My first dovetail jig almost made me quit, then I tried the old way

Three weeks ago I bought a nice dovetail jig at a shop in Portland, figured it would speed things up for a drawer order I had. Set it up, ran a bunch of test joints, and every single one came out sloppy, the pins looked chewed and the tails had gaps. I was about to call the whole thing a waste of $280, but then a buddy said, "why not just cut them by hand for a change?" I grabbed my dovetail saw and chisels, took my time on one joint, and it fit so clean I actually laughed. Has anyone else gone back to hand cutting after a jig let them down, or is it just me being stubborn?

2 comments

2 Comments

jasonc501mo ago

That jig situation sounds frustrating, but hand cutting really does change the game once you get the feel for it. I had the same experience with a router template years ago, and switching back to a saw and chisels made the joints cleaner and way more satisfying. It takes longer, but the control you get is worth every minute.

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thomas.cameron1mo ago

Last month I spent like 3 hours on a single dovetail because I kept nicking the baseline with my chisel. My wife finally just asked if I was okay in the shop. But man, when it finally fit tight I felt like a god. Totally get what you mean about the control thing.