Hand Tools doings #15: Dovetails - Fit First Time!

wow those look great. they look just the same as the ones i did on my podcast. you’ve made so much improvement since that first entry and i feel that within the next couple of tries you’ll have exactly what you are looking for.

nice betsy,lookin good.

-- Roper - master of sawdust-

Betsy,

I am proud of you. This is looking great. I hope that you saved the first dovetail set you cut just so you could make a comparison.

You are truly an inspiration. If I could get caught up on the posts here I would run out in the shop and start cutting some too.

At the rate you are going Kelly Mehler will be asking you to teach the class this summer. :)

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Thanks guys. I’m really happy with my progress.

I think Kelly might be safe——- but I still have 6 weeks or so to practice!

Thanks for the encouragement!

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

Dovetails are tough, I’m still working on mine, too, Betsy. Hang in there…

(By the way, they are looking progressively better and better!)

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

Thanks Steve——things are starting to click for me now——finally figuring it out and am starting to see the difference.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

Getting better and better all the time, Betsy.

Is you health back up to snuff yet?

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Thanks Gary. My health is getting better. My one concern now is how long I can avoid surgery – because that will really set me back.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

Betsy, This is the signature joint of a crafts person and you’ve executed it well. Though I’m not the best dovetailer, I was introduced to an exercise years ago by Gary Rogowski who calls it “the 3 minute dovetail”. It’s simply a warm-up exercise before you begin your day in the shop where you gather a few pieces of waste, square them up and thickness them about 3-4” wide by 4/4, grab a knife and mark your half pins on the end and a center pin (actually, I start with tails) and just begin the process without too much concern for accuracy. After doing this for a few weeks you’ll be amazed at the improvement in your accuracy. Consider it a sort of Zen exercise. I still do it on those occasions when I’m feeling rusty and I need to find my dovetail “center”. Sam Maloof always said “Just keep doing what you’re doing”
Regards,
David

Thanks David—I saw a spot on Finewoodworking about a 5 minute dovetail. It sounds like a good idea.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!