"Electric Comet" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 20:31:04 -0600
graham wrote:

I took classes from a couple of Germans who insisted on pins first.
It was easy when working with pine or spruce and I still have the
first box made that way. I also have the one I tried in red oak as a
reminder!

i should try it if for nothing more than gaining some insight

I can assure you, it would have been.

fair warning

I think the reason the Brits probably did tails first was that much
of their carcase work was in oak. Furthermore, drawers with blind
dovetails would have necessitated tails first and when you get into a
habit.......

i am learning as i go here

i don't understand why tails first for a blind dovetail
i looked at an image just now of one and couldn't unravel that


i wasn't sure what a blind dovetail was so i looked it up
i will not do blind dovetails
i will not do blind dovetails
i will not do blind dovetails


i will probably try blind dovetails one day
god help me

Of course you will, natural curiousity has been sparked up.
Then have a look at blind secret mitred dovetails. Never tried this as I've
never had the need but imagine it's possibly the most complicated
woodworking joint.
50+ years ago I was taught to cut pins first and then use the pins to mark
directly onto its partner the tails using a marking knife.
I imagine a dovetail would be quite worthless in anything but a hard/dense
timber.
Traditional timbers for me are oak, beech and ash. Sadly elm is just not
available. Homegrown stuff is getting harder to find but some decent quality
stuff can be found.
Works well enough for me.

Sharpen your pencil and get cracking!
Good luck and all the best,
Nick.