starting on dovetail boxes

Re: starting on dovetail boxes

eliot feldman



Closer view.

Re: starting on dovetail boxes

Steve D, in CT

Looks like you've got the hang of it.

That is looking very sweet, Eliot!

dovetail spacing

Jack Guzman from Maine

Eliot,what is the reason for the width/spacing of your dovetails?

He's a conservative jointer...

Bruce McCrory

Plus, it saves the hassle of doing 4 more pins.

I've noticed that Eliot has a preference for freeform balance. It and the technical details of the joints look great to me.

Re: dovetail spacing

eliot feldman

I could say that I just like them this way, and that is true, but part of the reason -- and this has to do with some insecurity -- is that if figured if I'm going to work hard to do dovetails ( which are difficult for me) I want people to know that I did them by hand.

Very sharp!

Re: dovetail spacing

Jack Guzman from Maine

I wasn't criticizing, just curious. I like the look.

Re: dovetail spacing

roger lance

I don't know, Eliot.....that spacing is a little too new wave for me.....counter culture-ish......you making that box to hold some wacky tobachy??

I wouldn't say you're conservative.....progressive maybe.....a free thinker.....a free spirit.....it's the 60s all over again.....Ina godda da vida, baby......Don't you know that I love you?.....Ina godda da vida, honey.....Don't you know that I'll always be true?......

Get like a flashing strobe with this......some lava lamps.....it will be cool, man.

Far Out!!

Re: dovetail spacing

eliot feldman

Today is Bach's birthday, and you're giving me heavy metal? I told Kitty that you were something else! She agrees but isn't sure just what that is!

Re: dovetail spacing

eliot feldman

I didn't think you were. And it's welcome anyway.

‘Freeform balance’

Wiley Horne

Keen observation, Bruce! I certainly agree.

Wiley

Re: dovetail spacing

roger lance

Well, Happy Birthday.......Johann Sebastian......You penned some good tunes, man. I especially like your lyrics like: You didn't have to be so nice. I would have loved you anyway.....and.....She was one of those girls that come in the spring. One look in her eyes and you forget everything......and..... Hot time summer in the city. Back of my neck getting dirt and gritty.......and.....Nashville cats, they been playin since they was babies.....or.....Darling be home soon. I couldn't stand to wait an extra minute if you dawdle.......

They just don't write em like that anymore......

Re: dovetail spacing

roger lance

Damn, Eliot.....here I've gone to a great deal of effort to irritate you and you don't even have the decency to call me on it.....what gives??

I thought I was being at least a little cleaver with confusing John Sebastian with Johann Sebastian.....that merits some sort of response.

I hope there is no medical problem going on here.

Re: dovetail spacing

onemanband

The spacing spoiled the piece.

Re: dovetail spacing

Clint Searl

Yeah, I quit dovetailing because I could never get the spacing right.

RE the spacing on Eliot's dovetail boxes

Howard Rosenberg

Very interesting approach - I like it.

As I always explain, there's an important difference between symmetry and balance.

Elliot's reply makes me think of a documentary I saw about Gianni Agnielli, the head of FIAT.

He was extremely style-conscious and always left a button undone or a pocket square slightly askew to suggest a certain type of "deliberate casualness."

Syncopated box!

Wabi sabi

Clint Searl

Beauty in imperfection

Re: dovetail spacing

onemanband

If even some odd, random spacing was considered a beauty, why would spacing be a reason for quitting? Nothing is more a piece of cake than that!

After all this are you still with us Eliot?

Bruce McCrory

It's like the cynical comments are from members who paid taxes this year. For last year. The cheerful (humorous) thoughts are from those members spending refund money at a favorite woodworking store.

Re: dovetail spacing

eliot feldman

You're just too subtle for me; I didn't get it. I know classical music and jazz but not all that crazy stuff that you seem to groove on. About the only piece of music that I really can't get enough of, and that you must know by heart, is Blister in the Sun by the violent femmes.

And, you must be psychic or something, I was under the weather for a while. Feeling much better now. I've managed to clean up and rearrange my shop a good bit and getting ready to do some real work.

Re: After all this are you still with us Eliot?

eliot feldman

I'm still kicking.

Re: RE the spacing on Eliot's dovetail boxes

eliot feldman

I'm getting the feeling from many of the responses to the dovetail spacing that I used that people are surprised by anything but regular, symmetric spacing. But this can't be the case because we see lots of non-symmetric dovetails all the time. I thought it was practically the hallmark of hand work NOT to be too regular so it doesn't look like machine tool production.