First Dovetail Joint

Looks like a great start to me. Good luck with your woodworking endeavors.

-- Carpe Lignum; Tornare Lignum (Seize the wood, to Turn the wood)

you are one dovetail ahead of me!!
it looks like it fits beautifully.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (https://www.facebook.com/DebbiePribeleENJOConsultant)

One ahead of me too. Good work!

Nice job, I wish you well in your future projects ahead of you.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

I think I’ve read, the thicker the stock the harder the joint making. For dovetails anyway.

There is a cool video on finewoodworking.com about making practice dovetails. I’ll try to find it again and post the link here.

The joint looks great. It looks clean and tight.

I cant tell because of the rounded edges but how is the edge to edge offset, the centering of the tail ?

Nice Job! It look like you used a 2”x 4” to try this. It’s not easy to use framming lumber to make joints like that by hand.

-- Buchanan, New Jersey,

A whole lot better than my first dovetail. jockmike

-- (You just have to please the man in the Mirror) Mike from Michigan -

I have not made one by hand, and probably will not. I will rely on my Leigh jig for my dovetails. But, congratulations on the joint. Good job.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Very nice dovetail Doug. Could you list here the exact tools that you used to make this? I’m also interested in starting to hand-cut some dovetails and would like to do as you have done.

Great start. The first step on a long trip. Welcome to the wonderful world of woodworking.

-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

That looks darn good to me!

Personally, I’m a jig person. I wonder if the people who like to hand-cut dovetails are the same ones who like to drive a stick shift?

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Doug, congratulations on doing this. I also kept my first dovetail joint and dated it as well. It sits in my office behind me as I type this.

But it wasn’t long before I learned that making dovetail joints was simply a matter of practice. Once the mystery was taken out of it, it became relatively easy to make them – and the quality kept getting better.

I’ve never tried making dovetails in 2×4’s. I’m not convinced that this is the best way to practice, either.

I would suggest you use hardwood no greater than 3/4” thick. Make sure that you have a good sharp dovetail saw and sharp chisels. After getting the standard dovetail down pat, go on to making them different sizes and at different angles. It’s lots of fun.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://dpb-photography.me/

Thanks for all the nice comments. Yes, I used 2×4 cutoffs lying around the shop. Not ideal, I agree. I have some nicer shorts on which to practice the next round.

lclashley: I got the idea from Gary Rogowski’s 5-minute dovetail exercise on finewoodworking.com, so maybe that’s the video you referred to. If there are more out there, I’d love to see them.

Quentin: I used a backsaw (dovetail saw) to make the initial cuts. I cleaned out the tail with a coping saw and fine tuned the joint with some various files I had lying around.

Don: Great post on your dovetail. Good motivation for me to continue.

Coloradoclimber: I think the joint just looks offset because It’s not as tight or straight as it could be. Not intentional.

-- Doug B

Dip it in bronze and make a base for it. Well, at least keep track of it. Great stuff Doug. Something you will always remember. Keep us posted on your next effort.

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