Dovetail cutter???

John Sabato · 10-22-2010, 11:48 AM

I have never cut a dovetail for a Luger, P-38, or K98, but I have cut sight bases on custom barrels for sights from those guns... I always used a very small end mill to cut the correct depth that was just "close" to the size of the top of the dovetail, and then carefully hand cut the angles using a safe-sided triangular file that I made for that purpose by grinding one side flat... I think Brownells may sell similar files... I never cut enough dovetails to warrant buying a proper tool.

Here is an article on how to make one using cutting inserts that you can adapt to the size you want to cut.

You may want to braze the insert onto the tool body instead of using a mechanical hold down method considering how small the tool will be for your purposes...

http://cnccookbook.com/MTMillDovetail.htm

and Here is a photo:

-John

10-22-2010, 11:48 AM	#2
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,156 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,308 Times in 1,098 Posts	I have never cut a dovetail for a Luger, P-38, or K98, but I have cut sight bases on custom barrels for sights from those guns... I always used a very small end mill to cut the correct depth that was just "close" to the size of the top of the dovetail, and then carefully hand cut the angles using a safe-sided triangular file that I made for that purpose by grinding one side flat... I think Brownells may sell similar files... I never cut enough dovetails to warrant buying a proper tool. Here is an article on how to make one using cutting inserts that you can adapt to the size you want to cut. You may want to braze the insert onto the tool body instead of using a mechanical hold down method considering how small the tool will be for your purposes... http://cnccookbook.com/MTMillDovetail.htm and Here is a photo: -John