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April 2001 |
Dovetail Guide
If you’ve ever crafted a dovetail, you already know that
a handsome, well-fit joint relies heavily on accurate marking
and execution of the saw cuts. Thankfully the new Dovetail Saw
Guide tool from Lee Valley has made mastering those precise
cuts easier than ever. Once you’ve tried it you’ll
find the results are rewarding enough to make you want to incorporate
dovetails in your work more often.
The key to its workings is the
aluminum guide in which rare-earth magnets are embedded on each
side and covered with a thin layer of low-friction plastic.
The magnets hold the saw perfectly perpendicular to the stock,
at the predetermined angle. The system comes with a dozuki saw
that’s been designed specifically for the task. The saw
has a 2" x 8 1/2" blade and as is typical of the dozuki
style in that it cuts on the pull stroke, has 22 teeth per inch
and a set of just .005", which makes for a smooth cut.
The small amount of set means the saw is guided along, but doesn’t
contact, the metal guide.
The guide is available in a 1:6
ratio (part #05703.01), which is usually used on softwoods or
a 1:8 ratio (part # 05703.02) for hardwoods—but choosing
one is really just a matter of taste. The guides can be used
on stock from 1/4" to 1" thick, but that’s about
it for limitations. The size and spacing of age-old pins and
tails remains your choice.
After spending some time reading
and understanding the detailed instruction booklet that comes
with the system, you can get pretty efficient at cutting dovetails.
Whether half-blind or through dovetails, this outfit will help
you cut them all. Of course, you’ll need to chop out the
waste in a traditional manner but there’s even instruction
in the booklet for that.
After a trial of a few hours,
I couldn’t discover much to criticize. The guide is available
separately from the saw, but they work so well together I would
suggest getting the saw, too.
If you believe dovetails are
a sign of craftsmanship and quality that instantly add project
value, it’s a bargain at $50 for both the guide and saw.
Contact Lee Valley at 800-668-1807
or www.leevalley.com.
—Gary Walchuk |
Power Carver
The Arbortech Power Chisel is a new Australian-made tool designed
to speed woodcarving by using the energy of a small angle grinder
to do most of the work. I’ve just finished testing the
first Power Chisel to make it onto Canadian soil and I’m
impressed enough to recommend it for people planning large carving
work. Its power is sufficient to remove hefty curls of wood
as if they were butter. The complete unit, including grinder,
costs $230; the powerhead on its own is $140. My test unit came
with two 20 mm-wide chisels that snapped easily into the power
head; one a flat chisel and the other a #7 gouge. Both proved
as easy to buff sharp as my hand-held Henry Taylor carving tools.
Although the sales literature presents the Power Chisel as an
all-around carving tool, I wouldn’t use it for fine details
because of the noise. It is a loud tool, especially when you
press the chisel against a workpiece, engaging the impact-driven
power action; I had to wear earmuffs to be comfortable. But
for faster roughing out, especially out in the driveway, this
tool delivers good value for the money.
For more information, contact
Arbortech through its Canadian
distributor at www.chippingaway.com
or toll-free at 888-682-9801.
—Steve Maxwell
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