Tear out when chopping dovetails
Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Woodworking Methods and Techniques / Tear out when chopping dovetails
- This topic has 22 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 10 months ago by dclare.
-
AuthorPosts
-
28 May 2017 at 2:06 pm #312382
@dclare, the picture that you posted looks exactly like my practice cuts! I am relatively new (well OK, extremely new) to cutting dovetails and working with hand tools, in general. I have been practicing with poplar boards that I bought S4S from my big box store (Lowes, in my area). I thought maybe it was because I was using poplar but now I see that it’s my technique and my tool sharpness.
Someone else said about the “level of sharpness”. I thought I had a sharp chisel but maybe it was only “sharper than before” and not really sharp enough yet to use well.
Good luck on your 40 drawers!
Also, you mentioned you had not found the hammer that Paul uses. I believe this one is close and available on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001P0YF0/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2CH0SDKKQKPZ4&colid=2BZ9T7761N07F
- This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by Jason Wickersham. Reason: added link to hammer
I wonder if sharpening just to fine rather than super fine (DMT would call it extra fine, around 1200 grit) is enough? Even though you are stropping with compound, the jump from fine to strop may be too big. What happens if you try to pare pine end grain with a chisel?
This is a time when sandpaper sharpening might be worth it. You could get one sheet of something equivalent to superfine, hone on it after your fine, move on to the strop, and see if things get better. Our hardware store will sell single sheets of wet/dry, but you might need to buy from an auto repair shop to get to high enough grit depending upon where you live. Look at a grit chart first to make sure you get the right thing since you might be dealing with some things in US grits, some in European, and some in microns (the safe bet).
Thanks Ed. Maybe I can skip the strop and see if that makes a difference. I might have to pull the leather off the board and wet it down to stretch it back out again. It’s getting a bit loose and mushrooms up around the chisel a bit. I do have some 3000 wet/dry paper, I will try that out.
Just a little update, Still didn’t have much luck skipping the strop and using 2000 grit wet/dry. (no guide though), but I had great success with the Japanese dovetail chisel. I didn’t think it would make much difference, but there it is. Must be the steel can hold a finer edge, or maybe just the steep angle, but I’ll take it.
I might also be getting a bit better at finessing it, but I don’t really see the need to go back to the western chisels. On my third drawer I did make the pins narrower, I felt it was a bit too chunky before. Unforeseen result of that, (there always is at least one), the Japanese chisel barely fits into the shoulder, but that works out fine, I am using a 1/8 bevel edge to waste it out, since it’s a much gentler action then chiseling straight across the grain I’m not having any problems there. Then I went in and cleaned it up with the Japanese chisel up to the knife line.Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.7 June 2017 at 8:58 am #312631Dont skip the strop, unless you have superfine 8000+ stones, its essential to remove leftover Burrs .
In my experience even if the Burr appears to come off on the stone more often them not theres still some legt.Since you say japanese chisel works better, are you sure your stones are truly flat?
The hollowground back on the japanese makes it easier since its not crucial for the whole back to be flat.Perhaps a bit of misunderstanding….The idea was to add the 2000 paper after your DMT fine and then go to strop. The concern was that your fine stone may be too coarse for a strop to be the next step. In Paul’s system, the strop is both taking off the bur and is polishing the edge.
Looking at a grit chart and the DMT web page, we have:
DMT fine = 600 mesh , 25 micron
DMT extra fine =1200 mesh, 9 micron
EZe lap superfine = 1200 mesh, 15-20 micron
P2000 = 10 micronSo, it looks like adding the P2000 would be like adding the missing superfine. Of course, it is still possible to have a false edge, which is really nothing but a wire edge, even with that progression of grits.
But, you’ve got something that works, the Japanese chisel. Japanese tools use harder, more brittle steel. This may support the idea that your other chisel is suffering from not really having the bur removed.
Thank-you for the advice!
I think my strop needs to be redesigned at any rate. I stretched it over a block of wood that I can clamp in my vice, but it’s loosened up a bit and mushrooms around the blade. I can’t feel any left over burr, but my fingers are pretty insensitive anyway. Currently I am using the 3 plates mentioned previously then spraying some water over the extra fine plate and sticking some 2000g wet/dry sandpaper on it. I don’t go higher than that. I still plan on buying a finer stone eventually, either diamond or wet stone, haven’t decided yet. I like the ease of use from the diamonds, but if it will really improve my game I will buy a stone.
Philipp I sure hope the stones are flat, they are DMT plates. If I had an actual stone I imagine I would be using the plates to flatten it. I Did have to send one back because the coating flaked off, but the guy at lee valley said it was the first time he ever saw that happen, and replaced it without question. -
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.