Pics of my hand-cut dovetails.

Terrible job, thanks for posting. You need all the tools you can get.

Just kidding. great trying. I’ve never tried it so I guess I’ll need to do that.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

You might have saved these with a sharp chisel. The wood fibers just crushed instead of being cut. Other than that, the tails look fine.
You’re right about the photography though…it took a lot less effort to make those tails than it did to record it with that ugly picture. LOL.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Braver than I. I wouldn’t have the guts to post some of my mistakes :)

-- Still learning everything

They look like dovetails. That’s the key.

-- Maplewood, MN

Perhaps a couple of wet stones should be on your list. A bit heavy but they’ll fit in your stocking perfectly (well, that’s if you’ve been a good boy this year ;-) and they’ll make using your chisel a lot more fun. Other than that, I agree with Tom that they look great.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

I think I could use some better chisels and definitely sharper ones!

Rikkor – you are right, they do look like dovetails, I made that comment to myself! I guess that’s a start!

-- Tim D. - Woodstock, GA

look like dovetails to me!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Good, you will get it, keep dooing it. Save your first attempt for reference. Just think of the people who have never tried!

-- Robert Hart, Kansas City

I have not tried hand cutting a dove tail since I was a kid. I need to pick up the practice again. I tried some finger joints on my table saw with out a dado blade and failed miserably.

Practice, Practice, Practice and when you think you have it… Practice, Practice, Practice!

itsme_timd,

Here you can find the 23$ saw I use (used in my video as well): http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=50663&cat=1,42884

It is my best and cheapest (1/4 of the price of the Pax saw) dovetail saw. Also, as Tom mentioned you have to sharpen those chisels better.

Alin

-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida

Sharpen the chisel and learn to saw straight

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Nice try..but it looks like when you cut those you had that foam finger over your head like the dog in your avatar! I shouldn’t talk I have never tried to do it…Amusing post though…we all have to have a sense of humor about ourselves….

-- Women love me.....trees fear me

Great! Now a sharp chisel is a must, but you will get there. so what are you going to make with these? Oh and be sure to tell your wife how we all envy you, for being married to such a warm and understanding woman.

-- If knowledge is not shared, it is forgotten.

I recently gave a go at hand cutting dovetails and my results were quite similiar…..Can’t post pictures cuz I’ve already recycled as kindling.

My problem is cutting down straight lines. Even with a good saw, this takes practice!

Alin, I’ve watched your first vid and will check out the others – thanks for posting. I told Santa I wanted a good dovetail saw so hopefully he’ll hook me up!

Thanks for all the great advice – I’m going to get all the good tools but imagine my challene will continue to be sawing straight!

-- Tim D. - Woodstock, GA