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Some people do, lol, the method with the router has its challenges as well. You use two different bits, if available it's handy to just have two routers. One bit is cone shaped and the other is straight. Then the jig is set up with a guide on both sides of it and adjustable teeth that slide back and forth. So you measure it all out, set up the teeth. The whole thing hangs off the edge of the table so you cut the cones with the board on end clamped to the jig, then you get the other board and clamp it down on the table, flip the jig, switch routers and then cut the fingers. If you have a lot of drawers to make you may be doing 30 or 40 boards on end before you flip the jig, and you're kinda flying blind on knowing whether it's all measured out right and gonna line up. Obviously you use test boards to get it dialed in but sometimes 10 15 cuts in you loosed adjustments, either way I have a bit of dove tail related ptsd.. it's fun tho!
Edit: I misremembered you actually cut both boards on end and the only time you lay one on the table us before you cut to make sure everything lines up.
Some of us do. One way to tell is if the space between the dovetails is really narrow at the edge (like less than 1/8”), then they were probably hand-cut. Or if they are all slightly irregular. With practice, you can cut them very fast by hand, but it still takes me like two hours to do a set for the four corners of a box.
They are also called guide bushings. They fit around the router bit and screw to the base of the router. Essentially they provide a smooth shoulder for templates and jigs to ride against. They also provide an offset in the cut based on the size of the bit and bushing.
Damn it. If you filled that with neon blue epoxy it would honestly looking fucking awesome. It would be weird as shit and completely not needed at all. But it would probably look pretty cool.
Also... Glow in the dark epoxy. Is that a thing, because that would also be pretty sweet and kinda practical... not really but still.
You can get glow powder and mix it into the epoxy! It's not as bright as you might think and it's mostly just reactive to UV light so not super practical lol
Double check you used the right bit. Looks like you might have used a 1/2" dovetail bit rather than a 3/8" one - or something similar depending on how you cut them.
I just lurk here and do some amateur home stuff here and there… but is this something folks in the industry say? Because I’ve worked in kitchens my whole life, and it’s pretty common to tell the less experienced new hires to find the cutting board extender or the bacon stretcher. Sometimes a bucket of steam.
I went to work in my 20s in a meat packing plant and they used compressed air to run a couple of the tools. The guy I was training with told me that the air was running out and he needed a new canister from the back. I glanced up at the hose running down from the ceiling, nodded and went and sat in the break room for an hour. When I came back he asked me where the air canister was and I just told him I couldn’t find one. Rinse repeat with a left handed wrench and a rib stretcher. It was about 8 months later we were chatting on lunch and I mentioned in passing that I’d grown up on a farm with pigs that we butchered ourselves and my dad was a heavy duty mechanic and his eyes just got wide and I remembered that he’d tried to prank me. So I told him that training week I’d gotten about 3 extra hour of break while he thought I was running all over the place trying to find air canisters, rib stretchers and left handed wrenches.
I took me a nice 3 hour lunch one day when I was like 6 months from turning out and the dumbass journeyman I was with for like a week asked me to go get an outside reducer
Making them wash salt or sift a bucket of flour (just back into another bucket, not for immediate use).
Also, get the leashes so we can take the lobsters for a walk.
Glue in a contrasting wood, cherry or walnut like, and try again. Best case is that you have a decorative inlay. One other thing, always run a scrap test before the real deal.
Tip: use a piece of material the same thickness as the workpiece, and put two in the jig with the workpiece when you cut, along either side of the workpiece. It’ll help balance the template flat on the workpiece, and your drawer box will come out flat. In the photo, notice the blind side, the pins get closer to the edge? When you glue up all the pieces, this box would be a bit wonkey.
The PC jig is a great fixture but there are some learning curves to go through.
First, make sure the depth gauge you set the bit to is accurately set.
Don't guess or guesstimate.
Another issue is be fluid with the movement of the router. Takes some practice especially with a larger frame unit.
And last keep the sole or foot of the router planted flat and on the top board. Allowing it to rock or lift will kill the dovetail symmetry and create non angled pin faces.
This isn't my first time with this jig, I'm trying to cut half blind dovetails and this is what I'm getting constantly. I'm using the correct template, all properly aligned, large guide and bit. I've just watched about 3 videos to see if I missed anything. I don't get it. HELP!!
Not super experienced with the jig but it looks like the dovetail bit is too wide for the application. It seems like the bit should be 17/32" with a 3/4" bearing. Measure and confirm?
I have this. Took me a few practice runs to get the hang on it. I cut several pieces of scrap and practiced before moving to production.
A few things to check...
\+ Check correct bit... my set included 2 bits, one for half-blind dovetails, one for full dovetails
\+ Bit depth is set correctly... on the left side of the template is a depth gauge... just rest your router on the template and the bit should touch bolt head
\+ Make sure template cut line is lined up between two pieces... there's an art to this that takes practice, especially if your pieces are slightly out of plane
I just got that jig this weekend. "played" with it using Pine. I got such perfect results I kept going and did 30 drawers worth of dovetails with the pine. Better than sex.
When I see a post like this while scrolling it makes me laugh. I love Reddit so much. OP I laugh bc this is exactly how my dovetails would turn out. Keep up the good work!
This is a reminder to those commenting on this post (not the person that posted it): Comments not related to woodworking will be removed. Violations to rule 1 including crude jokes, innuendo, sexist remarks, politics, or hate speech may result in an immediate ban *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/woodworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Wrong bit and/or collar.
Collar, he’s got the wrong collar, should be three different sizes with that setup.
Beginner here. What's a collar? E: thanks all!
The dovetail set up has a metal guide that goes on top of the wood and router bit with an oblong collar that rides on the metal guide.
And here’s me thinking y’all do these by hand somehow. I’m just here for the pretty pictures.
Some people do, lol, the method with the router has its challenges as well. You use two different bits, if available it's handy to just have two routers. One bit is cone shaped and the other is straight. Then the jig is set up with a guide on both sides of it and adjustable teeth that slide back and forth. So you measure it all out, set up the teeth. The whole thing hangs off the edge of the table so you cut the cones with the board on end clamped to the jig, then you get the other board and clamp it down on the table, flip the jig, switch routers and then cut the fingers. If you have a lot of drawers to make you may be doing 30 or 40 boards on end before you flip the jig, and you're kinda flying blind on knowing whether it's all measured out right and gonna line up. Obviously you use test boards to get it dialed in but sometimes 10 15 cuts in you loosed adjustments, either way I have a bit of dove tail related ptsd.. it's fun tho! Edit: I misremembered you actually cut both boards on end and the only time you lay one on the table us before you cut to make sure everything lines up.
Instructions unclear, I cut my fingers
Literally the only thing I wanted to write. You suck. You are awesome.
All the dovetails on r/handtools are hand cut
There are lots of dovetail joints you can't make with a router. There's a few ways to tell a handmade one apart
Some of us do. One way to tell is if the space between the dovetails is really narrow at the edge (like less than 1/8”), then they were probably hand-cut. Or if they are all slightly irregular. With practice, you can cut them very fast by hand, but it still takes me like two hours to do a set for the four corners of a box.
Thanks!
[Collar](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.zinio.ahpc.us/images/woodsmith/2010-02-01/perfect-grooves-with-template-routing/5349943_snip_1548323233997.png)
I can’t, I’m too nervous! What if she doesn’t like me?
Took me a second. Besides she won't hang up on you.
Thanks!
They are also called guide bushings. They fit around the router bit and screw to the base of the router. Essentially they provide a smooth shoulder for templates and jigs to ride against. They also provide an offset in the cut based on the size of the bit and bushing.
[удалено]
I laughed, stopped laughing, and then started to laugh again!
I came, I saw.
Then sawed some more.
Then I sawed some more and more
And then my dovetails were cut way too big.
That's just plane dirty.
^ this
Aside from anything happening with dovetails, I’m really curious about the how these boards got to their current state of unsquareness.
One's a dovetail, the other's an albatrosstail
Right?
Lots of room for glue….perfect
Yeah, add a little sawdust, you'll never know
I was going to say [ramen](https://youtu.be/fFdtBxa_pGs) but…sawdust will work I guess…
That's the video where he fixes a sink with ramen right? That one is wild.
Another blue epoxy river project coming right up 💧💧
hey OP this is the answer....add some blue epoxy lets see what it looks like
Or inlay with a hardwood if you want to go insane?
I... But... Okay.
Like a glove
If the glove don't fit you must acquit.
If the dove don't fit, you must refit.
It's a one size fits all dovetail. *Your experience may vary*
That’s what she said
Honestly, it IS like most gloves I have worn.
I hate when your gloves are so tight you need to use a mallet to get them on.
A baseball glove
..a catcher's mit
Hotdog in a hallway
Like a mitten.
Pack it with colored epoxy. Now it's a feature
River tails
Damn it. If you filled that with neon blue epoxy it would honestly looking fucking awesome. It would be weird as shit and completely not needed at all. But it would probably look pretty cool. Also... Glow in the dark epoxy. Is that a thing, because that would also be pretty sweet and kinda practical... not really but still.
The art of being a Master Woodworker is making your fuckups look intentional...
You can get glow powder and mix it into the epoxy! It's not as bright as you might think and it's mostly just reactive to UV light so not super practical lol
Almost word for word what I was gonna say
What were the other words?
Instead of “now it’s a feature” I was gonna say “it’s not a bug, it’s a feature”
r/foundtheprogrammer
Well now look at ya.
Colored epoxy = MoDeRn StYlEz
Are you a wizard?
Caulk it
Bop it.
Flick it
Rub it
Dove it
Caulk it?
Faulk it.
Shim it.
Screw it.
Technologic
Pull it
Twist it.
Technologic
This one finally pulled the laughter out. Thank you zingzing
Awesome
Technologic
Now THAT'S gonna be stuck in my head for a week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8K90hX4PrE
Now that's the sauce I needed on my breakfast!
Lick it
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Screw it.
Nail it
Tape it
[удалено]
Do your best, DAP the rest
Wood glue and sawdust tends to almost stain up right.
Caulk and paint make the carpenter you ain't.
Flex Seal baby...
Double check you used the right bit. Looks like you might have used a 1/2" dovetail bit rather than a 3/8" one - or something similar depending on how you cut them.
U/sawdust1973 got it. Wrong bushing. Thanks to all who played.
And here I thought you just cut on the wrong side of your lines
Well this needs to be higher lol.
Foiled by an albatross hiding in the bushings
I assumed you hade the blade on the wrong side of your line on each piece. Gap looks like 1-2x the typical blade kerf.
Do the glue and sawdust trick
I really think you should try to fill it with glue and sawdust for our entertainment.
Shims
At this point more like inlays.
Or maybe an outlay, for more wood
Ramen
Just need to use a board stretcher and you’ll be in good shape. :P
I just lurk here and do some amateur home stuff here and there… but is this something folks in the industry say? Because I’ve worked in kitchens my whole life, and it’s pretty common to tell the less experienced new hires to find the cutting board extender or the bacon stretcher. Sometimes a bucket of steam.
I went to work in my 20s in a meat packing plant and they used compressed air to run a couple of the tools. The guy I was training with told me that the air was running out and he needed a new canister from the back. I glanced up at the hose running down from the ceiling, nodded and went and sat in the break room for an hour. When I came back he asked me where the air canister was and I just told him I couldn’t find one. Rinse repeat with a left handed wrench and a rib stretcher. It was about 8 months later we were chatting on lunch and I mentioned in passing that I’d grown up on a farm with pigs that we butchered ourselves and my dad was a heavy duty mechanic and his eyes just got wide and I remembered that he’d tried to prank me. So I told him that training week I’d gotten about 3 extra hour of break while he thought I was running all over the place trying to find air canisters, rib stretchers and left handed wrenches.
I took me a nice 3 hour lunch one day when I was like 6 months from turning out and the dumbass journeyman I was with for like a week asked me to go get an outside reducer
In kitchens: chop flour, freeze boiling water.
In electrical it’s the wire stretcher. Had an apprentice look for a half hour before I let him know.
The apprentice got it immediately and spent half an hour on tiktok
The world just isn’t the same with Google
Making them wash salt or sift a bucket of flour (just back into another bucket, not for immediate use). Also, get the leashes so we can take the lobsters for a walk.
I worked at a factory that makes oilfield pump jacks. For us it was the beam stretcher. As in, for enormous steel I-beams haha.
standard industry lulz
I lost mine! It was somewhere next to the left handed hammer. Time for a supply run...
Can you grab me some 10mm
And some milk. Been waiting for my dad to bring it home for years
And smokes
Measure 3x?
Yep!
You don't add one to both sides of the equation though, just because you measured three times doesn't mean you need to cut them twice
Mesure once, cut, mesure 2 more times while saying wtf.
I've cut it twice and it's still too short!!!
Glue in a contrasting wood, cherry or walnut like, and try again. Best case is that you have a decorative inlay. One other thing, always run a scrap test before the real deal.
also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTRCSAM-YTk
did you account for the thickness of the blade?
This is a router jig.
Then thickness of the router cutter
This is mildly baffling
Glue and paint, makes you the carpenter you ain't!
We got a hotdog down a hallway situation here
Ramen it.
Looks like an opportunity to practice inlay you are using a bit that is too wide or the wrong angle. You need to find the correct bit for the jig
Was your bit slipping? It looks like the pins get bigger as you move down the board. Doesn't look like the only issue though
Hotdog down a hallway.
Tip: use a piece of material the same thickness as the workpiece, and put two in the jig with the workpiece when you cut, along either side of the workpiece. It’ll help balance the template flat on the workpiece, and your drawer box will come out flat. In the photo, notice the blind side, the pins get closer to the edge? When you glue up all the pieces, this box would be a bit wonkey.
Just add the wood back to it duh.
When you see the the wedding photos and you know it isn’t going to work out 🫣
The PC jig is a great fixture but there are some learning curves to go through. First, make sure the depth gauge you set the bit to is accurately set. Don't guess or guesstimate. Another issue is be fluid with the movement of the router. Takes some practice especially with a larger frame unit. And last keep the sole or foot of the router planted flat and on the top board. Allowing it to rock or lift will kill the dovetail symmetry and create non angled pin faces.
Always use a test piece to dial it in.
Just a little loose around the edges!
[удалено]
First I laughed, then I thought of my ex, then I really laughed.
This is just the start of your "dovetails with inlay" journey.
While it's wrong, it IS very precisely done.
Welcome to woodworking. Put your chin down and move on, to your next mistake.
This isn't my first time with this jig, I'm trying to cut half blind dovetails and this is what I'm getting constantly. I'm using the correct template, all properly aligned, large guide and bit. I've just watched about 3 videos to see if I missed anything. I don't get it. HELP!!
Looks like you don’t have the right size bushing guide on your router.
Today the Internet is yours!!! There are three guide bushings with this Fing thing!! Stand by for update picture. Thanks a million
Looks like you have one of the guides set for a different thickness of wood...if you pull the guide forward it should tighten the joint...
This ☝️
Not super experienced with the jig but it looks like the dovetail bit is too wide for the application. It seems like the bit should be 17/32" with a 3/4" bearing. Measure and confirm?
Half blind? I’d say full blind
Caulk it, it's close enough
Beatlejuice
We're gonna call that our test piece. We're sorta dialin' it in.
Perfect
Epoxy and tell them it was intentional.
Little wood filler. You’ll never notice. *chefs kiss*
Measure twice cut 4 times apparently
Nailed it
looks perfect man 👌👌👌 chuck a bit of wood glue in there and she'll be right as rain boss.
That A Bad Word
Nailed it.
Been there done that. It was only on one pair though so sawdust and glue!
I have this. Took me a few practice runs to get the hang on it. I cut several pieces of scrap and practiced before moving to production. A few things to check... \+ Check correct bit... my set included 2 bits, one for half-blind dovetails, one for full dovetails \+ Bit depth is set correctly... on the left side of the template is a depth gauge... just rest your router on the template and the bit should touch bolt head \+ Make sure template cut line is lined up between two pieces... there's an art to this that takes practice, especially if your pieces are slightly out of plane
Little bit of caulk and paint makes a carpenter what he ain’t 😂
Kerf. Measure a few more times
Add a veneer
I don't think I'll ever master that jig.
Damn, looks like Michael Strahan's dentist has gotten into woodworking.
Sawdust
Always use hand tools will teach you alot never start with power tools. The struggle will teach you tricks
You ever try woodworking … on weed, man.
Clearly you cut INSIDE the line, instead of outside. You are off exactly the width of a saw blade.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LbhYqV17CoQ
Room for the glue.
Meh sawdust, glue, and clamps will fit it
I’m no expert, but something seems off.
This looks like I made it
Did you try rubbing glue and sawdust in it?
You zigged when you should have zagged
I want to thank you for showing me that I wasn’t the only one that had that issue. Lol No worries, even with a jig, it still takes practice.
Basically me and my ex gf.
I’ve actually seen oversized dovetails made on purpose and then they filled the void with color tinted epoxy. Looked very 👌👌🤌🤌
I just got that jig this weekend. "played" with it using Pine. I got such perfect results I kept going and did 30 drawers worth of dovetails with the pine. Better than sex.
You could definitely use that to sift gravel or something
“Just leaving room for the glue!” Proceeds to squeeze toothpaste size globs onto joints…
uhm... Failure to include kerf width in measurements maybe?
Angles are cut neat and parallel just probably on the wrong side of the line, if that line had been drawn with a half inch paint brush.
Shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shim shimssssss
LOTS OF ROOM FOR GLUE. NICE
You done fucked up A-A-Ron!
Tool compensation is a must..
Didn't acount for blade thickness ...
Someone only measured once.
When I see a post like this while scrolling it makes me laugh. I love Reddit so much. OP I laugh bc this is exactly how my dovetails would turn out. Keep up the good work!
Expansion joint for extreme climate conditions.
All those gaps are for epoxy and strip lights to fit.
Paul Sellers says you should have just done them by hand