patriarch wrote in message



Since you're starting out, pick up the hobby saw marketed under the name
ZONA. It has replaceable blades, cuts with a very thin kerf, and is the
maybe $10 model mentioned in the previous paragraph. And, lest you think
that it has no class at all, it is the handcut dovetail saw of choice of
one of the graduates of the College of the Redwoods woodworking types that
regularly hangs out with our woodworking club. Or a Japanese style pull
saw, or similar.

Maybe a chisel to clean up the cuts. And a block plane to trim the joints
to close fit after glueup. Or use sandpaper wrapped around a block of
wood.

Yeah, that sounds good. In fact, the way I've made a couple of these
joints so far is as she recommends in the book, which is using a
Japanese Dozuki saw and then a chisel to clean it up. That's the part
I find hard - getting the notch nice and square with the chisel. But I
think you're right, with practice it'll get better.




Now, the question of repeatability comes up. How much repeatability are
you after? Do you want to cut 4 of these joints? Or 400? Or 4000? If
the answer is 4, then use the hand tools, and practice, and work with care.
If you want to do 400, then a jig or fixture on the table saw or router
table will help you cut them repeatably, quickly, and fairly safely. If
you need 4000, then find Morris Dovey, and have him program his massive CNC
robotic cutters, and sub out the job. ;-)

I only need 8 of them, so I guess doing it by hand is the best way for
now. I was just wondering mostly, is it possible to make this
particular cut on a router or TS and you've answered that in the
affirmative.



You see, woodworking is a bit like economics. There are a few questions,
many more answers, and no one can really prove any of them wrong. But
things DO tend to get more complicated than we ever intended, when once we
started.

Enjoy the learning experiences. That's where the value comes, in my
limited experiences. That, and making people smile.

Patriarch


Thanks very much for the input!

--Scott