First Time For Everything

Re: First Time For Everything

Virgil Johnson

Way better than my first attempt. Way with a capital W.

Re: First Time For Everything

paul in AZ

Pretty good for Opus One.

If I feel inclined to pretty them up I've filled gaps with slivers of wood. If too tight for that some epoxy with a drop of appropriate dye mixed in makes for a good fix.

Re: First Time For Everything

Jack Guzman from Maine

Those look good for a first try. Looks like you sawed your base lines. I always chop mine with chisels. If you do saw them,saw shy of the line and pare to the line. The rest is just learning how to cut your pencil marks to get them tight. Takes practice.

Re:me too!!!!

Re: First Time For Everything

Barry Irby

Recently, (a term that has come to mean "sometime in the last fifteen years") I decided I had been intimidated by hand cut dovetails long enough and I was going to learn to cut them. I went to the University of Youtube and learned a few things. Then the "but first" thing got into the act. I would have made some dovetails, but first I had to learn to sharpen my second hand saw. Then I decided to buy one. I looked at it and it ended up resting on my bed. My lady friend showed up and I had to explain a good saw is like a good woman, you have to sleep with it a while to be sure it's a keeper.

I also got an angle guide.

The other thing I learned was that it takes practice. I was lead to believe I should prep some stock and cut dovetails everyday for thirty days and skill would emerge.

Recently I found the results still taking up space on my bench. I made it all the way to two. About the same as yours. Functional but not pretty. Apparently I have a problem with motivation and diligence also.

You are doing well, Practice. And practice some more.

Re: First Time For Everything

Roy

Now the question comes up. Tails or pins first? I am a tails first kind of guy because you can cut them straight and it doesn't matter that much if you are off the marked line a little bit. The pins are cut to fit. But a lot of people like to cut the pins first. To each their own. Also it helps to cut a very shallow rabbet on the first board cut to register the second board for marking.

Roy

Re: First Time For Everything

jessecloud

I thought I would never learn how to cut a decent dovetail. Tried everything, then I got the advice "If you keep trying new things, you will never get enough practice at anything." Decide tails or pins and don't change. Make a batch, analyze what went wrong and try to fix it on the next batch. Eventually, it will come.

Took me about a month of practice, but I can now turn out decent but not masterful dovetails. I still do some practice exercises before I start on the real thing - a few cuts just to practice sawing on the line and square, then a few dovetails just to remind the muscles what this is.

One other thing that still helps me, is that sometimes the geometry can get confusing. Keep an example set around that just dry fitted - worth a thousand words.

Re: First Time For Everything

Brian from monument colorado

For a first time effort, not too bad.

You will get better if you practice correct technique.

1. Get a copy of Jim Kingshotts dovetail video and watch it.

2. stop using a pencil for layout use a marking KNIFE.

3. use a marking gauge. tite-mark is a good one. sure others ok as well

4. saw in the waste and chisel to the line

5. chisel in the waste and pare down at the line don't pry against the line.

Good luck. and hope this helps.

Re: First Time For Everything

Jim O'Connor

I too keep a good set of practice ones around to remind me what to strive for,

A few pictorials

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Everyone learns a method which suits them best. It may not be the most efficient, but if it gets you there with a result you find satisfying, then it works. Having said this, the methods I use may benefit others.

Through dovetails: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/ThroughDovetails3.html

Half-blind dovetails: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/HalfBlindDovetailswithBlueTape.html

Mitred through dovetails: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/AnotherCoffeeTable2.html

Practice. Try the blue tape method. Take your time. Don’t be tentative - go for it!

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: First Time For Everything

Jerry Gibbs

At Marc Adams School of Woodworking, they come by and swipe your first hand cut dovetail. After you sign it, it gets permanently mounted on a wall. There are ugly dovetails mounted, including mine. Jerry