First Dovetail Box

For the first one this is very nice Douglas. I think you’re being too hard on yourself.

Those hinges look very interesting. I’m curious to know a little more about the process you used.

Thanks for posting.

-- Martin, Kansas

Doug, this looks like a pretty good box to me. The dovetails appear to be crisp and the overall design is nice. Beautiful choice of wood as well.

I am in the same position with regards to dovetails as you are. I have tried many times but seem to be unable to master the hand cut routine. I am going to have to put a jig on my Christmas list since I really want to add dovetails to some upcoming (actually assigned is a better word, since I never seem to be able to get to the bottom of my wife’s to-do list) projects.

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

Looks great to me, too!!

My first dovetail box couldn’t keep the mice out!

As a first attempt it is a very nice box. Dovetailing requires lot of practice I hear and your next boxes will turn out better and better. Don’t give up and reach perfection. I am sailing in the same boat. The choice of wood is good and attaching wooden hinges is a big avhivement you have accomplished. Well done. Soon you will see my first box but not the dovetails.
Sharad

-- patanjali

Great looking box. I am not sure if it is the angle of the photo but the joints looks like a “box joints” or “finger joints” to me ,a very nice box joint mind you. What kind of bite did you use a staright or dovetail ? Anyway it does not take away that it is a beautiful box. thanks for posting.

-- All bleeding will eventually stop.

I’m behind you. Have not done my first yet. If they come out half as good as your first I’ll be happy. Looks really good to me. We have a lot to look forward to.

-- mtnwild (Jack), It's not what you see, it's how you see it.

Beautiful wood and the lines are great! The photo does look like box joint though. The hinges are fantastic! I am not up to your level yet, me + dovetails = kindling.

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

They do look like box joints, my thinking is though that you have the pins on the front and back and the tails on the sides.
I have the d4r too. It’s a great jig and doesn’t take long to master it’s use.

-- Joey, Magee, Ms http://woodnwaresms.com

They are DT’s and not finger joints, I have not ventured into that arena yet. I pretty much followed the D4R manual and used the supplied DT bit. Joey’s comment has me thinking, I need to go back an make sure I didn’t do them backwards but I don’t think that it matters as this is only a box so there is no stress on the joint like a half blind drawer DT would have.

Need to get the next 2 boxes posted but it’s hard to put down the tools and take up the keyboard.

Thanks for all the comments, I am most definitely my own worst critic and find it hard to ignore the cranky old bastard.

-- I can so I wood but why are my learning curves always circles

Good job. I especially like the way you used sapwood, and the hinges are sweet!

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

on boxes, very visual purposes you want the dovetails to be the show side. It adds visual interest. if this is the first time you used the d4r and that is the only mistake you made, you did good. the first time i use my pc jig i put the tail board in backwards and ruined the piece.

-- Joey, Magee, Ms http://woodnwaresms.com

Joey, thanks for the tip, it would appear that I swapped the end boards with the face boards during the routing process and got the whole thing ‘bass ackwards’. Have ordered some stickers with “this side forward” and “Note, this is a side opening box” to correct the problem

-- I can so I wood but why are my learning curves always circles

Very nice. What piqued my curiosity especially were the wooden hinges. Could you take a closeup of those for us? Like to have a better look at them. Looks like something I’d like to find out much more about.

Thanks!

-- Oshkosh, Wisconsin

This is a great box Doug

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com