Expert Tips for Cutting Dovetail Sockets

Hand cutting a dovetail is probably one of the most challenging things that woodworkers explore doing. So, what I want to do, is take just a second here, and give you some tips on doing this to make it a little easier. In this case, I'm going to be referring to the dovetail sockets. Now, a couple of things. One is, let's get the work where we can see what's actually happening. So, I really want my workpiece up here, where it's just about level with my chest, rather than having it down low in the vice, where I really got to stoop over and can't see what I'm doing. The other thing, on your layout, make sure that your lines are really fine, so there's no question about where to make those cuts. For the video here, I've done it with a pencil. Commonly, for my own woodworking, I do all this with a marking knife, so these are cuts in the wood, or impressions, they're not pencil lines at all. If you are using a pencil, what I do is, I roll my pencil quite frequently over a piece of fine sandpaper, so the tip is always needle sharp, gives me a very fine distinct line. Now, I'm not quite ready to make a cut yet, because my old eyes need a little help sometimes. So, one of the things I've done, is put a light on a bench back here, so I can throw a little light on my work, that really helps a lot, to see what I'm doing. Even though I've got a shop full of fluorescents, and right now we've got studio lights in here too, the light behind me is really going to make it easier, for me to see what I'm doing. One of the things that's going to help your mechanics of this, is to make similar cuts, all in a row. So, what I mean by that, is once I've completed this cut, where the saw is angling to the left, my temptation is to finish that socket, but I'm not going to. I'm going to come to this one, where the saw is again angling to the left. I'm going to start the cut by pushing away from me, with just a couple of strokes. This is a pull saw, so I'm going to get a couple strokes started pushing away. If I was using a conventional western saw, I would do those first strokes, by pulling toward me. Once I've got a , for the saw to start in, then I'm ready to start making strokes. Now, notice that, I've got a line on the face, and a line on the top. I'm only going to follow those two lines. I've seen a lot of woodworkers who try to do this, and cut the whole socket at one time. What's happening on the back side? We have no idea, because you can't see back there. So, I only want to file the lines I can see, so I'm going to gently stroke through that, and then the big deal here, is, let the saw do the work. Don't try to force it. Keep the dust cleared, off of the surface, so you can see what you're looking at, and this, is going to give you more accuracy, than this. So, as I sometimes yell at my kids, when they're in here using tools and doing, this, I say, "I paid that whole blade, let's use the whole blade". Once this is done, and I'd move on to the next socket, where it's angled to the left. Now, a good question would be, "I'm this far, how do I finish this?", and the answer is, I'm just going to slowly let the saw level out. Whatever curves I've already created across the top, in this space, the saw is going to follow those curves, and what I'll do, is take a periodic peak, around the back side, where I've got another layout line. And I'll just watch for the saw to bottom out on a layout line just like this one, on the other side, being real careful not to overcut. So, let the saw do the work, take your time, make sure you've got a good light source, get the work up high here, where you can really see what's going on. It's going to make the mechanics a lot easier for your arms and your shoulders. Good, sharp saw, lots of practice, you'll be cutting accurate dovetail sockets like these, in no time at all.