Folks -
Well, I posted about a walnut cradle that I was working on some time ago....
am getting closer...
The corners are compound dovetails, and I haven't cut that dovetails even
before. How tight should the parts fit. I have been judiciously paring the
tails and pins, but want to be careful so that I don't go too far or split a
joint.
Any comments, cautions or suggestions from those who have gone before?
TIA
John Moorhead
Lakeport CA
On Fri, 24 Oct 2003 22:45:00 GMT, "john moorhead"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>The corners are compound dovetails, and I haven't cut that dovetails even
>before. How tight should the parts fit.
Personally I'm with Tage Frid on this one. You shouldn't pare
dovetails, just saw them (this applies to compounds, but obviously not
to blind ones). As you get better at it, your fit improves. But
chopping away and trying to "adjust" the things always seems to make
them worse, not better.
--
Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
"Leon" wrote ...
> Tight enough that they hold together with out glue but loose enough that
you
> can slide them together by hand or very slight tapping with a mallet or
> hammer.
I don't dry fit them. In my opinion that ruins the joint. When they go
together it should be a friction fit - meaning that they need to be tapped
home. Now, that doesn't mean using a sledge hammer, but I believe they
should be a bit tighter than what Leon says. Of course that works for me
and what he does works for him. Remember that when you place glue in the
joint it will lubricate the parts making them slide together much easier .
That is why you don't want them too loose. Ultimately, you want the glue
there to help the joint stay together but the joinery is supposed to do most
of the work. If you have to pare them then I guess you have to do what you
have to do. I just cut mine with the saw then assemble when it comes time
to assemble - I don't pare my dovetails. I find if you do your layout
carefully and trust your layout when you saw, they just go together. YMMV
--
Cheers,
Howard
----------------------------------------------------------
Working wood in New Jersey - [email protected]
Visit me in the woodshop - www.inthewoodshop.org
Tight enough that they hold together with out glue but loose enough that you
can slide them together by hand or very slight tapping with a mallet or
hammer.
"john moorhead" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:MXhmb.19653$Tr4.40407@attbi_s03...
> Folks -
>
> Well, I posted about a walnut cradle that I was working on some time
ago....
> am getting closer...
>
> The corners are compound dovetails, and I haven't cut that dovetails even
> before. How tight should the parts fit. I have been judiciously paring
the
> tails and pins, but want to be careful so that I don't go too far or split
a
> joint.
>
> Any comments, cautions or suggestions from those who have gone before?
>
> TIA
>
> John Moorhead
> Lakeport CA
>
>