dovetails

[omark]

i have been cutting sight dovetails with a hacksaw and a safe 3 corner file. does anyone have a better way short of buying a mill ?    thanks, mark

[Roger Fisher]

Hacksaw, small chisel and 3 cor file safe one side.  Try and fit, try and fit.  When the rifle is finally sighted in I punch ea cor of each sight!

[P.Bigham]

 I think the way your are doing It is actually faster than setting up a Mill and certainly a lot cheaper. I know of no other short cut or way. as mentioned a chisel helps.

[Rich]

Cut the rectangle like your doing now. Instead of a 3 corner file, cut and upset the dovetail with a chisel. I use a small wood chisel with the bevel down. I think that track of the wolf sells a chisel just for this task. Doing it this way gives you more metal above the dovetail and makes a nice molding in front the sight.

[David Rase]

Mark,  I can cut dovetails with a hacksaw about as efficiently as with a mill.  I have had a small mill for several years.  When I first got it I thought I would use it for cutting dovetails instead of using the hacksaw, chisel and 3 cornered file method.  I cut one or two sets of dovetails with the mill.  I decided to continue to cutting my dovetails by hand.
DMR

[Mark Elliott]

I would like to add a couple of things to the other posts.   I have a stop on my hacksaw blade that limits my cuts to 1/32".  This is just a piece of 1/16" sheet folded over to fit tightly over the back of the blade. I use screws through the stop to tighten it on the blade.   It takes some time to make the stop, but it speeds up cutting out the slot.  Once I have cut a series of slots with the hacksaw, I used a die sinkers chisel to chisel out the remaining metal.  I then use a 3 sided file (safe 2 sides) to quickly clean out the slot and start the dovetail notches at the end of the slot.   Once the barrel loop/tenon will start into the slot, I use a cold chisel ground to fit down in the dovetail slot to raise the dovetail notches.  You then slide the barrel loop/tenon in and then punch the metal of the dovetail notches back down around the barrel loop/tenon.    I can do this in less than 15 minutes per barrel loop/tenon or sight base.   The die sinker chisel to remove metal quickly and the cold chisel to raise the dovetail notches really speed up the process.   Using this method,  there is no way you could do this quicker or better with a milling machine. 

Mark E.

[northmn]

I bought one of Track of the Wolfs dovetail chisels a few years ago and like it for the rear sight.  For the front I cut out pretty much as stated with the file as  I do like the raised area for a front sight.  Most of what has been said is what I do.

DP

[westbj2]

I have a mill but I can fit dove tails faster and as accurately using a chisel.  Just more efficient.  I have had this chisel for 25 years and the design works well.  It has threaded holes for vertical and horizontal adjustment to keep the cut square and at the correct angle.

Jim Westberg

[Pete G.]

I tried one of those jigs that are sold for such. It clamps around the barrel and has a slot to use a file with. Works well, but it is so hard that you pretty much sacrifice a file any time you use it.

[R. Hare]

I use hacksaw and cold chisel, like Rich and Mark E.

I think we sometimes complicate things using tools that weren't about in past times.
(like using guides to help us sharpen plane irons and chisels right.) A lot can be done by hand and eye, if we'll let go of our worries and just practice it.

Richard.

[hyltoto]

One complication of using antique methods, like the dovetail chisel, is that modern barrels are made of ally steel, not iron. I use the hacksaw and chisel methods, but on some types of steel the dovetail chisel just seems to create a big chip.

[Michael]

I watched Wallace Gusler demonstrate putting in a barrel loop at our class in Bowling Green last June. He used a round file ( I guess because that is what he picked up),a small cold chisel and a small ballpein hammer. I think it took him about 4 minutes and that included dressing off the sides of the loop at the edge of the barrel flat. He had the handycap in that the owner of the barrel had tried to put in the type of loops that are staked in place and he had to work through them. His point was "done in a neat and workmanlike manner"

Michael

[omark]

4 minutes??       i THINK (worry) about putting saw to barrel longer than that.             
thanks for all the replies, guys. maybe i just need to do some more. though i have never tried the chisel, i will try that soon.    mark

[Mark Elliott]

When you have been doing this for 40 years, like Wallace, you will be that fast too.

Mark E.