Measuring Dove Tails Angles

Texchappy—I have a set of the LN dovetail gauges … they are nice.

However, all you really need is a combination square, a bevel gauge, and a marking gauge.

The angles don’t need to be precise … just consistent. Many woodworkers just eyeball the angles to give it a look that says “Hand Crafted”. Some cut the tails first, then mark/cut the pins to match, which makes the angle pretty much irrelevant.

—Gerry

-- Gerry -- "I don't plan to ever really grow up ... I'm just going to learn how to act in public!"

Or, you can make your own. It’s easy peasy and all you need is some corner stock, mark off the proportions and file away.

One’s for softwood and the other is for hardwood. They have ratios for the different dovetails, such as rise 5 inches and run 1 inch for example.

Hi
I made this Dovetail marker recently which was made from scrap lying around my workshop. It is quick and easy to use. Here is a link to my blog

Cheers
John

-- Gossamer shavings just floating around the back yard….-Bandit

Texchappy, here’s what I use. I made my own dovetail marker (center of pic), my own mallet, and my own scribe (design borrowed from Steve Latta). You will need a set of SHARP chisels. I love the Shark dovetail saw. The tools of course are the easy part.
Don

-- I would drink a river of the kool aid before I took the smallest sip of the tea...

I have a little marker I made years ago similar to Johnnyblot’s.

It’s just a little stick of walnut with a cut and filed piece of
brass nailed to it.

I mark the tails first because all the cuts are straight. I can
cut straight consistently with a bowsaw. The bowsaw is
“self-jigging” to the angle of the dovetail… I just turn the
blade and get a feel for the balance and stance I want and
I can cut the same angle tails all day. I cut one side, then
flip the board and cut the other side of the tails, remove
the waste and mark the pins. Then all the subsequent
cuts are straight vertical aligned with gravity, which is
easy to do with the bowsaw by, again, getting a feel
for the balance and stance for making a straight up and
down cut with it. Deviations in the angles of the tail
cuts don’t matter since the pins are marked from the tails.

I’ve already blogged these home made dovetail squares
one side at 90 degrees and the other at the angle of choice … 4:1 6:1 8:1 whatever suits the wood you are using

http://lumberjocks.com/BigYin/blog/29514

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dPb_5KFEYk&feature=related

-- ... Never Apologise For Being Right ...

Just to add a bit more to this thread.
I have made myself a couple of the Paul Sellars Dovetail Markers as featured above by BigYin and find them to be really easy to use and fun to make. A great exercise- basically you are making a small tenon joint:-)
Cheers
John

-- Gossamer shavings just floating around the back yard….-Bandit

Why is the Liam Neison stuff so expensive it’s just bent brass.?Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Why is the Liam Neison stuff so expensive it’s just bent brass.?Alistair

I agree. But do you own any? I agonised for days before I forked out £300 for my LN 5 1/2 plane. It is now my favourite tool. :-)
Cheers
John
(south of the border.)

-- Gossamer shavings just floating around the back yard….-Bandit