Thread: Quick and dirty dovetailed box.

Col

I like it. That box (with a real function to perform in your shed) is great.

I have been working on a little box and freehanding the dovies which is nearing completion (despite a couple of disasters) and I takes my lid off to you.

I reckon that you have shown how you can do something to a more than acceptable standard of workmanship without going over the top with technology by trusting your eyes and your tools.

Greeenie on way

Jeremy

I take my hat off to you Col have a greenie if I can give you one.


With very little extra effort you can mitre the corners too.

Originally Posted by Wood Borer

With very little extra effort you can mitre the corners too.

Rob

Good point! That's going to be next on the list then. Thanks.

Col

Originally Posted by Wood Borer

With very little extra effort you can mitre the corners too.

Don't listen to him Col, I've seen what he can do! He'll have you dovetailing the corners of the sheets when you make the bed if you let him.

Nice box you made, I like it; they're great to have to keep the tools in. Time to drag out the Klausz video for another look-see I think.

BTW, how are those full blind dovies coming along Rob?

Now start getting artistic.
Cut each side of the dovtails at different angles

Originally Posted by echnidna

Now start getting artistic.
Cut each side of the dovtails at different angles

I did! That's what comes of not using a dovetail guide

Well done Col, excepting the saw over runs it looks generally better than mine, after hours of agonising, and every tool known to man (except a #8 and a 50mm Titan)

Talking of #8's where Sheddy?

Thanks for the compliments.

I'm really glad I undertook this little exercise. I learnt a great deal from it. Probably the three main lessons

1. You can fix up a fair bit of minor mis-alignment with a couple of good hand planes so don't worry over-much about getting the interfaces between sides lined up to perfection.

2. Bodgy picked it in his post above - the saw over-runs. They're ugly and they spoil the finished job. The Lie-Nielsen and Adria backsaws I use cut really fast so the trick is to ease up big-time when you get near the line. With my crappy eyesight this means I have to take a lot more care.

3. Frank Krausz's no-guide, no-jig method is great when the precision alignment of joints at opposite ends of a face is not critical (and this box is for workshop use). However, if I'm going to use dovetails on a presentation box, I'll measure and align the joints so they match. I'll use a guide, too, so there won't be any asymmetry of dovetail angles. For workshop boxes - and possibly for drawers, it may not be so important.

Col

Looks great to me, and a quick way to make darkside drawers. Two questions:

1. Did you do pins first or tails first?
2. Did you mark the depth of cuts with a marking guage?

Let me handle this one.

1.Frank cuts the pins first
2.Frank marks the depth of cuts with a marking guage.

Good work captain.

I really liked that method of FK's - saw it in a mag somewhere. Good for you for having a go!

Den

Originally Posted by zenwood

Looks great to me, and a quick way to make darkside drawers. Two questions:

1. Did you do pins first or tails first?
2. Did you mark the depth of cuts with a marking guage?

Wot Wongo sed.

Before watching Frank's DVD, I have always cut the tails first but I elected to follow Frank's method as closely as possible.

A couple of points emerge from this

1. I reckon that cutting the pins first and marking the cuts for the tails directly from the pins would help when using very narrow pins. It would be easier to get the pencil or marking knife into the wide gap between narrow pins.

2. If you want to cut two tail boards at once, you may find this a problem. Frank's freehand style means there will probably be slight differences between one set of joints and another.

Col

Great Col! It's nice to be able to just pick up a couple of simple tools and just do the job.

BTW I always go pins first (I've tried tail-first, but found it harder)

If anyone is interested, I can take a series of photos showing how to make the mitred through dovetails - by hand of course. Perhaps I will have some time on Sunday.