Dovetail Practice Joints
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David B.
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20 July 2016 at 1:02 pm #138652
I read an article once on the web about a maker who, before starting work every morning he limbered up by making a few dovetails to “get his hand in” He likened this to a sports person doing stretching exercises….
Not sure I would get too much work done after that!!Cheers
Geoff22 July 2016 at 2:51 pm #138729They look great!
I’m itching to get started with woodworking again – I’m just waiting for the tools I need to get here (Bulgaria) on the slow boat and I’ll be having a go at dovetails myself. The shipping cost from the UK is killing me though!!
4 August 2016 at 3:27 pm #139105I just completed practice joint #0001, a remarkable-looking dovetail joint with different angled dovetails and random gaps, etc.
Due to impatience I used the quick coping-saw method and didn’t make any attempt to get the dovetails even. I just wanted to prove I could do it, which I have now done. I don’t yet have a workbench, so had to use my balcony railing as a bench dog.
A couple of positives – it was enjoyable and didn’t take that long (for a first attempt, that is – about half an hour, I’d say).
Although I wouldn’t dare post a photo of it here, I’m quite encouraged. I can now concentrate on refining my skills knowing that I’ve made a start.
5 August 2016 at 2:58 am #139122Good for you! Now when you get to practice joint #1111, you should be a master dovetailer.
Bob L.5 August 2016 at 6:03 pm #139148Well I’m at #0002 now and although not perfect, I think this one is at least fit to be seen in public. It took much longer than #0001 because I measured it out properly and took more care over it.
A couple of things went wrong, I chipped the corner of one dovetail, and made a 2mm deep saw cut on the wrong side of a pencil line before realising what I’d done. These things are visible in the photo. There’s also an ugly bit of grain visible that I couldn’t do anything about.
Overall I’m happy with the progress though.
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.5 August 2016 at 8:10 pm #139152@gilessteve – that looks really good, Steve. The “ugly” grain area can also be thought of as beautiful wood features. As far as cutting on the wrong side of the line is concerned, did you mark the waste area (it’s really important)? It gets to be a mantra – mark the waste and saw on the waste side of the line.
5 August 2016 at 9:45 pm #139156Hi Matt. Yes, I marked the waste side of the line with crosses and then cut on the opposite side. You live and learn I guess! I probably won’t do that ever again (I hope).
5 August 2016 at 9:54 pm #139157Steve if that’s what you’re producing after only your second attempt then boy have you got some great woodworking years ahead of you. Nice Job!
6 August 2016 at 12:31 am #139162One mistake that I made and wish to tell you. Don’t waste your time just practicing joints. Make them into something,anything. You’ll end up with a useful something and get the practice.Even if it is for your shop to hold pencils,drill bits, chisels,ect. At least it is more constructive than a bunch of scrap pieces laying around.You’ll always have them(boxes) around to see how far you’ve come. Bob L.
6 August 2016 at 5:47 am #139165Thanks for the encouragement.
I agree with Bob, better to have something useful at the end of it. I was impatient to find out if I could make a dovetail though, so all other considerations went out the window on this first couple. I won’t be making a stack of them, that’s for sure.
BTW, one thing that I’m glad I did was investing in a good quality Japanese Gyokucho Saw (#372). It cuts through pine like butter and is very controllable. It definitely took some of the difficulty out of getting started making woodwork joints, and obviated the need to mess with buying and sharpening an old dovetail saw.
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This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by
Steve Giles.
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This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by
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