-rd
is easrer
to push.
. Thcsetof theteeth
(s1i
bending
ght or,rtrvarcl
be
of eaclitooth)shoLrld
in therangeof.001kt
DO\TTAILSAW
.003persideto helpthe
bladetrackpropcrlv
(cutstraight).
. Dovetailing
is primarilv
ripplngr,tooclvs.cross
hcncethetecth
cLrtting,
$ppi8f
shouldbefiledrip (cutl i n gf . r c rer fl , r u l lpl s l p q n
d i c u. r -t n l c r r $ ho i b l ; d r ) .
. PPIor points(tccth)per
inchshouklbein tbe
toomanv
14-16range,
teeth(20+)sklvsthe
lvhiletooferv
sarving
teeth(-12)rnakcsthe
to start.
san r'lifficr-rlt

DO\TTNLSAWPPI

/r
#H

e
?

v,
,
,)

v,
f,)
F)
*

t
6,

(OSMAN
ROB

www.robcosman.com

HandtutDoveraits
rl

. Barrel hme qarseq rrp

usuallyreadyto useout
of thebox.
. Thc
vrhppl nn
' ' . ' ' - 'crrftino
.-'.t]

thisgaugeis easierto
sharyenthanthepin on
traditionalgauges.
. Themicrometer
adjustmcni

el]nurq fnr rrpnr

precisesettings.
. Rarrel onrropq crn hp

rolledinsteadof pushed/
pulledfor precisemarking
or on difficultsurfaces
-..^L
DUlrr

^^
d)

^ -^--^-,,
d rrdrruvv

^l^^
cu6c,

. Sawingthe buik of the

wastebetureen
tails

"M*iu;;
.:
.':::.
Ir"t

^-,1 -;-^
;- ^^-;^dl tu Pl1 tJ rJ gdJltrl

+L^u ld r l

chiseling,
especially
with
naffowor Londonstyie
tails& pins.
. Frpl q:urq r:n
-*"

rqp
\/pn/
-'"'
''-J

finebladesthatwil1fit a
naffowdovetailsawkerf.
. Frpt qaurq urith
' ' ' . ' . ' 'riqid
tr'*
lremeq end urin o nr r I

a11ow
tensionadjustments
for a verytauntbladethat
resistsbowingduringuse.

FRETSAW

. Toexceed
the limitation
of a 3" throat,theblade
canbe twistedabout30
d
* 'pl rm' 'p' "p*s. . 'a. t' ' ,t h
- ,p' . rc'l.a. m
t ) nino
nnintq Thiq Lppnc lhp

frameabovethejoint on
a horizontalcut.

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

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ROB
COSMAN

I
-^
'a
F&
rl

W''

,I

. Dividersarea more
accrlrate
mcthodoi tr:ansierrineciinrensious.
. Six-inchdnidersarea
comiortable
sizcior
jointlavor-rL.
. Scrcith'peacljr-rstments
arcbetterthanfi-iction
h'pefor prc.rrenting
accidental
mo\renrent.

ft
?t

r+

a
a
?
?
a
a

. A gooclnrarkingkniic

e
P

MARKINGKNIFE

i:lr:

i..t'

. A six jnch sqnat-c

ts larire
enor-rgh
to be accuratc
vet small anclconrrenient
to rlse.

COMBINANON
SQUARE
(O5MAN
ROB

-3
!I

DMDERS
1 ' 1 . . ' .1Jo-h e, ' ," t ' i , , r [ . t b lht r
hold anclaccuratc
to Lrse.
. Tlie blaclcneedstctbc thin
enoughkr passin the
dorretailkerf r.ctr-igid
enough to pre1,g1l1
ataatsivc flexirrerlurins nse.
. If thc blacleis too sharp
thc mark left in cnd erain
can bc cliilicultto scc,
dullingthe bladcmakes
t l r , n ' . r r kr rt t l c t, t r t .rl ' . 1 > : e t
to sec.
. The blacleshoLLld
bc rvide
ct'totjshat the tip to allcnv
the userto fccl jt registcr
againsttlie tail.

'^ -'3

il

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Hand(ut Dovetails

P
P
P
P
P
P
P
e
P
P
e
P
P
P
P
e
I

Ff
p

Fr
Fr
Fr
Fr
p

. Thismarkerallowsthe
angledfaceandthe
squareendto be marked
urifh nnp cpl-tinq

. Dovetailanglesvarywith
hardandsoftwood"1:7
for hardrake(8 degrees)
woodand1:6rake(10
degrees)
for softwood.

FT

f
tr

Fo
il

;:.',..

fi

Fr
Fr

A roundmalletdoesnot
requiredirectionaihitting
likeihe hammert1pe.
Themalletshouldbe light
enoughto be comfortable
yet hear,yenoughto
allow gravityto do most
of the work.

FI

Ff

Fr
FI
il

:)i

,'"i
. ":r.,

,1nEl-

il

Fo
F
Fr

. A steelhammerallows
theuserto"feel"orread
whatis happeningwith
eachstrike.
. ForassembLing
small
boxesandmostdrawer
dovetails,
a 12-ounce
hammeris sufficient.

lrt

F
p

Fo
l{
Il
!|

Hand-CutDovetails

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ROB
COSMAN

-l

!:.

_-l

fr

rr

e
?

. A spatula
is invaluablc
for east'anclaccurate
placcnrent
oi e1ue.
. Steclblarles
arcmorc
dr-nable
bLrtplastic
blacli.s
arccasler
to ctean.

f .r._t ' ' +.Ts*

"

..;

CLUINGSPATT]'I-A

. Chisels
nceclto bc conrtiltablekt use,lightanrl
lvellbalancecl.
. Thebettcrihestceland
sharpcr
thechisclthe
lonsertheeclgcrctenturn.
. Thesidcslopcon bevcl
cdgedchisels
nccdstcr
extcndlron thechiscl
backkr thetop,alloning
ior clear-ance
l hcncliop
plnebthveentai1s.

P
?
?
?
?
?
?
P

e
e
?
e
e

*'#8

Cl,

c,

CHISELS

G)
. Uslngan insiclerabbetis
an cfiectirrctvav to r-eiercncc.the tailboartlto the
pln boarclu4renh-atrsfer
ring d(r'ctails.Secpage18.
. Thc skew,blockplancr,r'ith
its fenceanclskciverlblade
rurakes
thc srtroothcstci-rt
on crossgrair-t,
. The shor-rlcler
planecan
alsocb tht lob though
sorlctjnresncttr1-lteas
cleanor as convrrtient.

P
?

t{-

e
e
e
e
P
P
P

SKE\'V
BLOCKPLANE
www.r0br05man.(om

H a n d - (D
uo
t vetails

d
I

-*J,
SHOONNG
BOARD

. Shooting
boardsare
desigredto enablethe
luserto casjlvplanetlic
endof a rnorkpieceat
rightaneles
to itstacc
anci1tsedge.
. ;\ goodnraterialfor
shooting
boarcls
is
I,icdir-r
nr densih'fiber'
board(NlDF),
it is stablc,
inexpci'islve
andhasa
longtvearing
srLriacc.
. Thereis no spcciflc
size,
ho\t'ever
thisshootine
boarrlis28"br,17' andis
madefor bothrlghtand
lefthandnsc.

. Thcbaseis 28 bv 17 bv
r/r",thetopis28 bv 11
bt"/," andthefrontcleat
i s1 7 b r ' 1 / i ' b v 1 , " .
. Thetop'/,"piecchasa
shallor,r,
rabbet('/ru"bv
'/r")cr-rt
alongtheedgcior
theplaneto ridcagainst.
. Thctop,bottomandcleat
afeghledanclscr-en
ed
togethel;
it is bcstto
clamptheunitilatnfiile
thc glr-re
sets.

ry
Hand(ut Dovetails

i^_lk

Is.
www.robcosm
an.com

a1t?qa

. Theshootine
board
r,r,orks
bestif theienccis
positioned
6-8"in fionr
thecnd.
. Thcicnceshouldbe a
clr-u-a
bleharc'hvoocl
and
secr-rred
lvith ghreand
screivs,
thisoneis 10r/:"
br'1 '/,' br'1'/.'.
. Thcicncemustbesqr-rar-e
to thcleference
siclcoi
theshooting
board
(tvhere
theplancrides)
andhelclback'/'"h.om
touclring
theplancin use

(Ost\4AN 1l
ROB

SECTION2 STOCK PREPARATION

TIPS
Oftenoverlooked"
oneof the keysto a successful
joint is to haveaccuratelymilled stock.
Yourboardsshouldhavethe insidefacehandplanedflat,smoothandparal1e1
to the outside.
Theedgesshouldbe planedstraighfsquareandpara1le1
to eachother.Theendwherethe
joint will be cutneedsto be squareto the long edgesandthe face.Theendalsoneedsto be
smoothto bettershowthe knifelayoutmarks.
It is a goodideato practicewith the samewoodsyou usefor building.Themostcommon
placefor dovetailsis in drawerconstructionand slncethe drawerfrontsarethickerthan the
sides,throughoutthis bookyou will see13/16"stockdemonstrated
for the pin board(simulating
the drawerfront)and 1i2" stockdemonstrated
for the tail board(simulating
the drawerside).
Using contrastingwoods is anotherhe1pfultip. In finishedwoodworkit is a greatwayto
showoff the dovetailedcornerasthe drawergetsopened.Darkpins againstlight tailscan
evenmakea so-sojoint look a lot better.\.A/hen
you fust startcuttingdovetails
a bit of success
cango a longwayin encouraging
you to persevere.

. Placeyourhandon the
widestpart of the side
andbe carefulnot to tip
the p1ane.
. Usethe longsoleof the
planeto straightenthe
board'sedge.
. Usethe shootingboard
to keepthe boardsedge
and planesquareto
eachother.
. Do the sameto the
onnocite
- r r ' " _ - - ' *edoe
o-'

I
. Planca smallchanriertcr
prerrentsplintcringof the
backetlge.
. Planethc chamferbv
hnl, lir,' tlrp h,rrr, i rurrr:
"-'''''tl

irom lireleft sicleof the

lence.

'-\

PLANINGACF{AMFER

. Position
thc boar-cl
lvith
thechamfered
sidc
against
thelence.
. Kccpingtheboardtighttcr
tl.refencc,thcplanetight
to therebatccl
cclgeancl
thc boarcliedurtop1ane,
cutnntilthcchanrier"
almostclisappears.
. Rcpeatthesestepsrvith
thetailboarcl.
SHOONNCENDGRNN
,W"'

. Theinsideiaccoi thcpin
andtailboarcls
nrustbe
plancdbciorcthcjoint
is cut.
. IrLanc
b rcniorre
themill
nrarksanc'l
to leavethe
flat,snroothand
sr.rriace
finishcd.

PLANINGTHEINSIDEFACE
A p l e c e o f 1 8 b r ,1 1 b ) , r / : n
' rdilrjthabottotufroltcleatat'ida'/,'topbackclcat
makcsa g-eatplirningboard for wofking on short and smallprieces.
H a n d ' (D
u to v e t a i l s

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ROB
CO5MAN 13

S E C T I O N3 T H E M A R K I N G G A U G E

TOOLTIPS
.
,,

Whencuttingdovetailsthe marking gaugeis secondonly to the dovetail saw in importance.

It needsto leavea clean1ine,squareto the goodsideof the scribeand angledon the waste
side.Thegaugecreates
partof thefinishedjoint sothebetterthe markthebetterthejoint.

of the shapeof the cutter,it pullson the gaugeasit is draggedthroughthe wood.

, Because
For easein making fine adjustments,somehave a one-handoperatedmicrometer.
'
Theseareequippedwith two lockingscrewsthat hold the gaugefirm1yin place.
Thecutterson the banel t)?e gaugesarevery easyto sharperya bit of facehoning on a fine
stoneis a1lthatis needed.
Alsolook for a gaugethatis well-balanced
andcomfortable
to use.
Thesharperthe markthe betterthe chiselwiil hold in the line asyou getreadyto chop.

. Setthe markinggauge
to the thicknessof the
pin board.

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

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ROB
CO5MAN 15

. Scribethepin board
thickness
on all four
surfaces
of the tailboard
It is easierto pull the
gaugethanpushit.

ff#
SCRTBINGTAILBOARD
$*

t**;:i

. Thehvo edgesaremore
easilydoneby holdingthe
gaugeagainstthe endof
the boardandrollingthe
cuttersideto side.
. Makethismarkasdeep
asthe gaugewill allow

ROLLT}IEEDGE

. Setthe markinggauge
about'/r"lessthanthe
thickness
of the tailboard.

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Hand-(ut
Dovetails

. Scribejustthe hvofaces
of thepin board.

SCKBEPINBOARD
U

Thefollowingprocess
will helpalignthe tailboardto the pin boardwhentranscribing
thetails.

. Makethe planea rebating

lnnl hrr rpmmrin o the ci,la
nlafp ln pvnnqp ihp p,'lop
r-*.'.".,'r""'.'.''*tr.

of theblade.

. Adjustthebladeto project
irrql hprunnd fhp
cdoe
nf
.'''
'*b'
''

l-"'

"'J

""-

thetool andpara11e1
to the
snlp Spt il fnr a liolrt crt

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

wwurobcosman.com

. Clampthe tailboard,
insidefaceup andpro
jectingjr-rstoff the edge
of thebench.

. Adjustthe fencesothe
pointof thebladeis cuitingon thescribeline.

. Balance
fhetoolsoii
starts,cutsandendson
thesameplane.

. Theshavingneedstobe
uniformin width, lengh
andthickness.
. A coupleof light passes
areusuallybetterthan
oneheavyone.

. A shoulderor rabbet
planecando thejob with
the aidof a fence.

. Checkyour resultswith a
str"aight
edgeanda backlighf it shouldbe lower
andparallelto the inside
faceof the tailboard.
. If it is out of parallel,
dependingon the
condition,eitherrepair
it or startwith a new
tailboard.

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

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ROBCOSMAN
19

www.r0bcosman.c0m

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

SECTION4 LAY OUT

TOOLTIPS
Thefewerstepsandtoolsln layoutthebetter.Reducethe steps- reducethe risk
of errors.

Combined
with a goodsteelrule,dividersarethe mostaccuratemethodfor
fransferrinp
dimensions.
.^-^.".'''''.t]

Usea fine ballpoint pen for layout- it is easierto see,the ljnewidth doesn'tchange
--l:+/^
^l-,,^-, ^L^*l
4rru rL J drvvoyD DItdlPl

A precisejoint startswith a preciselayout.

. Secure
the iailboard
r*rrn. 'rti]o' .h. 'f' . i n l h c r r i q e r c o e

squareor bubble1eve1
to
ensureit is plumb.
. Keepthe endof the tal1boardlow in theviseto
preventsawingchatter.
. Seftin o thp
* ' ' urnrL niono
""""b

plumbhelpsdevelop
the abilityto saw
nprncndier rlar

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

www.robcosman.com

. Thesenarrorvpin
dovetails
arcsimpleto
l;rr nrrl hri:

"

h" " i. l- . bt "n r o h

to cutfor beginners.

LONDONDO\ETA]LS

. Markthehalfpinsby
r p f p l c n c i n o n" "n- 'p- b l p o n
. - f" l h p'
f irrirlor rt tho e,loo nF th..

tailboard
andmakinga
markrviththe other.
. F o r n r o q i ;- r_nf rn_l_i c- -r-t i-o n- s

'/r" will work.

. Do bothsidesar.rd
sa\reth
sclnrglu lar.,utfrreotl,ol
comefsof theproject.
. Usea second
pairof
drviders
for thencxtstep.
1/2PIN LAYOUT

. Divldethedistancc
betleenthc '/rpinmarks
by the desirednumber
of talls,leavea shallor'v
nrerlz rl o.rrh irrnrlinn

Seetop of page67.

LONDONLAYOUT
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Hand(ut Dovetails

. Usethedoveiailmarker
to layor"rt
thcjoint.
. Rcfcrence
both angles
fromthesamemark.

DO\ETA]LMARKER

i,
. Widepinsoffelmorc
lvill be
roomto rvorkar.rd
thp qrrhic.cf .f ih{. rPct r )f
" '

! 4 l '

"

thisbook.
. T h l e v n r l r'r' r' i-d- c' tr- n" i' n" s l.l'r'p-

dividersettinghaskr
includethcrvidthot one
tailandonepin.

\\'IDEPINSAMPLE

. Balance
make
thc'/:pins,
themr,videenoughto
roqicl qnl;rinq

hrl

nnl

sowideasto be out of
nronnriinn
io
' ' ihe
_ ' ' _ ioint
T "T'- '''"
l''_'-'

. '/*"is a goodsizeto start

fine
with thor-Lgh
sor'ne
tuningwillconewith
prachcc.
r An i r q r- r" n f h
. T
' ! d
l ! c
' -r
J lih'h
' - n t_ h
_ '
T _ _ _

mark.
a shallolv
. Savethisdir,idersetting
for ihe othercomers.
LA\{NG OUT1/2PINS
Hand-fut
Dovetails

!Fp{ij;:':r;:

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.lrywJ-

ROB(OSMAN
23

. Startthesecond
pairof
divrderson the '/: pin
mark.
. Wthout leavingany
marksadjustthediviclers
untilyoucanstepoff the
desired
numberof tails
andlandon theopposite
'/' piu.

START
ON 1/2PIN

. Openthecljviders
a small
amountto begincxperimentingwith pin widths.

. Starton thc 1/'pin and

walkacross
thejoint.
. Notc horvfar beyondthe
'/:pin thedivider
opposite
leglands.
Thiswili r:lti
matelyreprcsent
the
widthof theinsidepins.
. Openingthe dlviderswill
increase
the pin width
andclosingthe dividcrs
will shrinkthepin width.
. Don'tpresshardcnough
to leavemarksuntil the
desired
settingis found.
STARTINC
INTHE ]/2 PIN
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Hand-(ut
Doverails

. With the desiredstetting,

LL^ l/- ^;,- ^-J
)LdrL urr Lrrtr /2 PIr drru

stepacrossthejoint
leavingshallowmarks
a I e a c h i rr n c l i o n

Spe lnn

of page67.

DMDERLAYOUTl

. At the oppositeedge
dont leavea mark
h p v n n d l. h' ' 'p
"'J

"-'*

Anin

li{r thp

dividerout andsiartfrom
+L ILL ;r J. r / - - ; //

Plrr

. - , 1 .V^V,A^Al l , LU .A-L1\ ,

AlrU

leavinga secondmarkat
eachjunction.

. T. -Jnon
rrol
r . - " ' . -cnmnlptinn
-"r,-'-.-"
J ".^
qhnrld havp vnr rr 1/,nr'n
l"-'''Y'
*^-l-^-l
-^;-^f ^^..^l
rLr4r^D drru PdlrJ ur cL]udr
^;- *^-1.^
^^.^-+L^
l
r
t
d
r
N
J
d
L
L
U
J
J
tltg
P[t

board.

Hand-[ut
Dovetails

www.robcosman.com

(O5MAN
ROB

25

. Set e finp hallnninl non

"-'r"-"'r-"
in thelhpinmarkand
slidethe dovetailmarker
againstit usingthedesired
slope,1:7for hardwood
1:6for sofh'vood.

. Startthe penat the scribe

line anddrawup.
. Thispreventsaccidentally
drawingbelowthe scribe
line,somethingthat
couldleadto sawing
belowthe 1ine.
. Anglethe peninto the
gaugeto getan exact
placement.

. Themostcriticaltailboard
cutis the perpendicular
acrossthe end,the Line
andsawcutmustbe
square.

SQUAR]NGTHE
ENDMARK

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

www.r0DCosman.c0m

ROBCO5MAN
27

SECTION5 DOVETAIL SAWING

---

TOOLTIPS
Practiceso you canassembleyour ioint from the saw.Thepurposeof a dovetailsawis to
cut a cleanstraightkerf that canbe giued.Intentionallyleavingmaterialto be paredlateris
sawcut to saw
counter-productive
and non traditional,dovetailsweremeantto be assembled
cut.Yoursawneedsto be up to the task,goodtoolsequalgoodwork.
The peqpendicularcut on the pins is critical.Forthejoint to work the sidesof eachpin must
A pistolgrip sawhandleregistersin your
be straightand plumb.Thisis wheregravif canhe1p.
hand the sameway eachtime you pick it up with a bit of practiceyou wili be ableto saw
verticallywithout watchinga line. Rememberto alwaysplumb the work piecein the vise!
Youshouldhold your dovetail saw like you would cradlea baby'shand.Holdingtoo
tight is a commonenor madeby beginners.Held lightly a properlysetsawwill cut straight
and leavea smoothkerf.

J
J
G
J
J
J
J
J
J
J
J
J

a
J
J
J

. Hold the sawwithyour

indexfingerpointing
down the blade.
. Yourgrip shouldbe similar
to the pressureusedto
cradlea baby'shand.
. Holding on to the sawtoo
tightiy preventsit from
sawingstraightand
causesa raggedkerf.

28

ROB
COSMAN

wwwI0DCosman.c0m

Hand-CutDovetaih
I

. J Jsp fho hnftnm

' f nrrrfpr
**-.''

nf rrnrrr inrler . "finopr

' . { r ' ' * ' .:n,-]
*
thrrrrh to ninch ihp pnd

of theboardto forman
anchorfor the saw.
. Pinchingwith the bottom
quarterkeepsthe contact
pointwith the sawabove
the teeth.

& FNGERPINCH
TTII-,MB

. Pressthe sawlaterally
againstyourfingerand
thr rmh

to nrerrpnf
il
"
T'-'.''.'
]1,^* ^l,l-r;-^
-- -.^.,
1 1 v l r r ) N 1 1 L U 1 5d D ] V U

beginthe cut.

PRESSTRE
LATERAL

. T lqp rrorrr anehnrirro dioiiq

""'J""."'.''."''-.t]"'D.."

to pressthe sawinto
nncitinn

hacir.lo

the

lino

. Thiscutshouldbe nextto
not
thelinebut shor-rld
removeit.

Dovetails
Hand-Cut

www.robcosman.com
. j-;.

- t !:;s..

29
ROBCOsMAN
?th,nCq!FEFWTrylFJ

. Startthe cut by tilting the

sawforwardand taking
about80%of its weight
off thewood.
. Continuingto presslaterallyagainstyourfingertips
will increaseyour saw
startingcontrofusea
light touch.

. fu you cut alongthe line,

focuson wherethe saw
meetsthewoodand
makethe necessary
coreclons.

. Afterestablishing
a
shallowkerf pausefor
a second.
. \A,4ththis part of the task
done,takea breath,aim
the sawaiongthe angled
markandheadfor the
bottom.
. Don't attemptmid cut
conections,
its betterto
havethe kerf straight
evenif the angleis
slightlyoff.

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Hand-(ut
Dovetails

. Sawrightto the scribe

linel
. Stopping
on theline
establishes
yourcorners
andsaves
a lot of time.

STOPONTT{ESCREE

r'\

t|'

$i
iti

N
{u

ht'

. Sawall of thesame
anglesbeforechanging
yourbodypositionand
1'ourbench1amp.
. Thissavestlme and
you will benefitfrom
therepetition.

M.
REPETTTTVE
CUTS

. Tosawthe othersideof
the tail pull yourthumb
out of I'ourline of sight
andusejustyourindex
fingerto anchorthe saw

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

www.robco5man.com

(OsMAN
ROB

. Finishthe sawcuts.

J
f
J

SECTION5 NOTES

]C
-l

f
f,
t
r-!

It

f
]

f
-d

It

I
]

f
]

!
--.
32;

ROB
COSMAN

www.r0D(0sman.c0m

Hand-CutDovetails
f

SECTION6 THE FRET SAW

TOOLTIPS
A goodfret sawwill havea rigid frame and a tensioningsystemthat allowsfor a very
oneon the frameto takeup
tauntblade.Thebettersawshavetwo tensioningmechanisms,
on the endof the bladeclamp.\A4thnanowblades
mostof the slackanda fineradjustment
moretensionis requiredto preventseverebowingduringuse.
Go slow until you get accustomedto how the saw performs.Thenanowbladedoes
not providetrackinglike a dovetailsawsoyou haveto steerthe cut asweli aspushand pu1l
me saw
Tapingthe handlewith adhesivesport tapewill improveyour grip andmakethe saw
easierto control.Thenalrower(3") th,roatsawsareeasierto balanceon a horizontalcut.

. Installthe fretbladeto
cut on the pull strokeand
put it undersubstantial
tension.
. Usea pairof pJiersor side
cuttersto twist the blade
at the
about30degrees
e]emninq nninfq

. Thiskeepsthe saws
frameabovethe joint on
horizontalcuts.

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

www.I0D(0sman.c0m

. Havingtwistedthe blade
you wili needto tilt the
sawsiightlybeforeyou
drop it dov,nthe kerf.
. Comeoffthe bottom
about'Ar"beforeyou starl
keepsyou a
sawing.This
safedistancefrom the
scribeline.

. Sawascloseto the scribe

asyou can.Althoughfast
cuttingthis sawcanbe
fficult to control,slow
dov,nuntil practice
enables
you to saw
accurately.

. Slowdownasyou
the endof the
approach
cut to preventscaffng
+L^ ^li^^^-+
rrrs 4urdlsrrr

+^il
r@.

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Hand-Cut
Dovetails

SECTION7 SPLITTING KNIFE LINES

tF

TOOLTIPS
A ballpointpen worksbestfor drawingthe tails.Howeverwith the precisework of sawing
the pins to fit, a knife line is better suited.Theknifeline givesa verydefinitedividing
poinf splittinga pen or pencilline canbe verysubjective.
V\henyou aretransferringthe tailsto the pin board,concenhateon keeping the knife tight
to the part being copied.Pushingtoo hardinto the part beingmarkedwill causethe knife to
A slightlyduiledknife is easierto useand
for the path of leastresistance.
wanderasit searches
Ieavesa wider and easierto see'\,/".
When sawingagainsta knife mark on the pins,aim to take half of the knife "V" out with
the saw kerf while leavingthe otherhalf of the"V"with the pin.

J
J
J
J
J
J
J
J
J

e
J
J
J
J
J
tl

J
f,
f,
f,

. Think of the scribeline as

a"V"shapedgroove.
. Propersawingleavesone
half of the'T"with the tail
or pin while the otherhalJ
is sawnaway.

e
f
e
t
e
q
-j

35

ROB
COSMAN

www.roD(osman,c0m

Hand-(utDovetails
e

. Setthe iailboardleveland
low in theviseto prevent
sawingchatter.
. Usea bubblelevelif you
cant"eyeball"it.

. Useyourdigitsto anchor
the sawasit startsto cut
on thewastesideof the
scribe.
. If yourgripis sufficiently
l;^Lr
^1161tLi 4)

+L^
trrC

^^,,, -+^v!DdVV J(AILJ

+^
rU

cutit will slideoverto the

scribedshoulder.
. Thistechniquegivesthe
crrlr

rn

evrat

qlrrltnq

point.
reference
. Thisis the reasonfor
errttino dppn rmth thp

markinggauge.
Seepage16.

. Splitthe scribelineby
Lppnino helf fhp"V"in

thekerf.
. Striveto geta perfect$
vertlcalcut.
. Slowdormatthebottom
to avoidscarringthe side
of thetail.

HALFWAYDOW\]
Hand-Cut
Dovetails

www.r0DC0sman.(0m

ROB
COSI\4AN

37

. Sawingan angledcomer
with a sawthat cutsa
squarebottomleavesa bit
of wasteto be removed
with a chisel.

. Check)our cutsforexcess
waste.Anythingabove
the scribeline needsto
be pared.

. If thereis materialto be
removed"
startwith the
chiselon the marking
gaugeline andundercut
the surfacein the middle
of theboard.
. Thiq ic pnd mein cn ii

doesnot reducevaluable
gluesurface.
. A nanowchisela11ows
greatercontrolby reducing the pressure
required
to cut.

. With the middleremoved

you now havesmaller
areasro pare.
. Keepthe chiselreferenced
nn fhe qlrop
b**b"
""'^'-

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

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-linp
""'

S E C T I O NB C H I S E L I N G

--r
;

TOOLTIPS

Thechiselis probablythe simplestof commonwoodworkingtools,howeverfor it to perform

it must be properly preparedand sharpened.Thebackdf the chiselmustbe madeand
maintaineddeadflat.Todo thisthe sharpeningstoneshaveto be keptflat.Thismeansflattening
the stonesbeforeeachuseand everyminuteor so duringheavyuse.Thecloserthe chisel "
back.is to beingdeadflat the sharperyou canmakeit ani the b"etterit will perform.youcan
checkflatnessby inspectingan imagereflectionon the chiselback.No distortlon- it,sflat.
Distoriion- it's not flat. If thereis distortionyou needto reflattenthe chiselstartingon your
coarsest
stone.
Yourdrisels should to be comfortableto use.Top-healychiselscanbe awkwardandtiresome
sinceyou oftenhold thechiselnearthe tip to benergLudeit. Modifythemif necessary,
I have
cut handlesin halJto lightenthem up especia,lly
on the smallersizes.
Thebevel anglecan dramaticallychangea chiselsperformance.whiie 25 degrees
is
cornmonfor benchchiselsyou mayfind a steeperangleis neededfor mortisechise"ls
(30)and
a moreacuteangleoftenworksbestfor softwoods.I havea few chiselsgroundat 17degees
for choppinglight woodsthat easilycrush.

1
1

t
t
t

r|

t
O
CI
1
l

1
a,t

t
I

. Usea sacrificialboardto
protectyourbenchtop
andyourchisels.
. Setthe tailboardinside
faceup, startchiselingon
theinsideandfinishfrom
the faceside.

i
I
I

t
I
I
I

40

ROB
COSMAN

www.I0Dcosman.(0m

Hand-Cut
Dovetaik

rt
j

. Positiun
thc tailLroartl
andchisel
sovoucarl
secplrlm0.
. Keepthechisclplunrb
or-pcrpenclcr.rlar
as
vouchopr.

CHISELPERPENDICULAR

ffi'r'..;:;
. Chop the scribelurc kr
thc midpointbetl cclr
e a c ht a i l .
. Note; somcnooclsnrar
crushbeforcthel cr-rt.
]f so,rtr.r mav neecla
narrorvchiscln,ith an
aclrtecLLttlng
anglc
(17-18dcgces)

CHOPFL{LF\\AY

. Flipthetailboartl
ovcr.and
inspect
thescribc
hnc.
. Toon'r-rch
n'asteincreasts
plessLLre
un thcchisel
bevelthr.eateniue
kr push
it bcronclthescribelinc.

t
li
ri

EXCESS
\\ASTE
H a n (du tD o v e t a i l s

,i q*,

www.robcosman.com

(O5MAN
ROB

41

. If the sar'vcutwastal<en
to thescribeline,the
and
corneris established
thejobis done.
Secpage31.

M
|r
i#
INSPECTION
CORNER

.6

:;:$

i\

!\
I ,lt

ii

iu'\

Fryrq;

Cornerslike tliis dramati

ca1lv
increasc
thetimert
takesto cuta dovctail.

INSPECTION
CORNER

. \\brking frontto back,

chiselto
skell a narror'v
cleanand
critthecorncrs
removethc ilebris.
. Usethe straightedgeof
thechiselto checkfor
h,,m,rc

hah,-oon

tho trilc

be flat or
the surfaccmr-Lst
slightlvr-rndcrcut.
3l*,*,.,CLEANINGCORNER
Hand-Cut
Dor/etails

www.robcosman.com

ROB
COSMAN 43

. Starton the insideface

of thejoint with the tailboardsecurein thevise.
. \'Viththe guidinghand
anchoredagainstthe tailboard"finnly graspthe
chiselcloseto the
cuttingedge.
. Setthe chiseledgejust
insidethejoint to start
the cut.
. Pareto the centel,flip the
boardandrepeatfiom the
otherside.Easeoff asyou
approach
the center.

N0TE:Hffm:';:ffi:lT.i''1:ilffi
::.''*zeappLiedrorce
SECTIONB NOTES

www.IoDCosman.c0m

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

S E C T I O N9 T R A N S C R I B I N G T H E T A I L S

TOOLTIPS
Thisis a critlcalprocess,
perfectly executedtails are of no use if the transferto the pin
boardis not accurate.Cuttinea shallowrabbeton the undersideendof the tailboardcan
neatlyalignthefr,vo
boards.
Ir needsto be1/32"deep,
smoothandparallel
to thefaceof
theiailboard.
Findinga goodmarkingknifeis difficult.It needsto be thin to fit betlveenLondondovetails,
flexible to bendslightlywhenpressedand wide at the tip to registeragainstthe tail.You
-l .r.l d y h
. lt nu m
r LNas ^u "r m
r r"d' v q
l l rd
r n6liftr
"uu")

nnp

ln crrif

Try to resistpressingthe knife hard into the end grain of the pin board.Doingsowill
makethe knifedifficultto controlasit triesto followthe pathof leastreslstance.
Forthis
reasonit is betterdull thansharp,when dull the markis easierto seeandthe bladeeasier
to steer.

. Secure
the pin boardin
thevise,faceout andthe
top flushwith theplane.

PINBOARD
INVISE
Hand-Cut
Dovetails

www.robcosman.com

ROB
CO5MAN 45

. Pushthe planebackirom
the pin boardto createa
bridge.

. Usethe rabbetto register

the tailboardinto poiition
with thepin board.

. Pulledinto placethe hr,zo

boardsarelinedup and
justneedto be flushed
on theedge.

wwwrobcosman.com

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

. With drawersandboxes
thereis a"bottomhousing" grooveon eachpiece
thatneedsto bealigned.
. Usethe dovetailmarker
or anyflat surfaceto flush
theedgeof eachboard.

Useyouroppositehand
to preventthe tail board
frommovingasyou scribe
thetailsin thepln board.

. Approachthe sideof the

tailwith the marking
knifeat 10-20degrees
andbendit to 1ayflat.
. Thispressure
keepsthe
-k" 'n
" 'i f p

tLi]ob -h t t n t h p t e i l e c i t
"

lhnr tho en,.l

'iq
" - .draoop,l
*trtr'*

grainof thepin board.

. Don'tpushdornnsohard
thatit becomes
difficult
to keeptheknifetightto
the tail.

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

www.robcosman.com
rylF5wit{F

{$trGF;.ffiF,

. U:e a bendrlampto
checkfor strayknife
marksbeforeremoving
the taiiboar"d
. Makeanvcorrections
now andnotethemwith
a markassoonasthe
boardis removed.

. Bv anglingthe bench
lampto shineacrossthe
pin boarcfshadowswill
makethe knifernarks
morevisible.
. liy,to avoidhighlighting
wur chalkor penciJ,
the
baremarksarebest.

. C-hamjer
theinsideedge
oi eachtail.
. Startthechisel'/,u,'
from
theend.
. Forgreatercontroland
safely.chokeup on the
cntsel.

ROB
CO5MAN

www.robcosman.com

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

. Thechamferneedsto run
dov,nthe"side"ofthe tail
tn eeco eccemhkr enrj
facilifetp oLrino
-"--'-'..''
lr'*,''b'

CFIAMFERTT{E
EDGE

. Clipthe shavings
at the
scribeline.

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

www.robcosman.com

S E C T I O N1 OS A W I N G P I N S

TIPS
Practiceso you cansawwith,confidence.Alwaysattemptto spiitthe line,
don,tbe tempted
to sawawayfrom the line and haveto pareto fit.
Precisesawing.is a lot easierif you arerelaxed.Afterlayingout thejoint
takea fewdeep
breaths,look off in the distanceto giveyour eyesa quickrert Ina th.n i.sume
vour work.
Thereis no substitutefor good light. A werl-positioned
benchlampwill go a longwayto
helpingyou makeaccurate
sawcuts.

. Makesurethe pin board

is low in the viseand
standingplumb.

. Usea dovetailmarker
on its side(or a square)
ln rJreur nomon,-lin'l"t

linesfromthe scribeline
to theknifemarksin the
endgain.

PLTIMB
LINES

j|
I

---{

<d[.:.

. Minimizemistakes
bv
clearlymarklngthewastel

MARKINGWASTE

. Pinchwiih yourforefinger
andthumbto providean
rnnhor Fnr qtrrtino lhp

sawcut.

THLII4B
ANDFINGER
POSITION
Hand-(ut
Dovetails

lF;5a}.-!r:

www.robcosman.rom
#.FF-F11:1

ROB
COSMAN 5l
,.:F$i

: ry;

::w;-

. Pressthe sawagainst
1,ourfingersandposition
it to spiitihe line.
. lhke 80%of its weight
oit thewoodas1'or-r
tilt
the sawforwardto start
thecut at the backof the
pin board.

SAWTILTED

. Todo thisproperlythe
"V"shaped
knifelinehas
io besplit.
. Onehalfof the"V"stays
with the pin whilethe
otheris wastedin the
sawkerf.

. Oncethekerfis estabiishedalongthetop,
finishthecr,rtby salr,rng
to thescribeline.
. Ar optionis to establish
the top kerfthenpause
brieflybeforeaimingthe
sal to finishthecut.

SAWTNGACROSSTHE
BOARD
52

ROB
COsI\,1AN

www.rob(osman.com

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

. Followthe lineto the

bottom.

. Completethe cutby
sawingto the scribeline.

. Verticalsawcutsareihe
mostcritical.Practice
and
gravitywill makethis
secondnafure.

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

www.r00c0sman.c0m

. Th crr^r nn lhp onnncifp

sideof the pin your

+L,.-L
L^- +^ ^,,11 1..^-1.
L rL U r rL U LL d J t U P U I U d L N
ln oYn^co lhe lino \Tnur

the indexfingeranchors
the saw.

FINGER
&THUMBPOSITION
FOROPPOSMSIDE
*

. Usethe fretsawto cut

ascloseto theline as
possible.

. R i o h t s i d p n f l 'p"f t n i n'
"'
r"

showssomeof the"V"
rpmeinino

lpft qido nf

r i-qoh__
i _n i_n_ _s h o w q t h e " V "
_
r
qnlit :n,l thp rioht cido
nf thp rioht nin qhnurq all
ljb"

'-

"''

t'-h ''p " \ / " r p

m : i n i n*"b'o
,',.'*,'
. .Llard
' " ' - r . .ninq
. " / " - ' ininino
. ' . t r " ' ' . . 'qnFtpr

tailswill allowfor some

cnmnrpqqinn

nf thc 6horq

. Hardpinsloininghard
i:ilq rlloruq fnr
. " . ' ' . rrpnr
- l ' - . . ' ' littlo
cnmnrpqqinn

rrnrr nood

+^ ^,-1i...+ ^-^^-.1;-^1..
LV auJuJL dllvrurrLF)ry.

(O5MAN
ROB

www.r00c0sman.(0m

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

S E C T I O N1 O N O T E S

S E C T I O N1 1 C H I S E L I N GT H E P I N W A S T E
TOOLTIPS
Thechiselwork doneon thepin boardis usuallymorediffioilt thanthat doneon the taijboard.You
will find choppingend grain is easierwith a narrow chiselthanwith a wide.
Thereducedeffortneededto cutwith the narrowtool meansthe userhasbettercontrol.you
mayalsofind the narrowchiselcutscleanerwith lessfracturhgof thewoodascompared
to
thewiderchisel.In mostcasesi wouldusea 1/2"ratherthani3l4',.
Effective
chiselwork requiresa sharpchiselthat hasa deadflat back.Thechiselbackis
the.jig.that_guides
the tool.Youneedto keepthe chiselverticalasyou startto work in the
scribellne-Ifyou startfiom a verticalpositionthe toolwill beginto undercutasyou nearthe
centerof the board.Thisensurestherewill not be a bumpin tlie centerthat hasto be removed
with anotherstep.
Yorrcan.speed
up the dovetailprocessby becomingmoreefficientwith eachprocedure.
i'Ahen.chopping
the pin waste,practiceangling the chisel to follow the side of the pin.
Thiseliminatesor at leastreducesthe amountof paringto be donein the cornerpnor
to assemblv

. Placethe pinboardon a
sacrificial
boardto protect
yourbenchtop.

. Dcvclopa comiortablc
nrcthodior
andaccnlatc
placingthecliiseledge,
. It hclpsto anchorrroLupriclinghandon the
nork piecebefore
setting
thcchiscl.

. Keepthechiselvertical
rvhilechopping
along
thcscribc.
. Practice
kr reducethe
numberof required
malletstrikes,
. Firststrrkeseatsthechisel,
secondandthird tal<eit
to ihenridpolnt.
. Flipthcpin boardovertcr
finishchiseling
fromthe
laceside.

. Topr-s,cnt
thcchiscl
flomniovingpastthc
scribeliner-rse
a prelimi
nan'chopto Lctt'tol'c
excess
hraste.
. Lesswasteequals
less
later.al
pressurc
on thc
beveloi thechiscl.

EXCESS
T,VASTE
www.robcosman.com

ROB
iOSMAN

57

----T

. Placethe chiseltight to
thesideof thepin.

. Afterseatingthe chisel
with a light strikeangleit
to chopdor.nn
the sideof
thepin.

CHISELANGLED
,

. If you canlearnto chisel

alongthe sideof the pin
youwill saveconsiderable
timein the fina1cleanup.

,t:,;ffi,
n,fl. ,
CLEANCORNERS
www.r0DC05man.c0m

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

. Secure
thepin board
(faceout) in the vise
to freeup bothhands
for paring.

. T/q eecipr

ln nere

onl

glain with a narow chisel.

It requireslesseffortto
pushthru the wood and
thus givesyou greater
control.
. Onehandpusheswhile
the otheranchorsand
firm1ygripsthe chisel
to providecontrolling
backpressure.

. Seatthe chiselhandleinto
yourhandtoapplythe
controlledpowerneeded
fn
. " r nerp
* . " " . .pnd
* t r . *qein
..

Hand-Cut
Dovetaih

www.robcosman.com

ROBCO5MAN
59

www.r0bc0sman.c0m

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

S E C T I O N1 2 P R E - A S S E M B L YC H E C K

TIPS
I dont dry fit my joints and I discourage
my studentsfrom doingthe same.Anything learned
from a dry fit canjust as easilybe discoveredduring a carefulpreassemblycheck.Dry
fittingcausesa coupleof problems;it preventsyou from developingthe confidence
in your
layoutandexecution.
Thecrutchof a dry fit lessens
the needto prefectyourtechnique.
The
secondproblemis the risk of compressing
fibersand damagngcrispedges.Thejoint wiil fit
bestthe first time.

Be patient and take the time to make conectionsbeforeyou apply the glue.Theexcitement
of seeingthejoint togetheroftengetsthe bestof us.If it isn't conectbeforeit's assembled
it
won't be conectafter.

'*h

Sometimesbeingtoo patientcanbe equallybad.Toomuchfettlingis oftenmoredetrimental

%' than not enough.Preciselayout is the key. Beingableto trust andwork to your markswill

."**$ensue a goodfit.

. Usea smallsquareto
checkfor flat betweenthe
pins,a bumpwill prevent
the joint ftom seating.
. ff the squarerocks,you
will needto pareaway
the high spot.
Seepage44.

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

www.robcosman.com

ROBCOSMAN
61

S E C T I O N1 3 A S S E M B L Y

T/PS
I
fr

{
-\

Theassembly
is the final makeor breakof the dovetailjoint. once you apply the glue the
processmust move forward in an orderly fashion.Thewoodwiil im.eiiatelv b.nln r.,
from the,glueandwhat srartsour asa rubricantw,in;";; d" #
g9-r_o,r?,-ok*e
sequence
thoughtout and anyneededtoolscloseby.on biggerjointsit "pi"r,i..
helpsto
11,"-.th.
nave
an enrapanot hands.
securethe pin board finnly in the vise soit doesnot moveasyou poundthejoint together.
At this stageyou needeverythingto work smoothly.
If,somethinggoeswrong andthejoint needsto be takenapart,insteadof beating
i! use
heafguo blgw dryer to softenthe glue.youmay find it easierto usetwo guns,one
ro
t
91
heatthe insidewhilethe otheris heatingthe outside.Yellow
andwhite glueswiflsoftenat
temperahreseasilyreachedwith a blow dryer

. Usea spahrlaor pallet

knife to gluethe long
gainsidesof the pins.
. A thin evenfilm works
best,don't gluethe
end grain.

ft+

F+
)
F+
F+
F+
F+
F+

. Appl"va thin fihr on the

l.r*i"l .c, , o h r i n o h n l h n i n c e r r r l
tr'*'''b

tailsensures
a goodioint.
. If vouassemble
quickly
the gh,rewill lubricate
thejointandhelpit go
together.
. Yoncanput a dabof glue
on the '/rpin endgrain
surfaces.

It is safest
to usehand
pressLlre
to startthejoint.

TAILANDPINALIGNED

. Usea fullwidth-pounding
blockto evenlyclosethe
joint.
. Poundthru the end
q:in

for ihp hpqt iunqfpr

of force.

BLOCK& IIAMMER
www.r00c05man.(0m

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

. Kt'cptht'assembllttven
br adjLrstine
thelc r.oLr
hit rlith lhe hanrnrr.r.

ALX4OST
CLOSED

Sctfing
tht nraiking
g.rliger/r lt'sslhanthc
tailboarrl
allorvs
thcjornt
to scatbctbr-e
theblocl<
touches
thcprns.Sce
pauc1(r

PROLIDTNLS

. Clitck ior sqr-iar.e

on the
jnsitlcoi the jolnt.
. Usc hand pressllfck)
makr.ant crtrrt-.cli
ons.

. It'sbestto re-seatthe
jointaftermaking
adjushrents.
-t*d$g

RESE,,%ry
. \Mpeoff anvcxcess
gluebeforeplaningthe
jointflush.

. Planetheedgesflush.

www.rob(osman.com

Hand-[ut
Dovetails

. If rou pressthe dividers

too clecpdunngthc 1ay
outtheymal'bedifficult
to eliminate
1ater.

. A tighttittingshor_rlder
jointshorvs
well.Thisis
rvorththe cxlrapracticc

ftrT

. Hopefullv
you'recompletelrrsatisfi
edrvith
joint.If
finished
_vour
not takea lookat somc
repairmethods
in the
ll'or-rbleshooting
section

F]NISHED

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

www.robcosman.corn

(O5l\IAN
ROB

S E C T I O N1 3 N O T E S

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

S E C T I O N14 T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G

IIPS
Bepatient and checkeachstagebeforeadvancingto the next.Mostrepairs
areeasierto
makebeforethejoint is assembled.
Remember
that Jachstepbuildson th'eaccuraq,of the
prwiousone.
Youhaveto know when to repairand when to startover.In mostcases
its bestto startover
if thereis anychanceth9
will
detract
from
the
piece.
Repalrs
can
be
time
consumingin
lePair
a three-tailcomerit couldeasilytakemoretimeto repairthanto redo.
Part of being a good craftspersonis to make invisible repairs.If your
repal
is palnfully
'
obviousit is betterto startoverthan to haveto explainor apo'logize
r*u.rt

. Thisis oneof themost

commonsawingenors.
. Thetop of thepin is
markedfromthebottom
of the tail but when
assembled
thetop of the
pin comesto restat the
top of the tail.
. If not sar.tm
perpendicular
the transferof tails to pins
wiil resultin a compounded error.

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

www.r0DC0sman.(0m

ROBCOSMAN
69

. Tomakethisrepairyou
haveto resawthe side
of thetail.
. Pinchtheendof the
boardfirmlywith the
bottomofyourfinger
andihumb.
. Pressthe sawlaterall,v
against1'ourfingertiPs
to preventthe sawfrom
by the
beinginfluenced
errantsawkerf.
. Thelateralpressure
againstthe anchoring
fingersis thekeyto
startingthiscorrection.

4
lr

4
p+
J

t
t

?4

NEWKERF
REPAIRMTH

71

?+

. On ; norm.rl
sarrctttcach
sideof thekerftouches
thebladeandforcesit to
cr-rtstraight.
. In thisrepairmostof one
sideof thekerf is missing,
. Lateralpressure
fromthe
oppositefingertipsis
neededto pressthesaw
againstthe rightside
of the kerfto guideit
the entirecui.
thror,rgh

. Thefinishedcut,on the
lineandperpendicular
across
theend.

(O5I\4AN
ROB

www.robcosman.com

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

. If tl-rewastebctr,veen
the
tailshasalready
been
rcmovedtheprevious
process
will provetoo
difficult.
. Forthisrepairyouwill
needa sharpchiscl,
a
blockwith a squareedge
thatis at least3/.'thickand
a rigd ciamp.

. Placethetailboard
on a
sacrificial
boardon the
benchwith thcrvideor
f' 'l!r^r! p^ ' dr - ' Lo] n
" bp
' *r- il n
] bo

f r c i n o r" rT n'

. Clamptheblockwith the
squareedgeflushwith
thesideof thetailnccd
ine squared.
. Thcclampneedsto be
tiqht
' - ' _ pnnrroh
' _ ' " " - " fo
_ ' rrrorrr.nf
r'_ ' '

anv movement.

bCHISEL
CtilDE

h*. Youwill needa sharp

chiselwith a flatbackto
do thisproperly.
. \ M i h v o r r r 'f'i.n. oc-'.e" ,r s -k. ,- .- oT )

thechisellir:mlyagainst
thebbck.
. .S-l": .r-i ' t n* ,r 'r"i n
bovifh

fhp

cornerof thechiselusing
a sr'veeping
motion.
. Do thisto geta cleancut,
c n i n c s" ' -l -r'.br"i' o l r f d o u r r r n r

5.-,''b

n c r n p r d"i"c_r' ^r' l' ^: r_ l' o

" l.h- 'e_
T' T'

fibcrsmaycalrsethem
b roilor tcar.
. It is bestto lvorkin liom
theoutsidecdgcsto

nrr)foat fhc Dprirrplpr

! 4

PARE
REPAJR
H a n d - [0uot v e t a i l s

T _ " _ _ "

T ! 4 ' '

tromsplintering.
www.robcosman.com

ROBIO5MAN 71

. Now the sideof the tail is

perpendicular
asshown
by the penline.
. Tofinish the job, trim the
wasteat the base.

. Thisis not a serious

problemunlessthe angle
is so far off it takesaway
fromthejoint.
. Thisis easierto repair
beforethe wasteis
removed.

. Startthis repairwith
the sawjust insidethe
existingkerf.
. Angle the sawto match
the penLineanduseyour
finser iinq
---'o-*r " tn hnld i+

. Wth a light touc[ saw

slowlyso the teethcan
cutinto the sideand
establisha new kerf.
. Theteetharecuttingon
one sideonly andwill
havea tendencyto slide
towardsthe existingkerf
ifyou sawtoo fastor
applytoo muchpressure.

. Thewoodon theleftside
nf the kerf eannni
nrnrridp
""' T'"*'

asmuchsupportto the
bladeastherightside
because
of the firstkerf.
. Forthisreasonyouwill
needto keeplateral
n r p q q r r r p r n r i l hr r n r r r f i n o o r
r'."""'.'''".-1"*'.''.tr''
i.i'nTq" : c* a
' : *i n' 's' "i ' i h p l p f t q i d p

of thesaw

KERF1/2WAY

On iho linp;nd

rprdv

to go.

. Th rpnair ihis errant qaru

L e r f r u i l l r. p' 'a1r"r ,i r. p' ' 'c' h" 'a' nt rs'i,nl sr

thesizeof thepin.
. I\hile it will be noticeable
i_l "r'p i n i n f c a n s t i l l h p n p : l
I"_"'

andtight.

Hand-(ut
Dovetails
1i-GqniFry-.

www.robcosman.com

ROB
COsMAN

73

I
. Usethe dovetailmakerto
redrawthe linesstartlng
wherethelastkerfmeets
the scribeline.

RE-DRAWTHELINE

. Startthissawcutasyou
normallywould,useyour
fingerandthumbto
anchorthe saw.
. It will behaveasnormal
until you getnearthe
bottomwherethe support
on theleftsideof thekerf
willdiminish.

. Slowdownandusea
light touchat the bottom
of the cutto preventthe
sawfromfallingto the left
a st h es r r p p odr ti m i n i s h e s .
. Tokeepthe sawtracking
useyourfingertipsto
pressthebladeagainst
the rightsideof thekerf.

NEARINGTHE
BOTTOM
(O5MAN
ROB

www.robcosman.com

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

l
. Errenn.ithor-rtkeli sr-rppolt
at the bottom of the cut
voll can still finishclcan
and strarsht.

\A,EDGE
FALLSAWAY

. Salr,ingbelor'1,the
scdbe
linc lookssloppr.ancl
nhile one or hvo canbe
ovcrlookecl,
nore than
that lvi1lneeclto be
repairccl
or-redonc.

SAMNGBELOWTHE
SCRIBE

. Thisrcpalrcanonlr,be
rlonebcioretheplirs
arecrit.
. Setthcnrarkinggar-rge
to
jr-rst
beloivtheilccpest
l<erf.
. ( . . r ,t u l h) (r i b ( ' Jn r \ \ l i l t ,
all aror-rncl
thetailboarcl.
. Reurember
to cloall the
pieccsthatareatTcctccl
bi'
thisclirnensional
change.
. Chiselthengr, scribe1ine.
NEW SCREELINE

wwwrob(osma
n.com

ll

t
I'+
e
e
e
e
q

. A mispiaced
chiselmark
l" h' r t i" 'n- -l*pr 'r" n r n l q :! ! " 'q- ' tt lrb:"i' o h i

line will sholv.

}rD

\ II

v|

e
e

CHOPPING
BELOWTFIE
SCREE

}'D

. T' h i s r c' rn' -r-i r c : n o

"
" - ' . -n- .l .r Jr h" p-

},)

donebeforethepins
arecut.
. Ifl'ou canaffordto lose
thetailboard
lengththen
gaugea new scdbeline
thatgoesjustbelow
thevoid.
. Besnreto changethe
lengthof the other
tailboard.

NEWSCR]BE
LINE

. Sawingbelowthe
lineis a
shor:lder
commonmistake.
. If lpft vnr

urill
' ' ' - ' 'h:rrp
' * ' ' . . br " oan
T
on fhe pdop of thp inint
v

"

"

"

'

'

'

'

'

thatis veryvisible.

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

t
. Setthemarkinegauee
for thelolcst partof the
sawcut.
. \'Viththervasteaheaclv
removecl
thereis not
muchsurface
areatcr
register
theheaclof
the gauge.

. \Alrththeheadof the
gaugeheldfirmh'aeainst
theendof thetailboard
makesever-al
iightpasses
bv rollingtlrecutteracross
theedge.

. I V i r h r i l h p p l h' n , ' o r r o a
T-

b'"b-

be ableto finish
vouma-v
theshouldcr
by slicingall
rrnrrnd lhe p
. *r|]ro' *p' :' 'r'r , l

workingtor'varr1
the
mrdillc.
. Theoptionis to markthc
norinrolor

rrrrl rrrr,. lhn

shor-rlder
r,r'rtha chisel.

SCREETHE
PERIMETER
wwwrobcosman.com

ROB
TOSMAN 77

. \Atththe boardsecured
in
thevise,setthe chiselon
the scribeline.
. Undercutthemiddieof
the shoulderleavinga
qtrin nn oifhor ci,,le

. Thesenarow stripsare
easyto parewith a chisel.
. Becarefulto followthe
outsidescribe1ine.

PARET}IE
EDGES

Inspectthe pin board

aftertransfering
the tai1s.
If severalof yourmarks
aremisplaced
lt maybe
betterto startover.
Planethe endgrainto
removethe marks,scribe
a new line andre-dothe
tail transfer.

78

ROB
COSMAN

www.rob(osman.(om

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

. After transcribingthe tails

and beforeyou lift the
tailboard,checkwith a
benchlamp for any
errantknife marks.
. Re-doanysuspect
tails
andnotetheinconect
marks.
. As soonasthe tailboard
is removedusea pento
identifythe correctmark.

. Thisrepairis easierto
makebeforethepin
wasteis removed.
. Thepin cutshaveto
be plumbfor thejoint
to work.
. Slopingkerfscreatea
wedgeat the top or
bottomof the piryone
causes
a gapthe other
a split.

. Thisrepairusesthe sawto trim the side

of thepin.
. IMth sufficientlateralpressure
the teeth
cancuton onesidewithoutsiidingout
of position.
. Startthis procedurewith the bladein the
enantkerfandwithyourthumbpressing
tnesawteethagainst
thesideofthepin.
. Youwill haveto supportmostof the iaia/s
weightsotheteethcanestablish
a,,shelf,
andnot merelyscrapethe sideof the pin.
. Slowlysawthis"shelf"downthe sideof
thepin until thefuli width of the bladeis
cuttingwood.
. At this point the sawwill startto track
by itselfandyou canflnish the cut to the
scribeline.
Hand-Cut
Dovetails

www.r0bc05man.c0m

. It\4tha plumb pin the

jointwillwork.

. Thismistakeis normally
fatalandthejolnt should
bere-done.
. If it mustbe saved,the
bestwayis to sawthru the
joint onceit is assembled.
Seepage83.
. Theextentofthe under
cut will determinethe
width of the sawkerf
neededto maketherepair

. A sawcut on thewrong
sideof the line is easier
to fix afterthejoint is
together.More than a few
of thesewouldbe reason
to startover.
. Thisrepairis doneby
sawingthru thejoint to
estabLish
an evenwidth
kerf.Seepage83.

www.r0Dc05man.c0m

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

. Thebestwayto make
thisrepairis to pare
acrossthe graln.

. Paringacrossthe grainis
easierif the fibersareflrst
severed
at thebase.
. Havingbeensevered
the
wood fiberswlll fal1away
astheyarecut makingit
easierto controlthechisel.

. Usea sharpchiselthatis
widerthanthe pin is ta1l.
. Anchoryourforward
handagainstthewood
andsqueeze
the chiselto
providecontrollingbackpressure.

Hand-Cut
Dovetalls

www.robcosman.com

ROBCOSMAN
8I

. Aq \nr

nprr lhp h:cl

nf

l' h
in raise ihp chiqpl to
- 'p- n
r-"/
qLprlr lhp tnn
'"r anrnpr
-"'-'.-''

. Thiswill avoidbreaking
off the cornerat the end
of thecut.

. Forbettercontrolit is
easierto takeseverallight
-,.+- rL-^-^ l^^^--,
!utJ Lttalt urtc ltcdvy.

. Worktowardthe knife
markuntil the sideof the
pin is straightandplumb.

ACLEANPIN

. Althoughit appearseasy
to placethe chiselin the
knifemarkandpare,the
gralnis oftenrunningthe
\,!TOng
way.
. Theriskis that thewood
fiberswill breakand
rrndormino tho nin

"''r'"

. Thisis theresultof the

grainrunningagainstthe
directionof the cut.

-ionx
sTRFACE

. Ifthe grainis runningin

therightdirectionthe cut
is easyandfinishes
clean.

. It is easierto repaira gap

thatis uniformin width.
. If thegapis narrower
thanthekerfof l.our
saw,simplycutthrougir
theloint scribelineto
scribeiine.

SAMNGTHROUGHTTIE
GAP
Hand-(ut
Dovetails

www.robcosman.com

. A widergapwill needa
widerkerffiom a larger
saw,adjustaccordingly.

. T^ h" 'p" ' 1q *n*r 'r-e r p -e.d. bo 'c" 'n* { a

scraper
doesa goodjob
of deepening
the corners
wherethe sawcouldn'
reach.
. A sharpor wedgedshape
couldeasilysplitthewood

. Select
a pieceof wood
that closelymatchesthe
eroe

ln ha reneiro,l

. If you'relucly you wl1l

find an off cut fromthe
sameboard.

www.robcosman.com

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

. Sawa filler strip,a bit

thickerthan the gap.
. I usemy oppositemiddle
fingerto pressthe small
strip againstthe bladeto
supportit whilebeingcut.

. Determinethe shapeand
sizeof the filler strip from
the actualgap.

. Ratherthan try to drive

the filler strip all the way
to the bottom of the gap,
I trim the insidecomer
to ensurea tight fit.

Hand-Cut
Dovetails

www.r0DC05man.c0m

. On a flat metalsurface,
. ' ' ' fillpr ctrin fn
" ' ' - thp
rnnrrnd
compress
it.
. Taplightlyso\.ouwon't
splitthewood.
. T h p m n i s h r r p i' n
' . 'l.h' p
t r ' o* l' r r p
will hrinq it hack in qize

''_--____andnicelrr
fill thegap.

POLNDTOCOMPRESS
THEFILLER

. Checkif the stripwillfit.

. A littlp prfr: nnrrndinq
r"''""'t)

wili makeit easierto

noqiiinn ilrp fillpr
' ' - qtrin
,''
" ' - ' r in
r'"^-'"-.."'
L

the gap.

CHECKTF{E
FII

. Orr fhin rpnrirq uzero,l nr

othercoatedpaperdoesa
goodjob of spreading
gluein the gap.
. Workit forth andbackto
getgoodcoverage.

www.rob(osman.com

Hand-(ut
Dovetails

. Dont pre-gluethe strip,

the moisturewill cause
it to swellbeforeit is
in place.
. Setthe fillerstripin place
andtap it asnecessary

. Youcanwait for the glue

to dry or trim itwhile the
woodis softandpliable.
. Useseveral
passes
with
fhp enrncr nf r chem

chiselto shearoff the

evnpcc

filler

ctrin

. Therepairis well camouflagedandif is hardto see

thelonggrainbuttjointir
thewalnut.

WTrlrTliEPL-ANE
I A FEWSTROKES
Hand-Cut
Dovetails

www.robcosman.com

---{-i

fr

ry

ABOTITTT]EATIII]OR
lor mosfof hislife.
f) O0 COSV,INhasbeenwoodworking
I\\Aftile earning
a B.Sc.rn InduslrialTechnoJoglrfurnifure
Designat BrighamYoung
University,
he wasDr. DaleL. Nish's
teachingassistant.
Robhasalsoworkedwith manyof theworld's
- includingAlanPeters,SamMaloof,
bestmastercraftsmen
TageFrid,MonroeRobinsory
andPeterKorn.
Robfrequentlytravelsto demonstr"ate
woodworking
techniques,
andhastauehthandtool skillsto hundredsof students.
He has
operateda customwoodshopsince1989,wherehe designsand
buildsmade-to-order
furniturewith an emphasis
on usinghand
tools.Robandhis wife Km livein New Brunswickwith their
ten children.

t
P
F
P
P
P
P
Fl
P
P

cd
c

i
"Rlb'scraftsmanshtp
is bestdescribed
assuperb!"
AUN Parsns

CoPt,
$hoP
lut ltovstri\s
Hand
. -, , . , 1 1r t.Irl l l I l l l l l
y'l80980ilg41203r1

llfirr
':
;r:

$.-.*

@2008ArvmnicaN
CnansnnqN
PlslrceroNs
MadeandPrintedin Canada

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