Dovetails - Not like riding a bike

[Rob Luter]

I've not had occasion to do much with dovetails for quite a while. I had some nice clear Borg pine leftover from a shelf project and thought I might brush up a bit by making a small dovetailed box.

It's pretty clear to me that accurate saw cuts are a perishable skill. I need to practice more often. The grain of this pine is a real adventure too. The growth rings are like thin layers of sheet metal. I think QSWO is actually easier to clean up with chisels.

[Robert Hazelwood]

I think QSWO is actually easier to clean up with chisels.

Completely agree. And at least in the case of SYP, I think it's actually harder on the chisel's edge than white oak.

[Jim Koepke]

Pine can be a tough species to work.

One of my things is to warm up my cutting arm after being away from the shop for a while. Mark the end of a piece of scrap and practice cutting to the line. My lines are usually about 1/8 - 3/16" apart. After they are cut, my next task is to cut between the kerfs without drawing a line. About ten minutes of doing this and my arm is ready to do some work.

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

Give me QSWO any day over pine/spruce! Poplar is a better lower cost choice.

[Jim Koepke]

Give me QSWO any day over pine/spruce! Poplar is a better lower cost choice.

Lower cost of different species of lumber has a lot to do with location. Here in the Pacific Northwest various firs and pines are the cheapest lumber. Of course if you want clear lumber with what is called vertical grain (looks quarter sawn to me) it cost more.

Many years ago, knotty pine was a feature of the western look for interiors of homes.

jtk

[Jim Matthews]

Dovetails are becoming a fetish. To paraphrase Gary Knox Bennett, "We've got decent glue - why invest time in this?"
http://www.gkb-furniture.com/home.php

[Mike Brady]

For the better part of a year, I did no woodworking other than dovetailing corners on 4" wide poplar practice boards; maybe a couple of joints per week. It was work with no beginning nor end, nor goal. Just doing.

[Rob Luter]

Dovetails are becoming a fetish. To paraphrase Gary Knox Bennett, "We've got decent glue - why invest time in this?"
http://www.gkb-furniture.com/home.php

Becoming?

I agree that they get overdone sometimes. I prefer different joinery for many things, but a properly applied dovetail joint is a great blend of utility and aesthetics. That and I need to justify my expensive little saw.

[Jim Koepke]

Dovetails are nice for making boxes and drawers.

Though my utility boxes, like rooting boxes or crates, are often held together with nails or screws.

It all depends on the purpose of the finished piece.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

Are you using a dovetail saw? If not, things will improve when you get one. Any of the tool vendors can provide one for you.

[Rob Luter]

Are you using a dovetail saw? If not, things will improve when you get one. Any of the tool vendors can provide one for you.

Yes. I have a nice Dovetail Saw. I just need more practice cutting to the line and judging when to stop.

[Frederick Skelly]

Dovetails are becoming a fetish. To paraphrase Gary Knox Bennett, "We've got decent glue - why invest time in this?"
http://www.gkb-furniture.com/home.php

I agree with your fetish thought, but I just like the look of DTs. Of course, I'm not making a living at this so I can spend all the time I want on joinery.

For me, looking at Mr. Bennett's furniture is like looking at a Picasso - lots of folks seem to like it, but I just don't get it.

Fred

[Jim Koepke]

Dovetails are becoming a fetish. To paraphrase Gary Knox Bennett, "We've got decent glue - why invest time in this?"
http://www.gkb-furniture.com/home.php


I agree with your fetish thought, but I just like the look of DTs. Of course, I'm not making a living at this so I can spend all the time I want on joinery.

For me, looking at Mr. Bennett's furniture is like looking at a Picasso - lots of folks seem to like it, but I just don't get it.

Fred

Place my vote with Fred. Mr. Bennett's furniture has nothing that would inspire me to make something like it.

Dovetails can be a good strong joint even without glue. Here a dovetail joint secures an arm on a Adirondack style lawn chair:

409362

On one of my projects it was too cold to glue up so the plan was to glue it when the weather warmed:

409363

This is the bench to hold my power sharpening set-up. It and the drawer are now over five years old and the drawer has never been glued. It is still holding together with the drawer being opened regularly. It is now a kind of experiment to see how long it will go without gluing.

When it comes working with muscle instead of machines, it is still a great joint for holding a drawer or other box together with or without the great holding power of modern glues.

jtk