Christmas Serving Tray Gift – How would Paul do it
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Hello all,
I’m new to your MasterClasses … it has only been about a month I think. Thus far I’m enjoyed watching and learning, wish I didn’t have day job so that I could spend a little more time with my hobby. My wife hasn’t called it an obsession so I’m doing fine.As it is the Christmas season I needed to put together a few presents, I decided on sliding dovetail serving trays. As I was making my simple little project I was wondering how Paul would go about making the same thing and what lessons should I apply: Sharp chisels and planes, check; square my stock, check; wax my planes and router, check; knife walls are my friend but what 8” sliding dovetail? Hmmm now what I haven’t I seen Paul do: use a Japanese saw, and use a holdfast. For a finish I went with food safe Tried & True Danish Oil with the Original Tried & True over top. The wood used was mahogany and walnut.
I thought that given the long cut required Paul might make a jig to cut the sliding dovetails. It would allow my to cut at a uniform angle with the saw and rest my chisels against. How did I do?
Thank you and Merry Christmas from Canada.
Greg
For a month in, I’d say that’s outstanding! Paul once made a stool with a sliding dovetail. He might have called it a Shaker stool. I don’t recall if he used a jig to cut the inside wall of the sliding dovetail, but it’s hard to imagine how it’s done without one.
Matt, Northern California - Started a blog in 2016: http://tinyshopww.blogspot.com/
It was a single sided tapered sliding dovetail. He cut a tapered dado, then used a beveled piece to chisel the undercut that was the dovetail. Same beveled piece was used to make the tail as well.
Hej Greg,
Cum laude in every step from design to finish, I’d say. The use of sliding dovetails to elevate the tray, and simultaneously assuring it won’t warp (accidents do occur with liquids), I think is just brilliant. We have doors at our croft made in the same way (7/8″ deep and 2″ wide), which haven’t warped during for more than a century.Guides and jigs do help, and magnets add.
Sven-Olof Jansson
London, UK; Boston, MA
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