lessons from a pro

DEMYSTIFYING HAND-CUT
DOVETAILS By Rob Cosman

An eight-step approach for

getting a perfectly fitting joint,
straight from the saw.

T
he dovetail joint is regarded as the paramount joint of fine
woodworking because it blends form and function. But the reason it's
been used for centuries is because of its simplicity and strength. Making
accurate dovetails boils down to having a few good tools and developing the skill
to saw and chisel to a line.
After teaching hundreds of students and cutting thousands of the joints
myself, I’ve developed a straightforward sequence that can help anyone cut a
through-dovetail joint that requires no after-the-fact fitting. My approach covers
preparing, laying out, sawing, and chiseling out the tails and pins and addresses
the most common problems woodworkers encounter.
So whether you’re a beginner or advanced woodworker, I hope the next few
pages encourage you to spend an hour or two at your workbench trying
your hand at dovetailing—or refining the dovetailing skills you already
possess. We’ll create a test joint to give you hands-on experience.
Of course, honing the technique takes time but after a few dozen corners,
your speed will significantly increase. At some point you’ll realize hand-
cutting dovetails can take less time than setting up a dovetail router jig,
especially when doing smaller projects. Speed aside, you’ll also fall in love
with the look of hand-cut dovetail joints.
Now let’s get started.

Tail Board
The Hand-Cut Dovetailer’s Tool Kit
Pin
Pin Board To follow this joinery exercise, you’ll need a basic set of hand tools: a dovetail saw (prefer-
ably one with a rip-tooth configuration and narrow set), a marking gauge, chisels, and a few
Tail hand planes. I also use a few special tools, including a fret saw, two sets of dividers, a dovetail
marker, and a palette knife. (To see these tools and for some tool-buying suggestions, see the
Half Pin photo and Convenience-Plus Buying Guide on page 64.)
Using low-grade (or poorly tuned) tools will make this sequence a lot more difficult, if
not impossible, but I don’t want to discourage you from making sawdust. Start with the
tools you own, just make sure they’re sharpened and tuned to the best of your ability. When
Elements of a you’re ready to step up, your experience will help you understand and appreciate the value of
hand-cut dovetail top-shelf hand tools.

60    w o o d c r a f t m a g a z i n e A p r i l / M ay 2 0 0 8
 Step 1: Prepare Your Stock
Your joint will only be as good as the material you start with. When dovetailing a
drawer, I prepare all the pieces first to save time, but in this case there are just two
pieces of 5½"-wide stock: a tail board and a pin board. Label each piece so that the
best face will be on the “show side” of the finished joint. Hand-plane the inside face,
edges, and ends to ensure that all the surfaces are flat, smooth and square. (Planing A
end grain is challenging for beginners; I use a shooting board, but for this exercise
you may use a mitersaw with a fine-tooth blade.) Using a wheel marking gauge,
scribe a line on your tail board that
Step 2: Lay Out the Shoulder Line for Tails is the thickness of your pin board.
To lay out the baseline for tails, set your marking gauge to the thickness of your pin
board, as shown in Photo A. Next, I use a skew angle block plane to create a shallow
(1/32" to 1/64") rabbet on the inside face of your tail board up to the baseline, as in
Photo B. This rabbet isn’t absolutely necessary, but it helps align the tail board on the
pin board when transferring the tails. Next, readjust your marking gauge so that it is
1/32" less than the thickness of the rabbetted end of the tail board and scribe a line on

both faces of your pin board.

Step 3: Lay Out the Tails

To lay out the tail board, I use two sets of dividers: one set to mark the half pins at the
end, and a second set to space the tails across the end of the board. (I prefer the look
of a dovetail joint with half pins on the outside edges rather than half tails. I think B
they offer a more finished look.) Having two sets of dividers—instead of setting and
resetting one with each corner—makes the layout process faster and more accurate. Plane a shallow rabbet along the
inside face of the tail board to
Mark the half pins first (see Photo C). The half pins shouldn’t be too thick, but establish an easily referenced lip
thick enough so that they don’t break or splay for laying out the pin board.
The tail count is more than during assembly. (On this 5½"-wide sample joint,
just an aesthetic choice. Too
I made the half pins about ¼" wide.) After using
tip alert

many will weaken the joint at

the baseline; too few leave an your divider to make a shallow indent in from
inadequate gluing surface. In the each edge, set it aside for use on the next corner.
example on page 60, five tails Next, space out your tails. Dividers offer a no-
make for a strong and good-
looking joint.
math spacing solution; all you need to know is
that the distance between the tool’s legs equals
the width of one tail and one pin. Starting at the
half pin mark, lightly walk the dividers across the end from one edge to the other.
Adjust the divider’s legs so that by the fifth step, the divider’s point lands just past the
C
opposing half pin mark. (That “extra” is equal to the width of the pin.)
Once you’ve found your setting, walk the dividers across the end of your tail
Make a small indent ¼" in from
board, as shown in Photo D but this time make deeper indents. Walk the divider
each edge to mark the location
from the left half-pin point across to the right, then repeat the process starting from of the half pins.
the right half-pin to the left. When you’re done, the end of your board should have
four close-fitting indent pairs. These indents are the top points of your tails.
Mark the tails on the end and face side of your board using a dovetail marker. To
position the marker, place the pen in an indent then slide the marker until it registers
against the pen. Draw square lines across the end grain and angled lines from the
scribe line up to the end of the board (Photo E). Repeat the marking process on the
photos: Wolfgang bUSSE

opposite face. Finally, take a minute to identify your waste.

Step 4: Cut Snug-Fitting Tails

Secure the tail board to your bench vise, as shown in the opening photo, so that it’s D
plumb and a few inches above the bench. With your free hand, pinch the top of the
board with your thumb and forefinger, as shown in Photo F to serve as your saw guide. Walk the divider across the end of
the tail board. Adjust the legs so
that it crosses the half-pin mark by
1
/8" on the fifth step.
www.WoodcraftMagazine.com w o o d c r a f t m a g a z i n e     61
 Use a ballpoint pen to

tip alert
When starting each cut, lift your saw to take most
of the weight off the wood. This prevents the saw from lay out the tails. The
lines are easier to see
biting and grabbing. After the first few strokes, allow and the ink doesn’t dull
the weight of the saw to provide the downward pressure and disappear.
Dovetail needed to make the cut. Once you’ve started the kerf, aim
E Marker the saw to match your pen line and work down toward
Baseline
the baseline. It’s OK if you’re off your line slightly by a few degrees, just as long as you
Start your lines from the baseline maintain a straight cut. Slow down as you approach the scribe line. To finish the cut,
and draw up along the dovetail tilt the saw slightly forward until the teeth touch the scribe line on the opposite face.
marker. Saws have a habit of Make all of the same slope cuts before coming back to cut the other side of the tails.
following pen lines.
Repetitive angle cuts improve accuracy.
Now remove the waste. To avoid too much chiseling, I remove the bulk of the
waste between the tails using a fret saw with a narrow 12.5 skip tooth blade, as shown
in Photo G. Do not cut below the baseline on either face.
After removing the waste between the tails, reposition the tail board horizontally
in the vise, about an inch above your bench, and saw out the half pins. Note that this
is the first cut where you’ll need to split a line. The half pin must meet exactly at the
baseline to ensure there’s no gap.
As shown in Photo H, focus on holding the saw vertically and stopping the saw
F before cutting into the side of the tail. The baseline helps ensure a clean, straight cut.
If you’ve scribed the line deeply enough, the saw will practically guide itself against
the edge of the line.
Pinch the board to create an
anchor point for the saw. This
prevents the blade from skipping
when you start the cut.
Step 5: Chopping the Tails
Position the tail board flat on your bench, on top of a piece of scrap. Start chopping
on the inside face of the board and finish from the good face. That way, if a chop
breaks through, the damage will be on the
inside of the joint.
I try to chop the waste with two taps.
The first strike seats the chisel in the scribe
line, and the second drives the chisel halfway
through the board (Photo I). Flip the board
and repeat the process on the face side.
Some woodworkers undercut the baseline,
G I’ve found that keeping my chisel vertical and
chopping straight down avoids two problems.
First, a perpendicular cut eliminates the risk
To remove the waste, slip the blade of exposing a gap should you need to plane off
into the saw kerf. Then saw just
above the scribe line. A close cut more wood than expected from the finished
now means less chiseling later. joint. Second, positioning the chisel against the
I
scribe line and going straight down prevents
it from pushing backwards and eating into the
baseline. Position the tail board on a piece
Inspect your tail board. Assuming you’ve of scrap to protect your bench
when chiseling. Two taps from
sawn to the line on both sides of your tails, the each side should be enough to
corners should be sharp. If not, use the corner remove the waste.
of a narrow chisel to clean out the corners.

Step 6: Transfer the Tails to the Pin Board

H Regardless of your sawing and chiseling skills you’ll wind up with a sloppy joint if
your pins are not accurately laid out, so proceed carefully. To start, set your bench
Set the saw on the waste side of plane on its side, then clamp your pin board in your vise so that the tail board can
the scibe line and cut the half pin bridge between both. If you’ve planed a rabbet on your tail board’s inside face,
opening. Try to split the line for a
no-gap fit.
62    w o o d c r a f t m a g a z i n e A p r i l / M ay 2 0 0 8
 reference it against the inside face of the pin board. Make sure that the long edges of
the tail and pin boards are flush.
While keeping the boards in position with your left hand, transfer the tail locations
onto the end of your pin board as shown in Photo J. Press the side of the scribe knife
blade against the tail to ensure that your mark is accurate. Use 80% of your effort
on keeping the knife against the side of the tail and 20% cutting the mark on the
pin board. Like sawing, mark all your right sides before your lefts. Take a second to
J
inspect your knife lines before unclamping.
Finally, chisel small chamfers on the tail board, starting 1/16" from the end to the
A dull blade is better for marking
baseline, as shown in Photo K. The chamfers allow the glue to squeeze up into the pins because it leaves a thicker line
joint and to prevent the pins from being damaged during assembly. and is less likely to follow the grain.

Step 7: Lay Out and Saw the Pins

When marking the pin lines on the face of your pin board, little details really count.
For example, some students are so intent on splitting the line that they'll follow it
straight through the baseline. To ensure that my lines don't run long, I tell students to
strike from the baseline up to the knife marks. Don’t forget to mark your waste. (This
is cheap insurance against placing the sawblade on the wrong side of your line.)
Sawing pins takes some practice. Unlike the
With practice, you'll use gravity tails, you want to split the knife lines you made
will help you steer vertical cuts, on the end of the pin board. (“Splitting” means K
tip alert

but for this to work the boards

removing half of the V-shaped knife cut with
must be plumb to your bench.
When clamping your pin board your saw, and leaving half attached to the pin.) To Chamfer the inside edge of the
to your bench, use a square or begin your cut, tilt your saw slightly forward and tails to help align the joint during
torpedo level. start a small kerf on the back side, as shown in assembly and facilitate gluing.
Photo L. Using this as an anchor point, steer your
saw along the knife line on the top edge so that the blade remains on the waste side of
the line and make a shallow cut along the top edge. Once you’ve established the kerf,
use the vertical pen mark as a guide and saw straight down to the scribe line.
After making all the vertical cuts, remove the bulk of the waste with a fret saw and
finish up with a chisel just as you did with the tail board. Starting from the inside face,
set your chisel in the scribe line and tight against the side of the pin. Strike it to seat
the chisel on the line, adjust the chisel angle to match the slope of the pin, then make
your second strike. Again, try to complete your chisel work in two taps.
Reposition the board after chopping out the waste upright in your vise for a final L
inspection. Use a square, check that the sockets between the pins are clean and flat. If
you need to do any paring, use a narrow chisel so that you can shave high spots with Push the saw lightly along the back
a minimum of forward pressure. Set the edge of the chisel about 1/16" in from the edge edge to start the pin cut. Cut the
and slightly undercut the socket floor. Pinch the blade of the chisel with one hand kerf along the waste side of the
while you’re driving it with the other (Photo M). This back pressure prevents the knife line then saw straight down.
chisel from jumping forward and blowing out the back of the joint.

Step 8: Finishing the Joint

I don't suggest dry-fitting your joint. I find this step not only unnecessary, but it also has
the potential to be damaging. Too often, pulling apart a partially assembled joint will
crush or split perfectly fitting pins. Assuming you’ve accurately laid out and cut to your
lines (it’s easy to see whether or not you have any remaining knife marks) as described,
you’ve already done all the required work.
Before you start assembly, gather the tools needed to put your corner together: steel
hammer, small square, pallet knife, glue, wiping rag, and pounding block. (To avoid M
splitting the joint during assembly, make this block as wide as the joint.) Next, secure
the pin board in your vise about 6" above your benchtop and apply the glue (Photo N). Pare the pin socket with a narrow
Don’t worry about the end grain; simply apply a light coating to all long grain edges. chisel to maintain good control
when cutting. Use a square to
make sure the socket is flat.
www.WoodcraftMagazine.com w o o d c r a f t m a g a z i n e     63
 N O P

Apply glue to both boards with a Seat the joint with a pounding block Plane the boards until the joint
palette knife. The wet glue acts as and hammer. Keep your pounding is flush.
a lubricant to help you slide the block clean of glue and debris so that
joint parts together. you don’t dent your work.

Start the joint with hand pressure, then use a pounding If necessary, you can
block and hammer to completely seat the joint, as in Photo O. position a clamp across
Gaps are easier to fix when the
(If you set your marking gauge just shy of the tail board the joint to squeeze the glue is still soft. If you find a
thickness, the joint should seat completely before your block half pins against the tails. gap, repair it from the end grain

tip alert
hits the ends of the pins. If not, you’ll need to pound around Now that the joint is side. Using offcuts, saw a small
wedge, trim the leading edge
the pins to seat the joint.) assembled, wipe off any
with a chisel, apply glue then
At this point, you can excess glue then plane lightly tap it in place. Trim the
If you need to resize a pin, pare
remove the piece from the the sides (Photo P) and wedge with a chisel after the
tip alert

across the grain. If you chisel

vise and check for square. inspect your work. Last glue has dried.
straight down, you may catch the
grain and remove too much. Using Make adjustments with a but not least, date and
a wide chisel pare across the little hand pressure, then save your dovetail work.
grain from the front to back face.
reseat your joint with I’ve found that these sample corners are
your block and hammer. a great way to gauge your progress.

Dovetailer’s Tool Kit

e-PLU
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