The 8 and 10 inch standard high handle hang dovetail saws with fairly shallow plates are, in my opinion, the nicest to use. 10 inches is the magic number for me for a dedicated dovetail saw, but I’m also quite fond of 11-12″. Anything shorter than 10″ always just felt too short dinky.How long should a dovetail saw be? The 8 and 10 inch standard high handle hang dovetail saws with fairly shallow plates are, in my opinion, the nicest to use. 10 inches is the magic number for me for a dedicated dovetail saw, but I’m also quite fond of 11-12″. Anything shorter than 10″ always just felt too short dinky.
What is the best length for a dovetail saw?
Even if you’ll use your saw mostly for run of the mill drawer dovetails, the longer length will give much straighter cuts, and be much faster. It will also help you to see square. Go for around the 10″ (250mm) mark. Maybe a little longer if you work thicker stuff.
How big should dovetails be?
For drawers, boxes or trays 2″ or less I generally like a single dovetail. For 3″ to 3 1/2″ and less two dovetails, for 4″ three dovetails, for 5″ to 6″ four dovetails and for 6″ four or possibly five.
How do I choose a dovetail saw?
Like tenon saws, these can be brass or steel-backed, the main difference is that the steel-backed saws are lighter. You also want to make sure it has 15 PPI or more (slightly smaller teeth) and has a comfortable wooden handle. Paul likes the turned (inline) handle for cutting dovetails, as found on the gent’s saw.
What size are standard dovetails?
Dovetails come in several different types and sizes depending on manufacturer, but the most common are the 11 mm and 3⁄8 inch (9.5 mm). Some other less known, but currently commercially available dovetail mounts, are 12, 13, 13.5, 14, 14.5, 16, 16.5, 17 and 19 mm.
What is the best length for a dovetail saw?
Even if you’ll use your saw mostly for run of the mill drawer dovetails, the longer length will give much straighter cuts, and be much faster. It will also help you to see square. Go for around the 10″ (250mm) mark. Maybe a little longer if you work thicker stuff.
How do I choose a dovetail saw?
Like tenon saws, these can be brass or steel-backed, the main difference is that the steel-backed saws are lighter. You also want to make sure it has 15 PPI or more (slightly smaller teeth) and has a comfortable wooden handle. Paul likes the turned (inline) handle for cutting dovetails, as found on the gent’s saw.
How long should a saw be?
Of the many types of hand saws out there of various lengths, the 26″ is the one that provides the most efficient cutting because it puts the most teeth to work over the distance of the typical human arm movement.
What is the difference between a miter saw and a dovetail saw?
Dovetail saws are back saws with a high tooth count, filed for ripping; tenon saws have a lower tooth count and are filed for crosscutting. A mitre saw is filed for crosscutting, is quite a bit longer than a tenon saw and attached to a mitre rig. Most common these days are picture frame saws.
What are the rules for dovetails?
What are the rules for a dovetail joint?
The general rule is that they measure half the thickness of timber plus around 1 mm along the shoulder line. So these two awl dots are 7 mm in from each edge. These two dots, which mark the corners of the half pins, are now converted into a 1:8 slope at each side.
Are 3 8 and 11mm dovetail the same?
However, that is not the only difference between the two dovetails. They also have different groove angles as shown below. The 11 mm dovetail has a 60-degree angle, while the 3/8” dovetail has a 45-degree angle.
Can I use a tenon saw for dovetails?
I find I have greater control with say a ten inch tenon saw and this just happens to be the ideal saw for dovetails too and so I keep my so-called dovetail saw close to hand for the shoulder-cutting aspect of cutting tenons.
Is dovetail worth it?
Making sure that you pick a drawer joint that can withstand this type of wear and tear is crucial to the longevity of your kitchen cabinets. Dovetail joints are considered one of the strongest joints used in kitchen cabinetry construction and are the best solution for a kitchen cabinet drawer box.
Is dovetail 11mm?
The standard 22 tip-off dovetail in the US is 3/8″ at the bottom and up to 1/2″ at the top. The European 11mm dovetail is typically 11mm at the top and perhaps 8mm at the bottom. The 11mm dovetail typically has a 60 degree angle from the bottom inside corner to the top where the 3/8″ is typically 45 degrees.
How deep should a dovetail joint be?
After setting up the jig, I installed the recommended dovetail bit and carefully set it to 3/8-inch depth. My jig specifies this depth is measured from the template, not the router base. I set my depth with a combination square so I laid the template on the router base and measured from that surface.
What is the best angle for a dovetail?
Percy Blandford, who has been writing about woodworking for a long time, writes in “The Woodworker’s Bible” that any angle between 7.5° and 10° is acceptable. The ideal, he says, is 8.5° for softwoods and 7.5° when joining hardwoods.
What is the minimum length of wood for a miter saw?
I’d prefer a minimum of 10 ft over an 8 ft length. You can also consider making the miter stand moveable with casters so that when the need for longer cuts arises you can move it slightly to get the clearing you need.
What is the ideal dovetail angle?
Although softwoods are more compressible than hardwoods, you needn’t change the dovetail angle to add strength to the joint. Any angle between 7° and 15° will work, regardless of the wood. But stay within that range. If you go below 7°, you’ll start to lose the mechanical strength of the dovetail.
What is the average length of a hand saw?
Hand saws have a handle and a flexible metal saw plate with no rigid back or frame. Hand saws typically have the largest teeth of all the three types of saws and are generally used for quickly rough-cutting boards to length or width. They generally range in length anywhere from around 32 to 18 inches.
What is the most common dovetail ratio?
Dovetail angles are usually expressed as ratios — the most common being 1:6 and 1:8 (said “one in eight,” and also written as 6:1 or 8:1). As a general rule of thumb: Use 1:6 for softwoods. Use 1:8 for hardwoods.
What is the best length for a dovetail saw?
Even if you’ll use your saw mostly for run of the mill drawer dovetails, the longer length will give much straighter cuts, and be much faster. It will also help you to see square. Go for around the 10″ (250mm) mark. Maybe a little longer if you work thicker stuff.
How do I choose a dovetail saw?
Like tenon saws, these can be brass or steel-backed, the main difference is that the steel-backed saws are lighter. You also want to make sure it has 15 PPI or more (slightly smaller teeth) and has a comfortable wooden handle. Paul likes the turned (inline) handle for cutting dovetails, as found on the gent’s saw.
What is the average size of a saw?
The most common blade diameter is 7-1/4 inches. Most saws with blade capacities of 6 inches or more can cut through 2-inch dimensional lumber at a 45-degree angle in a single pass. A 5-3/8-inch saw can cut through 2-inch dimensional lumber in one pass at 90 degrees but requires two passes at 45 degrees.
What determines the size of a saw?
Blade diameter is an important factor in figuring out the saw’s capacity. Typically, the maximum depth of cut that a saw can make is about 30% of the blade diameter. While it might be possible to cut up to 40% of the blade’s diameter in some situations, this would usually require removing safety guards from the blade.
