Regular Shawn Shim Dovetail Offset Tool

I'm really happy with the Shawn Shim tool. While I'm not yet ready to show off my first attempt at cutting dovetails (in oak), I can say that I'm really impressed with the accuracy provided by the use of the Shawn Shim!

I learned Rob Cosman’s dovetail method 18 years ago. I’ve used it during a decade when I ran my own custom furniture making shop. I now teach it in a one-on-one woodworking class. The challenge of cutting precise dovetails has always seemed a breakthrough point between amateur and accomplished woodworking. The new wrinkles Rob has introduced to the process make precision cuts more achievable more quickly. I refer to the Shawn Shim and the Dovetail Marking Knife, suitable for most quality dovetail saws on the market. The Knife makes a kerf exactly suited to the saw you’ll use for the crucial pin cuts. The Shim aligns the saw blade exactly to the correct flush position against the outside face of the pin. We’re talking thousands-of-an-inch here, but that’s the distance between tight precision and a reasonably passable cut. Getting that precision, and especially for a newcomer to achieve it quickly makes getting past the dovetail breakthrough point easier than I ever thought it could be.

What clever idea… after a little practice I was able to cut a nice tight dovetail. Works even better with Rob’s marking knife.

This little tool does make marking the pin board a lot easier.

This Shawn Shim block is very nicely machined and comes with a nice case to help keep it from getting damaged. I was trying to use shims to make my offsets with so-so results. This block makes a big difference in accuracy.