Does anyone make a mortise chisel of the hollow type, that cuts, not a square hole, but a dovetail-shaped one?
If not, why not? It'd make for quick work of blind dovetails, and allow for all the hand-layout flexibility one would want.
There are line dovetail machines. They are expensive.
Old wood carvers, making say molding, would routinely create tools for a specific purpose to expedite their work. One drawback I see with the tool you've described it that it would be even more difficult to sharpen than a vee-tool and it is sure to dull quickly because you would probably use it with a mallet. Not only that, it would not be flexible in size, while your set of flat chisels are quite accommodating in this regard. As tiredofspam suggested succinctly above, the day for this handtool has passed.
Bill
I believe those are only good for thru and half-blinds, dude.
Uh, 'cuz physics demand that the entry hole be smaller than the dovie?
A brace and bit, then a saw and a paring chisel gets that done quickly enough
Or you can cut a groove and use a dovetail plane, like my Knight.
Or you can move to a dovetail bit on a router, setting a slightly (couple RCH) wider entry.
Not while Neanders and Galoots still live!
-- Truth loves to go naked. --Dr. Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732
Bill, do you have the slightest idea of what a hollow mortise chisel is? They are not used with a mallet, but in a drill press. Or a specialized drill press called a hollow mortising machine. Here's a picture:
I thought at first that the idea wouldn't work because one side would be exposed, but upon reflection decided that the wedge shape would compensate for that problem. Seems like it would work, but I wonder how much of a market there would be for it.
Seems someone may have done it if you can make sense of the following Chinglish:
"Dovetail tenon mortising machine for processing or semi-implicit linking Dovetail Dovetail Tenon Tenon .Dovetail-shaped cutter mounted on the vertical axis, the two sheet metal work table clamped vertically with each other at work."
The above is from:
Yes, I've never used one, but I do know, and it did not register with me that was what the author of the original post was referring to. Evidently I had the wrong picture in mind. Please excuse me, if I was wrong on any count. I was certainly not offering advice (I mean I'm not dangerous)! : )
Bill
As to the "why not" perhaps there would be no market for such a device?
How narrow are the pins?
I'm thinking of a mortising machine that cuts the endgrain of a drawer front (for instance) to make the pins, by plunging dovetail-shaped holes.
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