Egyptian-inspired bench requires dovetailingBy David Marks
There is a lot written about cutting dovetails in 4/4 stock (lumber that is one-inch thick), but there is less information about cutting dovetails in thicker stock.
Dovetails can be cut by hand or by machine. Hand-cut dovetails have the potential for a much greater ascetic quality because you can cut a much thinner neck on the pins than you can with a router dovetail jig, and you can also vary the spacing with unlimited options.
A good quality dovetail saw works well for one-inch stock or less. But when it comes to thicker stock, I find that the bandsaw is an excellent choice because it increases speed and accuracy.
As always, though, stock preparation is critical.
For this Egyptian-inspired bench, I've selected claro walnut and eastern maple that are both two inches thick in the rough. After jointing and planning, the stock is netting 1-1/3 inches thick. It is essential that the stock is flat and the edges are true 90 degrees.
Next up is the layout process. I like to use a cabinetmaker's scribe set to the same thickness as the stock to scribe a line on the ends of the boards. I add 1/32 of an inch to the setting, so that the joinery will protrude. This makes it easier to level the joints later.
Scribing scores the fibers of the wood, giving you a precise cut line. Some craftsmen prefer to cut the tails first and then the pins, while others do just the opposite. I'm in the opposite camp, maybe because I'm left-handed. Some people have commented that I do things backward, but I say it's all a matter of your perspective. It doesn't really matter as long as the results are good.
I begin by laying out half pins on the end grain at both ends of the board. I use an adjustable bevel gauge that I've set at a 12-degree angle. I like to play with the pattern so that it isn't so predictable, which means I vary the spacing. In this case, I placed one pin in the middle and one close to each half pin I've placed toward the ends of my 11-inch-wide stock. My intention is to keep the neck of the pins narrow, so I'm laying them out at 1/8-inch thick.
Next, take a square and draw the lines from the end grain down to the scribe lines and mark X's where you will be removing the stock. Don't skip this step--it will help to avoid confusion later. Now set the table of your bandsaw to 12 degrees and cut one side of the pins, then set it to 12 degrees in the opposite tilt direction and cut the other side.
Reset the table back to zero and flip the stock over so that the wide side of the pins are facing up, and carefully make cuts to remove the waste between them. This area is referred to as the sockets, and I finish these off with sharp Japanese chisels. I prefer to clamp a guide block to the scribe line, which ensures a straight line. Once you have chiseled half way down, flip the stock and finish it off from the other side.
With the pins complete, I clamp a guide block to the scribe line of the tail stock and then clamp the pin stock standing up in place exactly in the relationship that I want. Now I can take a sharp knife and scribe the lines, which I will later darken in with a pencil. Now it's back to the bandsaw to cut out the tails with the table set at 90 degrees.
Remember to use a sharp blade with six teeth per inch. The less set there is to the teeth, the faster it will dull, but the trade off is a smoother cut with less paring from the chisels. Speaking of chisels, after you have cleaned up the tails and you are testing the fit, try rubbing some pencil graphite onto the walls of the tail sockets. As you test fit the pieces the graphite will rub off onto the pins, showing the areas that need paring for that perfect fit.
(Master craftsman David J. Marks hosts Wood Works on the DIY Network. For more information, visit www.djmarks.com.)
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