# Lee Valley's Veritas Dovetail Saw Guide System.



## psh

Great review, thanks!


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## matt1970

Beautiful review…did not read every word…but was so glad to see your name pop into my e-mail…good to see you on Gord!!!


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## Gord

Gentlemen,

Thank you for your kind words, I'm glad you liked it.

Napaman, you'll never know how good it is to be here.

All the best
Gord


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## AaronK

thanks for your very detailed review. Ive always wondered about these sorts of jigs.
Do you just hold the saw blade to the jig with your thumb? also, is this your first time cutting dovetails by hand?


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## DrewM

Ive been trying to cut dovetails on my own without a guide and my results have been hit or miss. I think I will give this system a try and for that price including a saw I wont feel too bad about spending the money.


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## Gord

"Do you just hold the saw blade to the jig with your thumb? also, is this your first time cutting dovetails by hand"?

Hi Aaron,

The rare earth magnet that is found on either side of the jig does a great job of holding the blade of the saw but I found myself placing my hand on the blade to "guide" it, not that it needed it but because I was more comfortable doing it that way….........................

No, this is not my first time cutting dovetails by hand but this method takes all the guess work out of the process leaving you to focus on the other aspects of dovetail joinery, good chisel skills and so on.

All the best
Gord


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## Eric_S

Great review Gord.

I would think though the magnet used to keep the saw tight against the guide would make moving the saw difficult. Is my thinking incorrect?


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## Gord

Hello Eric,

Glad you liked the review.
The UHMW pads on either side of the jig make sliding the saw against the jig effortless.
It's a very smooth and easy method of sawing on the desired angle.

All the best
Gord


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## AaronK

thanks for answering my questions.

I thought this system looked familiar, and recalled seeing a hand-made jig with similar functionality… here's onlike it: http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/dovetailbw.pdf


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## Gord

Hi Aaron,

That's a cool looking jig and looks like it would work just fine. Thanks for posting that.

All the best
Gord


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## a1Jim

Interestong review


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## Gord

Hello deke,

I used the same method of removing the waste as described in the instructions.

I didn't use any other saw just the one that came with the jig.

All the best
Gord


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## CreekWoodworker

Thanks for the detailed review, I've been thinking about one of these.


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## wch

Another way of removing the waste is to remove most of it using a coping saw or fret saw, then chisel out the rest. Chris Schwarz has a good writeup here:
http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/Frame+Fight+Coping+Saws+Vs+Fret+Saws.aspx

I've been playing with this recently, and I like it so far. For me, it's faster than just chiseling; I think it also reduces wear on the chisels because I do more paring and less chopping with a mallet, and this in turn reduces the time I need to spend sharpening. Another nice thing is that it eliminates the need for a tiny chisel for cutting the tails when you have narrow pins.

Oh, and Gord, thanks for the excellent review!


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## Gord

Hi All,

I've used a coping saw, band saw and a scroll saw at different times to remove the waste material but I wanted to try the way that was suggested in the instructions that came with the jig. It's slower but it works none the less.

All the best
Gord


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## mpounders

Thanks for the review…..I might be able to use one of these!


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## Gord

Hi All,

I received an email today from Rob Lee, President of Lee Valley Tools and he informs me that there is another advantage to using the Veritas Dovetail Saw Guide System.

*"One of the best features of this type of product, is that it enables people with motor skill problems (tremors, hand weakness, etc.) to cut joints…. That's why we eventually made a 90 degree version. It's an aspect of tool design that's easily overlooked, when the designer doesn't personally have those sorts of challenges… "

Rob Lee*

All the best
Gord


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## Marc5

I would think it would make a great learning aid to get the muscle memory so you could ultimatley complete the dovetail free hand with confidence.

Good Review.


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## jimc

He, Gord, nice to see you back! Great review, very compelling. I have refrained from trying dovetails because I didn't think I had the skills to saw a straight line! With one of these jigs, I will have no doubts about sawing lines at the correct angles and I can work on the chiseling skills needed. Price seems to be reasonable and I'm well aware of Veritas reputation for quality tools and accessories.

Jim


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## Dustmite97

That looks like it works great! I need to get one of those.


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## JonathanG

Gord,

I actually found this on the Lee Valley website and then hopped on LJs looking for reviews. You've done a fine job on this write-up. Thank you for taking the time to review this.

I do have one question: You said that the saw slides effortlessly along the UHMW. I am wondering if waxing the UHMW would be worthwhile, such as applying a coat or two of Renaissance Wax?


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## swirt

@Deke the general rule of thumb is to saw in the waste. Splitting the line is not appropriate because it means the cut is off by half a kerf width.


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## AttainableApex

i saw on lie nielsen's youtube channel a video about half blind dovetails.

basically if you set up the drill press and just drill consecutive holes next to each other (doesn't have to touch) in the waste area and then just hit it with a chisel a couple times it just breaks out most of it.

i've used it quite a few times on other projects (not joints) and man, it really smooths the process up.





at 9:06 you can see what im talking about.
and right before that there is a great tip for cutting half blind pins.
great video, really is.


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## AttainableApex

hey also are you using there special wood glue that expands the wood?


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## AttainableApex

ya i just ordered one of these, well my sister "ordered" it for me for Christmas. hope it works out i got the 14 degree


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## RickG83

Gord, I bought this jig earlier tonight. Can you comment on where the jig should sit relative to the pencil lines? Should the lines be just seen, just covered or right smack on the middle? I made very thin pencil lines tonight and ended up with very loose joints. I'm going to experiment with it but was hoping you could save me some time and frustration


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## Gord

Hello Rick

Below is a paragraph from the instructions answering your question.
I've also included a link, *here* to the instructions put out by Lee Valley, hope this helps.

All the best
Gord


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## Hillsboro

Gord:

Terrific review and was the deciding factor in my acquiring the system. Thus far I am clearly able to make straight cuts. My difficulty is lining up the jig properly with the dovetail layout. My practice joints tend to be loose. Do you cover the lines with the edge of the jig? I have read the instructions multiple time and gone through the suggestions at the end for loose and tight joints. Thoughts/suggestions from you would be most helpful.

Also, I have been cutting the waste with my chisels but find it slow and am thinking of acquiring a fret saw. Comments on this part of the effort would also be appreciated. Which method do you prefer/use?

Many thanks,

Phil


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