Why Leave Marks on Dovetails?
Q:
I don’t understand why people leave a layout line marking the tails on a dovetail joint. Other layout lines and marks never show on a finished piece, so why are dovetails an exception?
Dick Snedeker, West Windsor, NJ
A:
We notice the layout lines on dovetails because those joints always attract scrutiny. A dovetail is one of the few joints where you can see how precisely the pieces are cut and fitted. My guess is that some woodworkers leave the scribe line in the finished joint to emulate traditional pieces. Personally, I find the layout line not very attractive. I mark my lines with a light touch, so I can easily plane them away when I clean up the joint.
Photo: Steve Scott
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Comments
If I'm making drawers for a shop cabinet or something of a utilitarian nature, I don't care about the layout lines. Some folks think it shows for sure the thing is handmade. I don't sell anything, so that makes no difference to me. For the finest furniture, I would want to mark just enough to position my chisel, then sand it off. The joint itself brings enough attention to itself without leaving layout lines.
Traditional pieces are great and we learn a ton from making them, but we all have to develop your own style at some point, to make new traditions based on the old ones. It's too late to invent the dovetail, but never too late to add your own style to the work.
So... good question!
I agree. For the life of me I have never understood leaving the marking gauge line. It looks awful in my opinion and I have been woodworking a very long time.
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