Australian Wood Review – September 2019

10 Australian Wood Review

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

Dovetails tend to be a criterion

by which a woodworker is

judged and it does take a fair

bit of practice to routinely get

good results. For recreational

woodworkers this can be a

challenge that results in too

much disappointment in an

activity that should bring joy.

There are those who may

dismiss magnetic dovetail saw

guides as ‘cheating’, but I have

to applaud a jig that enables excellent

results for even complete beginners and

encourages them to keep extending

their repertoire. You can think of them

as training wheels that alow muscle

memory to develop.

I recently acquired two popular versions

for my students to experience, although

I don’t intend to substitute them for

working on their unassisted hand skills

during class time.

The Katz-Moses dovetail jig (photo

1) was ordered online from overseas

while the Veritas guide (photo 2) was

obtained locally from Carbatec. The

high standard of manufacture of these

jigs is really satisfying and both come

with clear instructions.

It takes little practice to get a good sense

of where to position the jigs to make a

saw cut that needs no chisel work for a

snug fit. The primary difference is that

I claim no credit for the jig also shown in

photo 3 that makes accurately marking

the pins from the tails easy – I came

across it on YouTube but don’t recall

where. It’s simple to make and highly

recommended. Note the use of tape to

make the gauge line clearer.

Cutting the shoulder at each end of the

tails board is often a source of error but

the Katz-Moses jig includes a guide for

this. Veritas does have a separate jig for

square vertical cuts but having it in the

one tool is very convenient.

Another point of difference is that the

Veritas jig is too tall for most dovetail

saws that have a back and so requires

a backless version. However I found

that my flush cut saw worked nicely.

The Katz-Moses can be used with any

dovetail saw but I have to say that a saw

without set precludes the chance of

damaging the jig.

Even though the shoulder cutting guide

on the Katz-Moses is a big plus I tend to

favour the way the Veritas can be locked

in place, but both are very effective and

the price difference is minor.

Photos: Richard Vaughan

Richard Vaughan is a furniture designer

maker who also teaches woodworking.

See http://www.richardvaughan.com.au

Katz-Moses jig from http://www.

katzmoseswoodworking.com

Veritas dovetail guide from

http://www.carbatec.com.au

the Veritas can be locked in position for

both tails and pins whereas the Katz-

Moses depends on being held, and as

the surface is very smooth this is a bit

of a knack, though not a write-off issue.

Another minor inconvenience with the

Katz-Moses is that the board needs to be

reversed to cut the other angle of the tails

and pins, unlike the Veritas.

Once the tails have been sawn and the

pins marked both jigs enable accurate

cutting of the pins, and this eliminates

another chance for a sawcut that

needs tuning.

Although the instructions recommend

clearing the waste before marking out

the pins, I favour using the kerf before

clearing the waste as there is no chance of

a slip away from, or into the tail, especially

when cutting fine pins. I have made up a

simple tool for this with a piece of extinct

Japanese sawblade so a good fit in the

kerf is guaranteed (photo 3).

1. The Katz-Moses
   guide is made
   from clear
   urethane.


2. Using the Veritas
   dovetail guide.


3. A piece of an
   old Japanese
   sawblade was
   used to make
   a tool for
   marking kerf
   lines. Also
   shown, a
   shopmade
   jig that makes
   marking pins
   from tails easier.

Dovetail Guides

Reviewed by Richard Vaughan

US$

(^36)
$ (^87)
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