Hand-cut dovetails arenβt as difficult as you might think. Gather up your dovetail marking tools, saws, and chisels and follow these simple steps. Weβll demonstrate by cutting the dovetails for the hutch on our Stickley-inspired Postcard Desk
In my opinion, the most important considerations (in order) are:
Accurate stock preparation β no planer marks and very square ends
Marking out
Accurately cutting to the line
I used some maple that a friend gave me as an offcut and some mahogany I got from the old lab benches in my lab at work.
First off, I needed to resaw the wood. After resawing, I thicknessed all pieces before hand planing to final dimensions.
The hand planing is very important on faces and...
By hand or power? With a spring joint or not? One of the most important joints in woodworking is the edge joint. Without it, our projects would look like they had been built from narrow popsicle sticks. The joint β¦
Save on clamps with this traditional technique for panel glue-ups. A βspring jointβ is a traditional method where you join the edges of two boards to make a wider panel and leave a tiny gap in the middle of the β¦
There are many ways to join pieces of wood, but mortise and tenon joints are the standard against which most alternatives are measured. In this comprehensive video (15 minutes), University of Rio Grande program director Eric Matson explains how mortise and tenon joints are used in typical post-and-rail construction β the type of construction often used in high-quality chairs, tables, and beds. In these applications, vertical posts (or legs) are joined with horizontal rails (or aprons). Itβs the perfect application for this traditional joint.
In this video, Eric deconstructs a sample side table to show us how high-quality furniture is designed and built. Learn how to layout mortises for maximum strength, how to incorporate and work with split tenons, how to mark-up twin tenoned mortises, and how to account for reveals, offsets, and non-flush designs. Ericβs systematic approach minimizes errors and helps make layout and construction more efficient. For me, thatβs the key point; understanding what makes for consistent, repeatable, quality joints. Armed with the information in this video and careful step-by-step application of what youβve learned, you can craft better, stronger, faster joints. β (15.5 Minute Woodworking Video)
Eric Matson is the Director of the Fine Woodworking Program at Rio Grand University. Rio Grande offers a one year certificate program, as well as two year associates and four year college degree programs. Graduates have the skills and knowledge to be productive in custom furniture shops and architectural/cabinet shops. Rio Grande (pronounced rye-oh) is in Southern Ohio.
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