Bug bitten & first dovetails

[Brian Eaton]

I have tinkered and done very basic (i.e. miter saw, pocket holes, right angles, etc.) projects but I decided to make my daughter a jewelry box for her 5th birthday this year. I enlisted the help of my brother-in-law to make some finger joint cuts in mahogany, flocked the inside, etc. and though it isn't perfect, I REALLY enjoyed the entire process - see below for photos. However, the putting together of it was much quicker than the finishing part (lots of reading, watching youtube videos, practicing on leftover scrap) and I had the thought that it would have been even more fun to have cut all of the joints and everything by hand.
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Fast-forward to Christmas and I've gotten my hands on a pull-saw, a set of basic chisels, some supplies for sharpening said chisels (trying out the scary sharp system right now) and 1x4 poplar cut into short blanks to practice saw technique and dovetails, etc. I practiced vertical cuts for a good while (cutting just to the side of drawn lines) and then tried my first set of tails. It did not go very well so I scribed a bunch of angled lines and practiced cutting those.

Probably too quickly I decided to go through the entire process for making a set of dovetail joints and below are the results. Lots of practice needed but it is a great way to pass the time and take my mind of work, worries, and stresses!
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I've enjoyed the threads I've been reading and advice I've used so far! Maybe in another 5-10 years I'll be getting decent at this stuff!11

[Frederick Skelly]

Welcome Brian! Hand cut joinery is very satisfying and I practice exactly the way that you did - cut small blanks and make a series of practice joints until Im satisfied with the results. If I havent done it in a while, I might make 7-8 practice runs before I use "good material". (I work slowly, but who cares? - It's a hobby.)

Bet your daughter loves that box. After all, Daddy made it for her!

Glad to have you with us!
Fred

[Chet R Parks]

Hi Brian,
The box looks good. On the dovetails, the gaps between the pins and tails going around the corner look pretty consistent which probably indicates your sawing square to the board face, a good thing. Just need more practice cutting closer to the line. If you glue up the two pieces the glue will expand the wood a little and close up the gaps some. I started like you are doing and then when I went to connect 4 sides together in a box I found out I needed more practice on keeping each corner square. What I'm suggesting is practice making small boxes instead of individual corners you get a better feeling on how square each individual corner is when it's assembled. Just my 2 cents. Have fun, because it is. One last thing is I can't tell if your using white pine but pine is hard to work with when starting out, Poplar would be a better choice.
Chet

[Brian Eaton]

Welcome Brian! Hand cut joinery is very satisfying and I practice exactly the way that you did - cut small blanks and make a series of practice joints until Im satisfied with the results. If I havent done it in a while, I might make 7-8 practice runs before I use "good material". (I work slowly, but who cares? - It's a hobby.)

Bet your daughter loves that box. After all, Daddy made it for her!

Glad to have you with us!
Fred

Fred - she does love the jewelry box! It was a gift to go along with getting her ears pierced for her birthday this year. As a musician and orchestra teacher I'm acutely aware of the process versus product - I spend a lot of time trying to get teenagers to buy into the process and understand what it takes to end up with a worthy product. I am really enjoying this process - the time spent practicing and refining is very rewarding!1

[Brian Eaton]

Hi Brian,
The box looks good. On the dovetails, the gaps between the pins and tails going around the corner look pretty consistent which probably indicates your sawing square to the board face, a good thing. Just need more practice cutting closer to the line. If you glue up the two pieces the glue will expand the wood a little and close up the gaps some. I started like you are doing and then when I went to connect 4 sides together in a box I found out I needed more practice on keeping each corner square. What I'm suggesting is practice making small boxes instead of individual corners you get a better feeling on how square each individual corner is when it's assembled. Just my 2 cents. Have fun, because it is. One last thing is I can't tell if your using white pine but pine is hard to work with when starting out, Poplar would be a better choice.
Chet

Chet,

I am currently using poplar. I see some boxes in my near future but for the time being I purchased some basic 1x4 poplar to practice on since I've also got a few other projects going. Getting closer to the line is definitely what I'm working on right now!1

[Marshall Harrison]

Great new hobby you have Brian and those dovetails look pretty good for a first attempt. Practice will get you where you want to go.
I did my first handcut dovetails back in '98 but I have been out of woodworking since the move to our current house in '01. Just getting back into it again now that I am retiring. Got a lot of garage cleanout to do before I can start moving in tablesaws etc. Praticing doevetails sounds like a good place to start. Thanks for the idea of practicing. It will allow me to do some "woodworking" before the shop is ready.

[Jim Becker]

That's some nice work!