Dovetail beginner: What wood combinations?

[Jim Neeley]

One of the reasons I want to learn to cut dovetails is to build a "cube" for my office desk, about 8"x10"x10"H with 3 drawers; one for fountain pens, one for a magnifying glass and one for my professional engineer's stamp, ink, etc. With glass imbedded in the top, it'll make a nice little showcase.

After reading Derek's posting on the dovetailed military cabinets I know a beginner like me'd better plan to be mighty selective in his woods. It sounds like one hard-hardwood and a second softer-hardwood makes the easiest combination? Is this close? If so, is birdseye considered a soft or a hard hardwood?

I've got a nice piece of birdseye maple for two sides but I'm wrassling with what to use for the others.
I've got walnut, mahogany, sapele, purple heart, padauk, lacewood and hard maple. I can also order others but prior to Derek's article I was thinking about a walnut or sapele.

Any suggestions on how to determine good matches? Is the janka hardness the best way to match them up or are there better ways? I want it to look nice but don't want to make it even tougher than it's going to be anyway for myself. <g>

Jim

[Sean Hughto]

I think you shouldn't worry about this. Decide what you want your cube to look like, and go for it. Darker woods are more difficult to mark and see where to cut. Harder woods are less forgiving because they do not compress as easily when mated. Wavy grained and highly figured woods are difficult because they are can break off, tear out etc. But so what. Just do it.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2244/2415399318_f4a53a9986_b.jpg

[Bruce Page]

Are you just starting out or have you been practicing? Once you have it mastered, the process is the same for any wood.

[Sean Hughto]

I disagree. While the steps may be the same, the tolerance for inaccuracy varies with different woods.

[Jim Neeley]

I'm a beginner..

Asking because I have a habit of tackling the most difficult possible approach to many things. :)

Is the Janka hardness the best way of judging tolerance for accuracy?

[gary Zimmel]

Jim are you talking about the carcass or the drawers.I like walnut and maple as a combo. The carcass would be walnut with 1/2blinds and the drawer fronts maple with 1/2 blinds again... It would be a toss up on the drawer sides but most likely I would use walnut..The birds eye fronts would really set the piece off.

[Jim Neeley]

Ultimately both, Gary... My question was based upon the carcass though, Gary. It's not a cabinet that'll be open a lot so I was thinking about birdseye for the sides and walnut for the front/backs with 1/2blinds. I hadn't yet thought about the drawer sides.

The driving question for the early question is because if I want wood that my local supplier doesn't have in stock it takes a month or so to get it via regular stock order... or pay $50 in freight for a 6' board. It also seems like a good thing to let well acclimitize, especially if it's coming to Alaska from out of state.

I hadn't considered using the birdseye for the drawer fronts.. though it's the part *I'll* look at most! hmmm.. :-)

[gary Zimmel]

IMHO the carcass would still be one species. The end grain would give a bit of a contrast in the joinery and the focal point would be the drawer fronts...
I'm thinking this little progect is going to have a bunch of dovetails.

[Jim Neeley]

I'm thinking you're right, Gary.. and that's a good idea, and perhaps a little more forgiving for a beginner.

My plan was to make it a 3-sided box with top and bottom held on somehow differently but then my son asked me why I didn't make it a 4-sided box and then cut one side away, leaving the joinery on the front edges. Probably not as significant with one species.

But I like the idea of a single species for the carcass... somewhat more understated.

I'll tell ya, Gary, if I were far more skilled I think it'd look cool to make it like a mini version of the drawer set Rob used in his "How to make piston-fit drawers" DVD, drawer support shelves made with perhaps 3/8" thick drawer supports, mortise and tendoned into the side, made from a light wood to contrast with the walnut but for me that'd be just one more pucker factor opportunity. <g>

[Christopher Charles]

The design considerations suggested by others are all good. I'd personally favor a walnut carcass w half blind birds eye drawer fronts.BUT I'd definitely start now with some pine scrap and do a "five minute dovetail" as suggested by Gary Rogwski of fww each day for a week or two. Don t reply, go dovetail... :). These really helped me out, from the lay out to he glue up.Sounds like a great project!CheersC

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Jim

I agree that the carcase should be one wood type - unless you are trying to make a design statement, such as we often do with a box. The drawers can be - generally are - different woods.

For the carcase choose a medium hard wood that has some "elasticity", so that when you put them together any tightness at the join will be tolerated. Cherry? Mahogany?

Don't get too cute with the dovetails - keep them wide. That is easier to mark and clear. For something like you describe you could consider tails and pins of equal size. That would be a little more pronounced that in Sean's example. I think it would suit a "cube".

For the drawers in my military chests I will use Jarry on the face and Kauri Pine as the secondary wood. The Kauri is much softer and so this combination is easy to put together. Find a similar combination for your own use.

Tips on dovetails (as if one needs more!): http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/MakingBetter%20Dovetails.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Neeley]

I appreciate all of the tips I can get.. thanks, Derek!!

[Jim Rimmer]

I would go with one type of wood for the box. (And forgive me if I'm telling you something too basic) layout the sides so the grain wraps around the box. Others may not notice but now that I have learned to do that, it makes me feel a little extra when I look at it.

[john brenton]

I love that "don't reply, go dovetail.". So true.
The design considerations suggested by others are all good. I'd personally favor a walnut carcass w half blind birds eye drawer fronts.BUT I'd definitely start now with some pine scrap and do a "five minute dovetail" as suggested by Gary Rogwski of fww each day for a week or two. Don t reply, go dovetail... :). These really helped me out, from the lay out to he glue up.Sounds like a great project!CheersC

[Bruce Page]

I disagree. While the steps may be the same, the tolerance for inaccuracy varies with different woods.You're right, of course, I should have said the basic steps are the same.I used popular & mahogany to learn on - lots of it.