The drawer front is now put into the bench vice, and the pins are cut as indicated in [Fig. 274]. The drawer back is treated in a similar manner, but of course in this case it is not "lap" but "through" dovetailing, and the saw kerf goes through the timber and down to the gauge line.
Fig. 275.——Cutting away the Half Dovetails.
We now come to the point where it is necessary to remove the superfluous material. [Fig. 274] shows a method commonly adopted and known as sawing out the waste; the saw is held at an angle and part of the inside portion of the dovetail is cut away as shown. This is a good plan for the amateur, because it shows him at the commencement of his chopping out which will be the pin and which the tail.
Fig. 276.—Showing the Vertical and Horizontal Chisel Operations in Lap-dovetailing. A: The Preliminary Roughing-out. B: Vertical Chiselling; note that the first stab should be just outside the Gauge Line. C: Marking the Horizontal Cut.
[Fig. 276 (A)] shows another method that answers well for soft woods such as pine, American whitewood and satin walnut. The drawer front is laid flat on the bench after it has been sawn, and with a mallet and sharp chisel the corner of the dovetail is knocked off as shown. This takes the bulk of the material away and the dovetail is then pared out square in the usual way. The illustration ([Fig. 276]) also shows how the chisel is held for vertical paring (B) and for horizontal paring (C).
| Fig. 277.—Roughing-out by Boring. | Fig. 278.—Marking Pins on Drawer Side. |