Reply To: Wedged pins (seeking international response)
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From a practical standpoint alone, it was common to mark the dovetails using the saw i the kerf of the tails before removing the waste from the pine recesses either side of the tails. What is wrong with the remainder of the interpretation, and commonly presented by the woodworking gurus, is that the subsequent cuts to create the pins was in some sort of kerf left in the pine piece. That was not at all what happened at least here in the UK and dare I say elsewhere where British woodworking was exported through immigration. The saw merely marked the position with a light mark from a pull stroke on the reverse of the saw teeth. A minor and slight indentation with no removal of material but possible compression only. The saw cuts following were then to the exact side of the indent so that actual stock removal was indeed exact or even hedged slightly to created compression as we do when we use a pencil or knife in some woods.Therefor, dovetail and pin recesses were really no different than what we do in practice today.
Re wedging yer dovetails. In all of my work, teaching, being taught, restoring pieces, researching cabinet making methods and techniques, conservation work and so on, I personally never came across wedged dovetails in this fashion or as a standard procedure. I have seen pinned, unglued dovetails using steel and wooden pins.