Dovetail Joint Questions

Vic D

Vic D

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I bought a dovetail saw and intend to hand cut dovetail and or mortise joints (whichever I decide I like best as I go), what I don't have are good chisels. In the tutorials I've seen, nobody ever talks about the chisel they're using lol.
So, since I can probably afford like one at a time what should be my first all around chisel?
And if anyone has an ugly user they're not using anymore I'll be looking for one in a few says.
Any tips on cutting dovetail joints or links would be appreciated.

If anyone has a link to info on a good router/jig that would be cool too. I've seen some jigs with the angle brackets n stuff but I'm probably missing some.
 
Are you talking about the tapered Dovetails like Ken Timms uses on his ukes? I'm sure they can be done by hand but I suspect routing them is the way to go. Don Teeter advocated routing them as far back as the late '70s.

As far as Chisels. I like Sorby. But even a good set of Marples or Three Cherries won't set you back much. Save enough for a decent diamond honing stone as a dull chisel is pretty useless. I think I have spend more on sharpening gear than on chisels.

I just hate those guys that take three swipes across a worn oil stone and get an edge they can shave with... Bastards!
 
Vic..you'll need a "Bevel edged chisel" for dovetail work...I got a a set of butt chisels
off E-bay like these...nice handy size for ukes
buttchisel.jpg
 
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Those are Crown brand Ken and unless they have improved production, are next to useless in holding their edges. Page 24 of the July/August edition of Fine Woodworking has an excellent article on chisel making - bearing in mind luthiers tend to be ace tool makers you can do no better than invest in $7.99, buy this magazine and learn a whole lot more than just chisel making! And lastly - ebay... buy a pre-owned marples 3/4" paring chisel. It will do for all your chisel needs, dovetail, small chopping operations and especially tapering and relieving tone/back bars.
 
Pete Howlett said:
Those are Crown brand Ken and unless they have improved production, are next to useless in holding their edges. Page 24 of the July/August edition of Fine Woodworking has an excellent article on chisel making - bearing in mind luthiers tend to be ace tool makers you can do no better than invest in $7.99, buy this magazine and learn a whole lot more than just chisel making! And lastly - ebay... buy a pre-owned marples 3/4" paring chisel. It will do for all your chisel needs, dovetail, small chopping operations and especially tapering and relieving tone/back bars.
Click to expand...
That was just a picture I took off the web to show the "type of chisel" Pete...My "Joseph Tyzack" set was made in good old "Sheffield" (same as me) ...I also have a 3 piece set of Beech handled (with steel ferruls ) mortice chisels, made by another Sheffield manufacturer "Footprint tools" in the 1950' and they are just as good today as they were when I got them in 1961..mainly due to me not using them much.
There were loads of little family tool making firms in Sheffield when I was a lad, most have now sadly gone forever.
FOOTPRINT CHISELS
PICT0073.jpg
 
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I studied in Sheffield for 4 years... wife worked one summer at Dormer drills! Small world
 
Hey! Pete here's some Sheffield history..Sorry to drift away from this thread..but every time I see the name "Marples" on a chisel I think about this.
..The Marples Family who were famous for steel tools had other busineses in the City..including the Son of Joseph and Mary Marples.. John Marples who was a Publican and Wine merchant....He owned a Huge Pub in the middle of Sheffield..known localy as "The Marples" it ended up being bombed in workld WW2 with tragic results...you can read about it here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A5559573
 
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Hey Vic, This little guy is in the "need to find a good home" pile. It is short, but vintage Stanley that, as the saying goes, "holds an edge like a mother-in-law's tongue." You're welcome to it if you like. Will trade for an interesting piece of wood or some more bone for saddles and such. Give me a call or pm if you like.
 

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One of the best steel string acoustic guitar players in the world...and my youngest son's godfather...lives in Sheffield. Martin Simpson be he...
 
Yeah, that's him. Nobody plays for tone like he does, and you could say he's got chops, too, even if he plays instruments that are too large and have too many strings! He's done very well in the UK since moving back a few years ago. He was living here in Santa Cruz for a number of years, and was one of the main draws that brought me here. Alas, our loss is your gain. Go see him play sometime, and say hi to him for me.
 
I like Simpson but never heard him play acoustic....he's always plugged in! As for one of the the 'best'... there's loads of 'best steel string acoustic guitarists' out there Rick. I personally think Catfish Keith is one of the best genre wise but it's not just the guitar with him. Funny enough my friend who publishes Welsh music and I were listening to Muriel Anderson the other day - now she has true chops combined with the most excellent compositional skills, something many good guitarists lack and sge don't favour the steel string. Nevertheless her rendition of a Scruggs banjo medley on the nylon string guitar is breathtaking. BTW - anyone keeping up with Peter Huttlinger's progress - another 'one of the best' who has had some really bad health issues?
 
Ken W said:
Hey Vic, This little guy is in the "need to find a good home" pile. It is short, but vintage Stanley that, as the saying goes, "holds an edge like a mother-in-law's tongue." You're welcome to it if you like. Will trade for an interesting piece of wood or some more bone for saddles and such. Give me a call or pm if you like.
Click to expand...

Lol.. that thing has character! My back has gone out again and its tricky getting downstairs to cut stuff right now, maybe in a few days.
 
Pete Howlett said:
... And lastly - ebay... buy a pre-owned marples 3/4" paring chisel. It will do for all your chisel needs, dovetail, small chopping operations and especially tapering and relieving tone/back bars.
Click to expand...

I've had a couple of Marples on my watch list but haven't been able to pull the trigger yet. 3/4 paring it is then for my first "serious" chisel. Not that that Stanley isn't serious, Ken! I bet it is.
I did some reading on chisels and from what I gather, Marples are a tad softer than Sorby and others? Would they be easier to sharpen then?
A Fine Woodworking subscription has been on the wish list for a while now, I'm on their email list. Which brings me to something that's been bothering me, I've lied like a dog. I've been telling people that it takes me a while to get to the post office because I don't have a vehicle most of the time. It's true that I don't have a vehicle most of the time but the Post Office is just half a block away lol. I just can't afford shipping until the transfer from Paypal to the bank is complete.

And I figured out the last time I ran an eBay auction that if you edit ANYTHING the default shipping goes back to "expedited"! eBay and I are about done... on top of everything else they're taking too much money.
 
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