Follow-up. The pin jaws on the NOVA are circular at 1.125", the maximum
depth of dovetail is 3/16. Quick math, verified after getting back from the
ambulance garage shows a maximum jaw edge only contact area of .663 sq
inches. Jaw faces are slightly greater than .25 broad, offering a contact
area of 2.76 sq inches. In reality, reduce each by about 15% for gaps.

More to the point, the mechanical advantage of the .5625 arm resists
movement much better than the .1875 at nearly right angles to it, especially
when the force of cutting is nearly perpendicular to it when running from
bottom to rim or rim to bottom. I would never recommend an edge presented
perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

Bottom those jaws, that's where the money is.

"George" george@least wrote in message
...
Only if you don't bottom it. I assume you are doing so (as I do also)
with
your first fixing.

The jaws don't need to "grip" anything unless you're using them in a
non-dovetail recess. Check the pin jaw setup at the pages I referenced.
Even there, the difference is in the bottoming.

"Derek Andrews" wrote in message
...
In my experience the diameter of the recess is more important than the
angle of the dovetail. I say that because I do a lot of first fixings
into a shallow hole drilled with a forstner bit, so I have no dovetail
at all.


SNIP

You really shouldn't have to crank
too hard on the key to hold a bowl.