Can you cut dovetails with a jigsaw?
Can you cut dovetails with a jigsaw?
If you’re scratching your head at the mention of my jigsaw, or if you’ve never considered using your jigsaw to cut intricate joinery, you’re in for a treat. I often use my jigsaw to cut dovetail pins and tails. (It’s best if you turn down the variable speed setting to gain additional control of the cut.)
What saw is perfect for making dovetail joints?
You need a saw with rip teeth for dovetail work. This means the cutting edges of the teeth are approximately perpendicular to the length of the saw. Two saws that do the trick are a Japanese dozuki (top) and a Western backsaw.
What sort of gauge would you use to mark out a dovetail joint?
For scribing the baseline I use a Tite-Mark wheel gauge and/or a Hamilton marking gauge. Both are excellent and highly recommended. I like to use several marking gauges and leave each one set to do a specific task. I use dividers to space out my dovetails.
What is the difference between a dovetail saw and a tenon saw?
A well-sharpened well-set dovetail saw is used as much for other cutting alongside its larger cousin the tenon saw, which also is not a dedicated use saw either. Most tenon saws are sharpened for aggressive rip cut, which is exactly what you need for cutting the cheeks of tenons.
How do you make a dovetail joint step by step?
- Determine which piece of wood will be the tail board and which will be the pin board.
- Use your marking gauge to measure the depth of the pin board.
- Mark all the way around the tail board with the marking gauge.
- Mark and measure the tails.
- Cut the tails starting at the top.
- Cut towards the base of the tails on both sides.
Should dovetail joints be glued?
Michael Dresdner: The only areas that require glue on dovetails are the diagonal faces. All the diagonal faces are long grain, all the square faces are end grain, and all the flat faces abut end grain. Therefore, you need only apply glue to the diagonal faces on the tails or pins, or both.
