Just curious

For more on the subject …

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/18690

As to the “why” part—I think you probably nailed it (pun ?).

-- -- Neil

Thanks Neil. It seems like more of a personal preference then. Like others said, you can still make the marking on machined dovetails. I’d prefer not to see scratches.

-- - Eric Noblesville, IN

speed

-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

I use pencil or pen because I dont want scratches either. I also do the tails first and saw exactly where the pencil line is. When doing the pins, I give emphasis on the pencil line error about half mm. Some people will say cut along the line or beside the line. If you use inscriber, the saw follows the center groove of the line and it is difficult to cut beside the line… this is why I use a pen or a pencil. It is hard to explain, I hope you understand what I mean….
Neil, this comment supposed to be posted also on yours… but it is okay..

-- Bert

It’s quicker and some folks like leaving the scribe line.

-- http://artisticwoodstudio.com Custom furniture

Thanks guys, I wasn’t sure if it was an unwritten woodworkers rule, “though shall always leave scribe marks”

-- - Eric Noblesville, IN

More like “Thou shall stop asking questions and finish his nightstands so we can all see them” lol

-- -- Jim - Kokomo, Indiana

Ooooh, Eric.

You just got pwned … bad :-)

I am kind of curious about those stands, too. I was this close to winning the slowest LJ award :-)

-- -- Neil

Haha Jim, welcome back to LJ. As you know Jim, I’ve had way too many bachelor parties and weddings to go to in the past few weeks/months which has taken away from precious woodworking time :(

If everything goes smoothly, I’ll have pictures to post of a dry fit this weekend (minus top and drawers).

I also just purchased 2 qt. of Charles Neil pre-color conditioner so hopefully that should tell you I’m getting close. There are a lot of fine details i still need to do though so I’m sure its still a few more weeks away, but the fact that I can do a dry fit this weekend makes me super excited.

-- - Eric Noblesville, IN

Haha yea I know you’ve been busy, couldn’t help myself though. I’m falling behind on my projects too thanks to the remodeling projects on our new house. ONE day I’ll get to see my new shop and actually use it. Till then, it’s back to the miter saw in the garage to finish cutting and staining the trim for the kitchen.

-- -- Jim - Kokomo, Indiana

Most of the time I skip.

-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--

I had the exact same question when I first started making dovetails. I will say that on some applications, marked lines look nice. On others, not so much. When I want or don’t care if the lines are visible, it is a non-issue. If I don’t want the lines, I make the scribe lines shallow and remove them when I finish up with the smooth plane. I like the scribed lines because I am sure that my chisel always registers on the same line. I never could get the pins/tails to look right with lining up the chisel on a pencil line. When you scribe the line, your chisel will always be on the same plane. The couple of thousandths required to remove the line never was a problem in the final assembly if you desire a look without the lines.

-- Mike