David Barron Dovetail alignment jig

[derekcohen]

For many, I view the David Barron alignment board to be very helpful. I do not use one, and likely never will, since I frequently make cabinets with bow fronts, and this requires drawers with compound angle dovetails …

Several years ago I came up with an alternative, which was to create a depth stop using tape: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/The140TrickisDead.html

(A few years later, some a$$hole ripped this off word-for-word and sent it to FWW magazine as a Shop tip! Not long after this, Rob Cosman began using it, acknowledging that he was sent the tip).

David Barron’s board is designed to align sides, which is great for boxes - and what David does primarily (I don’t believe he builds furniture much, if at all). The issue here is that you cannot use the jig with offset drawer backs, which is standard practice with the drawers I build …

What I do like about the jig is that it forces one to raise the work piece above the chop. There are many who like to build a table behind the chop of a “Moxon” vise. Doing so will inevitably lead to the chop being cut up when you transfer markings. I recommend a spacer to raise the work above the chop, which is what David’s jig does. My spacer doubles as a clamp …

Go ahead an build David’s alignment board, but be aware that it is for boxes and not drawers.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[DynaGlide]

I suppose if the alignment jig and the pin board are held in place by the vise, you can simply hold the tail board by hand and do the scribing. That's actually how people hold the tail board by hand against a handplane or a block to mark the pin.

I use the holdfast because I need that to hold the jig (and it so happens the tail board is there).

Yeah I probably overthink things. I could just get something heavy to set on the tail board.

 

[DynaGlide]

For many, I view the David Barron alignment board to be very helpful. I do not use one, and likely never will, since I frequently make cabinets with bow fronts, and this requires drawers with compound angle dovetails …

Several years ago I came up with an alternative, which was to create a depth stop using tape: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/The140TrickisDead.html

(A few years later, some a$$hole ripped this off word-for-word and sent it to FWW magazine as a Shop tip! Not long after this, Rob Cosman began using it, acknowledging that he was sent the tip).

David Barron’s board is designed to align sides, which is great for boxes - and what David does primarily (I don’t believe he builds furniture much, if at all). The issue here is that you cannot use the jig with offset drawer backs, which is standard practice with the drawers I build …

What I do like about the jig is that it forces one to raise the work piece above the chop. There are many who like to build a table behind the chop of a “Moxon” vise. Doing so will inevitably lead to the chop being cut up when you transfer markings. I recommend a spacer to raise the work above the chop, which is what David’s jig does. My spacer doubles as a clamp …

Go ahead an build David’s alignment board, but be aware that it is for boxes and not drawers.

Regards from Perth

Derek

As always Derek, incredible work. Moxon is on the list.

 

[DynaGlide]

I decided to make another alignment board for a friend. It came from the same QSWO board as my first one:

 

[Michael Kellough]

Excellent work Matt!

Just one little correction, that’s some nice rift sawn white oak.

 

[hdv]

Very nicely done!

 

[11bguy]

realize this is an old thread but have a couple questions... What are the dimensions of the board? How think stock?

2nd, I watched David Barron's video on YouTube and he says flip the jig for each side??? Which sides get marked the same?  I have a jig but my alignment is always slightly off so I'm doing something wrong. I was also told during a class not to use the Swann-Morton knife because it has too much flex.. yours seem dead accurate though.  Thanks in advance, Brian

 

[DynaGlide]

realize this is an old thread but have a couple questions... What are the dimensions of the board? How think stock?

2nd, I watched David Barron's video on YouTube and he says flip the jig for each side??? Which sides get marked the same?  I have a jig but my alignment is always slightly off so I'm doing something wrong. I was also told during a class not to use the Swann-Morton knife because it has too much flex.. yours seem dead accurate though.  Thanks in advance, Brian

I'll try to answer. My jigs use 3/4" stock (4/4 milled down). I like them to end up about 5.5" wide. I find that a good size. By about 10" long on each side. You flip the jig around when doing drawers. I haven't had the need to do this yet. Say you do a groove on the bottom and the only way to  reference that side off the jig is to use the jig flipped.

I check the accuracy of the jig using setup bars. Anything you know is milled accurately. I slide one along the fence of both faces of the jig and see if they meet perfectly while overlapping with no detectable variance.

Marking knife: as with anything it's not the tool that matters as much as how you use it. I like that marking knife because it can get in tight spaces and is sharp. I don't want to have to press down hard to get a good scribe line. I don't like the traditional beveled knives because they can (for me) be off in transferring. It works for me so I stick to it.

 

[11bguy]

Thanks so much for the info!  I'll be at it this weekend! I see you have the Katz Moses jig as well as the David Barron.  I have the KM jig as well and looking at picking up the DB jig.  Which one do you prefer?

 

[DynaGlide]

Thanks so much for the info!  I'll be at it this weekend! I see you have the Katz Moses jig as well as the David Barron.  I have the KM jig as well and looking at picking up the DB jig.  Which one do you prefer?

David Barron hands down. KM is slippery. DB is just much easier for me to use.

 

[smorgasbord]

Isn't the real problem that you need a dovetail alignment board to make a dovetailed dovetail alignment board?  [unsure]

 

[MikeGE]

Isn't the real problem that you need a dovetail alignment board to make a dovetailed dovetail alignment board?  [unsure]

In Rob Cosman's YouTube video about making a shooting board, he uses a shooting board to prepare some of the material.  [blink]

 

[DynaGlide]

Isn't the real problem that you need a dovetail alignment board to make a dovetailed dovetail alignment board?  [unsure]

I made my first one without one. .

 

[smorgasbord]

Isn't the real problem that you need a dovetail alignment board to make a dovetailed dovetail alignment board?  [unsure]

I made my first one without one. .

Of course, and if you can make a dovetail alignment board without a dovetail alignment board, do you really need a dovetail alignment board?  [wink]

I'm just having fun, of course. We often make/modify tools to make making future things easier and/or more precise.

The more serious question is how the first lathe was made, since they didn't have a lathe to make the necessary parts. [blink]

Answer: The 1751 Machine