[Illustration: Fig. 308.--Sawing the Dovetails.]

[Illustration: Fig. 309.--Lap-dovetailing Drawer Front to Drawer Side.]

[Illustration: Fig. 310.--Through Dovetailing.]

[Illustration: Fig. 311.--Chipping Waste of Lap Dovetail.]

When the pins on the drawer front have been sawn, the waste material is
cut away, as at Fig. 311. First stab down with the vertical chisel,
which must make the cut about 1/32 in. in front of the gauge line (see
illustration). This commencing of the cut slightly in front of the gauge
line is a very important feature. The chisel may be likened to a wedge,
and if the chisel edge be placed exactly upon the gauge line and force
be applied to the handle, it will force the timber away equally on each
side of the gauge line, and the finished depth of the hole will therefore
be too deep for the thickness of the drawer side; in other words, it will
press itself over the gauge line on both sides.

By taking the first vertical cut on the waste side of the gauge line, and
then removing a small piece with the chisel held obliquely, as at Fig.
311, the wood is removed and less resistance is offered to the chisel
when the next vertical cut is made. This overshooting the gauge line is a
common fault with the beginner, who is puzzled at the result because he
is certain he had his chisel exactly on the gauge line when he commenced
his vertical cut. It is especially noticeable in soft-grained woods.

To cut away the waste of a lap-dovetail (Fig. 311), the vertical and
oblique cuts are repeated until the final trimming up is required, and
now is the time to finish both the vertical and the horizontal cuts
exactly on the gauge lines.

Some workers prefer to cut the drawer sides first, and if this method is
preferred (and it has its advantages for cheap work) several drawer sides
are cut at once by placing four or six behind one another in the vice and
sawing them all at one operation.

The drawer front is placed in the vice, and the drawer side held upon it,
whilst the saw blade is placed in the saw kerf and drawn smartly forward.
This will give the required marks at the exact position desired. It must
be remembered, however, to saw just inside these dovetail-pin lines,
otherwise the finished joint will be too slack, owing to the removal of
the sawdust, which is practically equal to the thickness of the saw
blade.

MACHINE-MADE DOVETAILS.--As a general rule machine-made drawer and box
dovetails show bo