Popular Woodworking 2009-10 № 178, страница 9

Tricks of the Trade

EDITED BY PAUL ANTHONY

THE WINNER:

Backsaw Depth Li miter

I work almost exclusively with hand tools, and when I need to crosscut the shoulders of a dado or tenon, I have trouble cutting to a consistent depth along the width of the board. To solve the problem, I clamp a strip of V4¹¹-thick plywood to the blade, tucked up against the saw's rib. I keep on hand several different widths, sized to establish common cut depths, and it's easy to make new ones when needed.

—Alejandro Balbis, Longueuil, Quebec

Clamp properly sized plywood strip to blade and against rib.

³M"

Use a depth gauge to check squareness of closely spaced dovetail cheeks ...

... or half-blind pin cheeks

Depth Gauge as Mini-Square

For well-fit hand-cut dovetails, the cheeks of the tails must be perfectly square to the face of the board. Likewise, the cheeks of pins must be square to the ends of the boards. Unfortunately, it can be difficult or impossible to insert a try square into the pin cutout between closely spaced tails. It's also hard to gauge the squareness of a pin cheek inside a half-blind socket with a square. That's where a depth gauge comes in handy.

A depth gauge is a precisely machined tool with a T-head and a narrow sliding blade. Designed for gauging the depth of mortises and other recesses, it also works beautifully as a mini square of sorts. When making dovetails, the blade is narrow enough to insert between tails to gauge the squareness of the cheeks. The blade can also be retracted to check pin cheeks in half-blind sockets by placing the head of the tool on the end of the pin board. When it comes to making perfect dovetails, minute adjustments matter, and this tool will show you where you're off.

— Ric Hanisch, Quakertown, Pennsylvania

CONTiNUED ON PAGE 18

Cash and prizes for your tricks and tips!

Each issue we publish useful woodworking tips from our readers. Next issue's winner receives a $250 gift certificate from Lee Valley Tools, good for any item in the catalog or on the web site (leevalley.com). (The tools pictured at right are for illustration only, and are not part of the prize.)

Runners-up each receive a check for $50 to $100. When submitting a trick (either by mail or e-mail) you must include your complete mailing address and a daytime phone number. if your trick is selected for publication, an editor will need to contact you. All entries become the property of Popular Woodworking. You can send your trick by e-mail to popwoodtricks@fwmedia. com, or mail it to Tricks of the Trade, Popular Woodworking, 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236.

16 ■ Popular Woodworking October 2009

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY jANE FAVORITE