For me, the hardest part of making half-blind dovetails isn’t the sawing. It’s chiseling out the waste between the pins. So when I have a crapload of half-blind dovetails to make, I use my drill press and a Forstner bit to bore out the bulk. Then I finish up with a regular bench chisel.
I’m in the midst of a sea of half-blind and full-blind dovetails for my latest campaign chest. All together, I have 16 half-blind corners, two full-blind corners and 10 through-dovetail corners to make. In my book, that’s a crapload.
I set my drill press so that it bores just shy of my baselines – I don’t trust its depth stop. (The stop has bent many times; I should replace it.) So there’s still some chopping and paring I need to do with each joint.
With any luck, I should have the lower carcase of this chest glued up this afternoon. And thanks to my drill press, I’ll have saved several hours I can devote to editing some upcoming books. That’s also removing waste, but it’s a process that my drill press can’t help with.
— Christopher Schwarz
So, you want absolution – or what?
Absolution for what? Not following you.
Welcome back to the future !
BTW, they make routers that will do that – electric ones.
Think he’s trying to reference the fact that you’re using a power tool.
(Something Chris readily admitted to doing when it drastically decreases the amount of time spent performing a function, right? So… not really a big deal. It isn’t even a little deal…)
Hey! I can grant absolution!
Drillpress = most dangerous took in my shop, “Just one hole, I don’t need to clamp it, I’ll be careful”
Of course you are using a hand cranked drill press, right?
Yes, please explain yourself, Schwarz. Else, I will stumble through my day at sixes and sevens.
Something to remember here: I use machines for some operations. I always have. And I probably always will.
I write about handwork because there are already *tons* of great authors out there writing about power tool use. I don’t need to add to that part of the craft.
It’s like this: You probably don’t want a political writer penning stuff on the sports pages.
All of my books show my machines.
No. It’s a Grizzly. I have two hand-cranked ones that I’ve slowly been restoring during the last four years, but they don’t work.
…But the manuscript would then be holy.
Do you stand behind the drill press so that you can see what you are doing?
No. I stand in front of it so I can see what I’m doing. The work is against a fence.
Very clean! I get the sense that a drill press and a band saw are great (and non-obvious) powered tools to have. I did the “usual thing” and got a table saw first, as it seemed like what you were supposed to do. I wish I had found TATC before I got the table saw. . . .so it goes.
A table saw is a fantastic tool to have. Yes it is probably the most dangerous tool in a shop but use it wisely and it will save you hours. I have both a bandsaw and a table saw, but when I need to rip a board, I use the table saw because its easier to get straight, co-planer edges. My bandsaw is difficult to set up for straight cuts, and often goes wrong. I used the table saw the other day to rip my boards for my ATC carcase, then all was needed was a quick pass with a jointer(plane or electric). If I had to rip those boards by hand, it would have taken me longer. Today I get to dovetail that carcase, instead of still gluing up boards.
I still rip boards by hand, but only when it is advantageous to do so, or safer, like on a very wide or long board that is awkward on my small table saw.
the jointer is more dangerous than the table saw…
Simon:
How so? Number of people injured? Potential severity of injury? I ask because it seems to me the table saw is more dangerous, even though I’ve been injured many times on the router table(though I use the router table about 1000 times more than most people because of my work). A leather glove limits my potential injury on the router table. But a table saw could cut off my finger. I suppose through a catastrophic failure of saftey procedures, the jointer could mash up your hand pretty good, but how often does this happen? Please explain your position.
Never dropped a table saw on my foot. A jointer can be 8 pounds of hell on the top of your foot. 🙂
I just watched your videos on hand tools and plane tuning, they were very good and I appreciated your non doctrinaire perspective on power tools and hand tools… clearly shown here.
What is your feeling about planers? You mention them in the hand tool video.
I’m interested in making boxes and box sized items, does that change strategies for which tools to use (power or hand) or own? (most of the resources I’ve found on box building are VERY power tool focused).
Thank you.
If I had to have only one machine, it would probably be a surface planer. It saves more work than any other machine I own. And it allows me to use rough lumber.
If I had to have only one machine, it would be my coffee maker. (I’m assuming you’d let me borrow your planer…)
I’ll pick my truck as my favorite ww machine. Sure beats carrying lumber on my back.
If I had to make the same choice, it would also be the surface planer. If I could only have two power tools, the second one would be my bandsaw. When building my boat, it became clear to me that these were the most important power tools to have. I could have comfortably built my entire boat with only these two power tools, plus hand tools.
(It would be darned exhausting to cut about 75 20-foot rip cuts with a hand saw!)
Megan, you really should get a french press. It’s the hand tool of the coffee world.
So, the next logical question is… short of recommending a specific planer, what are the essential features of a good (or good enough) surface planer?
Steven,
I have a small shop, so I am partial to the portable planers. With these kinds of planers, I have found the knives are easier to change and the surface finish is superior.
Downside: They are noisy and can stall when unreasonably taxed. Also, universal motors (which power these machines) aren’t generally as durable as the induction motors on stationary planers.
I have the DeWalt 13″planer in my shop, though there are lots of other good brands out there. I chose the DeWalt because it’s built like a tank, the knives are so simple to change and the motor is surprisingly gutsy.
For what it’s worth, I’ve worked with almost every other portable planer on the market during my last job. I also like the Ridgid and Makita planers.
Christopher –
Thank you for the info on surface planers… it could make a good article here, at risk of further coffee maker suggestions and other fun.
Back to the Hand tools video
Have you or Popular Woodworking put together a road map (or different road maps) for skills development (and videos, books, etc.) for new woodworkers? As you noted, even power tool folks need chisels and would benefit from a router plane… how would I know this in advance?
“The Secrets of Drill Press Editing.” coming soon from Lost Art Press. Tips and Tricks from the publishing pros on the easy wholesale removal of unwanted text.
I’m with Megan, the coffeemaker (in whatever form) is the essential tool for any kind of productive life.
Very nice looking dovetails.
You are supposed to pick on him, either for his use of power tools, his choice of wood, or his taste in clothes. If you praise his work he will think he is on the wrong website.
I am so intrigued that advocating the use of a drill press should cause so much chatter in comments!
God bless the internet!
For what it’s worth, the most dangerous tool in my shop its without a doubt the clamps. I should mention, that I trained a wild baboon clamp my glue-ups. If you’ve ever wondered what that “Misuse of clamps can cause injury” sticker means, they meant an angry 200 pound primate slinging Titebond III, feces, and Bessey’s.
Such a vivid picture…
This has made me laugh at least 7 times now.
Actually, the Lost Art Press publication “Drill Pressing in Practice” recommends finding an original Benjamin Forstner bit at a flea market, chuck the bit, block the arbor from rotating, and spin your board as quickly with your hands as is reasonably possible.
Really usefull tip. I never really though of doing half blinds that way.
Forget all the other post, I am stuck on the picture. I suggest that you publish a coffee table book – the Book of Joints or Tails or… I admit probably spend more time just looking at the pictures than I should, but it is just hard not to stare. Maybe something I picked up in my childhood.
As my wife calls it “woodworker porn.” The title “Book of Tails” may, however, lead to some confusion.
28 or more = 1 crapload. Talk about “new math”…
Chris,
Can you provide any direction on selecting the size of the Forstner bit? From the picture, it appears you used a bit whose diameter was approximately the thickness of the tail board. Am I correctly seeing that?
You have got it right. I use a 3/4″ bit for 3/4″ material.
Is overcutting half-blind dovetails a traditional practice?
It is in American furniture I’ve examined. Shakers did it. The only downside to it is that it makes the pin board a wee bit weaker when you are paring out the waste.
Chris,
How about a quickie video of what your doing? Watching you do your stuff is great.