Shoutout to the old school guys who still hand cut dovetails

I used to think a jig was the only way to get them perfect. Spent years with a Leigh jig in my shop in Tacoma. Now I just use a marking gauge and a backsaw. The slight wobble gives them character. Anyone else gone back to hand tools for joinery?

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3 Comments

grays136mo ago

Funny how that works. My shop was full of routers and jigs for years, chasing that factory look. Watched a guy cut them by hand at a show, and it just clicked. The process is the whole point now. A perfect joint from a jig feels empty, but a hand cut one tells a story. Wouldn't go back.

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marywilson6mo ago

My grandpa's old dovetail saw started it for me. I get that empty feeling from a router now, too.

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knight.dylan6mo ago

Honestly, my first hand cut dovetails looked like a beaver chewed them (and not in a good way). Kept at it, and now the little mistakes feel like my own signature. That router jig just collects dust, which is its own kind of perfect, I guess.

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