Tried using a jigsaw for dovetails after seeing it on YouTube... what a mess

I saw this guy online cutting perfect dovetails with just a jigsaw and a guide. Figured I'd give it a shot on some scrap pine last weekend. After three attempts and two broken blades, the joints looked like a beaver chewed them out. My hand cut ones with a chisel might take longer but at least they fit. Has anyone actually made the jigsaw method work for real joinery, or is it just for show?

3 comments

3 Comments

ericj4525d ago

The trick with a jigsaw is you gotta use a downcut blade and go really slow, like snails pace slow. I ruined a couple boards before figuring that out from a woodworking forum.

the_elizabeth24d ago

Snail speed is right because my first jigsaw board looked like I attacked it with a BEAST.

noahmartin24d ago

Man, I feel your pain on this one. I was exactly the same way saw that slick YouTube video and thought I could skip the hand tool learning curve. @the_elizabeth, your jigsaw board sounds like it went through a blender, mine came out looking like a wavy mess with all these jagged edges from the blade wandering. I ended up going back to my dovetail saw and chisels too, even if it takes me an hour per joint, at least they actually fit together without gaps you can stick a pencil through.