Hand Cut Dovetail Starter Kit

Hand Cut Dovetail Starter Kit

Are you interested in making hand cut dovetails? Intimidated by the vast array of possible tool choices? Our experts put together this tool set to help you get started at a reasonable price. You'll have quality tools for every part of the dovetailing process.

Need help getting started? David Barron's instructions for using his dovetail guides and two videos demonstrating the technique are below.

Tools in the Kit

• Barron Dovetail Guide - 1:6
• Gyokucho Model 372 Rip Dozuki Saw
• Veritas Wheel Marking Gauge
• Narex Spear Point Marking Knife
• Narex Premium Bevel Edge Chisels - one 6mm(1/4") and one 12mm(1/2")

Barron Guide

David Barron's Magnetic Dovetail Saw Guide makes it easier than ever to achieve perfect dovetails with your handsaw. Using powerful rare earth magnets covered with a low friction membrane, this dovetail saw guide securely holds the blade of your dovetail saw at the desired angle as you hand cut your dovetails. The guide enables you to cut closer to your layout lines, straight and true for each cut, which means you will spend less time having to pare away material with a chisel to obtain a good fit. It's perfect for cutting pins and tails for both through and half-blind dovetails. The starter kit includes one 1:6 (14°) guide. This is the most popular ratio for most hardwood dovetails.

David Barron recommends the smooth-cutting Gyokucho 372 Japanese Dovetail Saw, which features impulse-hardened teeth for long-lasting sharpness.

Gyokucho Razor Saw Rip Dozuki Saw

Gyokucho's Rip Dozuki Saw is great for all types of joinery. The thin blade has impulse hardened teeth for long life. You'll get a very thin kerf and a smooth cut even in very hard woods. The 372 saw has a traditional wooden handle with a cane wrap.

19 tpi.  Blade thickness is 0.3mm (.012").   Kerf is .018".  Blade length is 240mm (9-7/16").  Overall length is 23-7/8".  Blade height (depth of cut) tapers along the length of the blade.  At the heel it measures 44mm (1-3/4") and at the toe it's 57mm (2-1/4").  Weighs 8-1/4 oz.

Veritas Wheel Marking Gauge

The cutting wheel on this Veritas gauge starts and marks smoothly, without having to worry about attack angle and without tearing during cross-grain marking. The hardened steel wheel is ground sharp with the bevel on the inside, so it naturally pulls the gauge tight against your stock and resists following uncooperative grain.

Narex Spear Point Marking Knife

Narex Spear Point Marking Knife has a stained hornbeam handle with Manganese Vanadium Steel blade hardened to Rc 61. The blade is beveled on both sides so you can use it on either the left or right side of your rule.

Narex Premium Bench Chisels

Narex's premium Czech-made bevel edged chisels are of exceptional quality. The blades are excellent: fine-grained, nicely tempered chrome-manganese steel (Rc 59) with a slim cross section that's ideal for removing dovetail waste. They take and hold a beautiful edge without brittleness. Like most edge tools, they'll need sharpening before use; and like most chisels, they'll feel better and work better after you've gentled their long edges and flattened their backs. Handles are stained hornbeam. The Starter Kit includes two chisels - one 6mm (1/4") and one 12mm (1/2").

Product Videos

Additional Information

Magnetic Dovetail Guide Instructions (included in box with guide)

Thank you for purchasing one of my Dovetail Guides. This simple guide will enable you to cut straight, at the same angle and most importantly, square. To see the guide in action please visit www.youtube.com and search for ‘Hand Cut Dovetails Made Easy’. I have produced lots of other You Tube videos, which you may find interesting. The guides are produced in angles 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:7 and 1:8 which should cover most people’s requirements. There is also a useful 90 degree guide.

The saw blade is guided by a recessed magnet which makes sure that the blade stays absolutely straight both horizontally as well as vertically. The jig is face with a special low friction material, which allows the saw to slide smoothly. Over time these pads may become scratched which shouldn’t affect accuracy but I've included a spare pair with each guide.

There are two strips of abrasive, which hold the saw in your chosen position, whilst allowing easy small adjustments. After much use you may wish to replace these, any coarse self-adhesive sand paper will work fine.

The guide will work with any saw with a good depth of cut, the guide will reduce a saws cutting depth by 28mm (1 1/8"). The saw I recommend and sell, is made by Gyokucho and is model 372, this cuts hardwood effortlessly and the super hard steel blade will last a very long time. Japanese saws with cross cut teeth (as most are) will do the job but cut very much more slowly.

The following instructions are for cutting through dovetails although half blind or lapped dovetails can be cut just as easily. The process shows the tails being cut first but the guide works equally well for cutting the pins first (for all you old timers!).

Cutting the Tails

1. Scribe a line all the way round to the thickness of the mating pin board. A good quality wheel-marking gauge is easiest and can be rolled round the corners.
2. Mark out the dovetails on both sides to your desired spacing (after some practice you will realize that only the square marks across the end grain are necessary).
3. Line up the magnetic jig with the lines sloping from top right to bottom left and cut down to the scribe line (this is a natural stance for a right hander). Then turn the work in the vice and cut the remaining lines. Again the stance is comfortable and you can also see the cut made earlier.
4. Remove the waste with a jewelers saw and pare down to the scribe line.

Cutting the Pins

1. Scribe a line to the thickness of the tailpiece. Do both edges, not the sides.
2. Position the tailboard evenly over the pin board in the vice and carefully mark the pins with a sharp marking knife. In time you will realize that only the outer part of these lines is necessary as the jig takes care of the angle. A heavier cut with the knife on the corner will help to locate the saw.
3. Cut down to the scribe line on the waste side. Remove the waste with a jewellers saw and pare down to the scribe line.
4. Test fit a short way down. If all is ok add glue and tap the joint home.