Dovetail Epiphany

**kevjed** · 13th March 2009, 03:51 PM

Today the dovetail gods were smiling on me. The pictures below are of a small joinery exercise that I was demonstrating to a yr9 wood work class.(My employer has decided that I can teach one yr9 woodwork class again this year as I didn’t suck at it too badly last year when I was asked to step in as a last minute replacement when another teacher resigned.) It was a 30min demo box/dovetail lesson with time for the students to mark out and start cutting in the following 30mins.

So this little box on top came together straight off the dovetail saw and the coping saw. No use of the chisel at all. Marked it out with a knife, a square, a silding bevel and away we went.

The thing that gets me about this is that for the very first time, ever, I was able to cut exactly to the knife lines, saw accurately with the coping saw and use the coping saw like a file to get things cleaned up.
When one corner went well the kids asked if it was a fluke and “could I do it again?” I didn’t like my chances but… blow me over with a feather if it all didn’t come together for the next three corners as well.
The thing is just pushed together, not glued up and was given a quick lick on the linisher to clean off the crud on the timber.
So, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all here on the forums for the wonderful instruction and support given so freely over an extended period of time. I’ve only been a member for a couple of years but I have spent many an hour reading through many past posts and threads. I have learnt a great deal and I know I have a way to go…
Thanks to one and all for allowing me to share the Ah Ha moment when I realized how to cut to a line with a couple of saws.(relaxed light touch)
I think I might be game to use some other timber now.
All the best
Kevin

**Willard** · 13th March 2009, 04:43 PM

Nice work Kevin, the dovetails look great! It's always nice when something happens as you hope... especially when you have an audience!

Haven't cut too many good dovetails myself yet, and I'm still working on finding my sweet sawing technique... hopefully some day down the track I will be able to fit them straight off the saw too.

Regards,
Will

**AlexS** · 13th March 2009, 06:57 PM

Very nice - especially using radiata and a coping saw but no chisels.

**jow104** · 13th March 2009, 07:04 PM

I read somewhere or saw a video that the gentleman always starts his woodworking day with a dovetail joint using a bit of scrap laying around.

Was that you?

They look very good especially for a softwood as AlexS wrote.

**kevjed** · 13th March 2009, 07:55 PM

Thanks guys. I've been getting close to this for a little while now but today it all came together. I too recall reading, or hearing, about a fellow that does a few quick dovetails each day out of scrap. I can't recall who it was...
I now have access to a whole lot of scrap radiata so i do try to do a dovetail or two everday using scraps. I've just started doing one side each day. Its taken a few months but I think that I've cracked it. I'll let you know when I've done it a few (thousand) more times before I will say I've got it right but it was a great feeling when I knew why I was able to do it consistently today.
If I can pass this on to my students over the next few years I'll be very happy.
All the best
Kevin

**BrettC** · 29th March 2009, 08:30 PM

Nice work Kevin, you have probably the Rob Cosman handcut dovetails in 3 and half minutes video ...if not it's interesting viewing

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxIgNel0H_I"]YouTube - Rob Cosman's 3 1/2 minute "Tails 1st" dovetail[/ame]

Cheers,

**zenwood** · 30th March 2009, 03:05 PM

I certainly couldn't get those straight baseline cuts with a coping saw. In pine, it probably works better than with a chisel: even when it is scalpel-sharp, the pine fibres just collapse.

Well done!

**kevjed** · 2nd April 2009, 11:47 AM

Thanks for the link to the DT Video BrettC. Brings a smile to my face every time I look at it.
I've just recalled where I read about the dovetail each day thing:

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworki....aspx?id=30009

It was in the Feb 08 edition of FineWoodWorking. Issue No.196 p26-30. A good article by Gary Rogowski.

I'll keep pluging away and I'll get there eventually. Every day is getting better, now... if I just had more hours in the day and and endless supply of lovely timber instead of the RPine.

Thanks for the feed back folks.
All the best
Kevin

Thread: Dovetail Epiphany

Thread Tools

Search Thread

Dovetail Epiphany

Similar Threads

dovetail jig

Is a Glued Dovetail Joint Stronger Than An Unglued Dovetail

dovetail jig

Dovetail Jig

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions