Thread: Blind Dovetail Joint

G'day mate,

seems like you want to have a go, so get plenty of scrap and have some fun.

Well atm, unfortunately i dont have tools let alone scrap, still in school so i got no money either, cars cost alot but theyre fun

School has all the tools and all the scrap with which to play, express a genuine interest to your woodwork teacher and you will have all you need as I did when I was young! Cars are cool, Subwoofers rule!

Theres several problems with school, my teacher, the squares and saws arent square, the chisels and planes are blunt and i have no idea how to do hand made dovetails yet But one day im gonna spend all day learning trying all kinds of different ones on peices of scrap with sharp, square tools cant wait!

I had a go at my first one almost 4 years ago.

The first page shows a terrible mistake but on page 3 is one that although a bit rough held together.

Have a look here

Next class ask your teacher to show you how to sharpen all the tools in the place, if he is any good he will make it a class lesson nobody will forget, then you can progress by getting him to show you how to do Blind Dovetails.

Were not allowed to use the sharpening tools And thanks for that Wood Borer Im leaning more towards the second one, looks really hard, perfect

Hi mickelmaster,

Great to see someone taking an interest in the good old ways. Well worth the exercise. Once you've mastered that one for a real challenge try a Burmuda Dovetail!

Cheers


Steve

Mickelmaster - seems like there are more restrictions on people in schools these days!

As far as blind dovetails go, they are not all that difficult, but you need careful layout & you certainly need sharp tools if you want them to look like a decent bit of work. The tricky part is cutting the stepped 45 degree mitres, the rest is as for half-blinds, but test-fitting is tricky 'cos you can't see them properly, so careful marking & cutting is the go.

There are not many places in full-size furniture that call for full-blind dovetails, and the current fashion seems to be to show off your joinery, anyway. However, I think there are some situations where they come into their own, like on small jewellry boxes & similar 'precious' small stuff. You don't get to show off how clever you are, but you have the peace of mind that the joints may hold together as well as, or better than a locked, splined or simple mitre (in decreasing order of likely holding-power).

This little 'Journal box' (Silky oak, fiddleback Blackwood & She-oak) I made for one of my daughters has full-blind dovetails at the corners. It also has 3 'secret' compartments. I hid a $5 note in one of them, which took her a while to find!

Have fun & keep your sights high, that's the only way to get better at it....
Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

It also has 3 'secret' compartments.

Hi Ian really interested in hidden compartments and secret draws, any hints on where i can get info?


Cheers


Steve

He could tell you, but then he'd have to kill you

Originally Posted by silentC

He could tell you, but then he'd have to kill you

Pretty used to that I have a WIFE She regularly threats that and has carried it through on more than one occasion. But i'm not that easy to get rid of.

Cheers


Steve

There are a couple of methods in a book I've got here called "Furniture & Cabinet Construction" by Andy Rae. Obviously authors aren't going to give away their best ideas, but they're a starting point.

One of them involves a drawer located in the top of the cabinet behind the crown moulding. It is obscured by the back panel, which slides down to reveal it. The panel is normally locked in place by a sliding key that is accessed from inside the cabinet by removing the bottom drawer.

The other obvious one is have something that looks like a fixed panel which is really a drawer. Having a mechanism hidden somewhere that needs to be activated to open or slide the compartment makes it a bit more tricky.

Thanks SilentC,

I understand what you are saying if everyone knew then where's the secret, Still would like to discover the tricks (DESIGNS) of a few hundred years ago. Guess I don't have the magic handshake


Cheers


Steve