Dovetail Delusions

ecocandle, Member

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1st attempt

Photo: Brian D. Meeks

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“Life is like riding a bicycle.  To keep your balance you must keep moving.”

      -Albert Einstein

Because of yesterdays joyous trip to the post office, I had high expectations that today I would find a plethora of woodworking DVDs and a smattering of books, waiting for me.  My anticipation remains.  Driving across the endless miles, actually yards, which make up Martelle, I thought of Albert Einstein and his bike quote.  I haven’t been on a bike in some time, but I was sure that all I needed to keep my balance was a bit of time practicing dovetails.

After the cutting, sometimes on the correct side of the lines, one needs to remove the waste.  I am sure there are a bunch of useful tips on how one does this, but alas I haven’t read any of them yet.  For some unexplainable reason I seem determined to learn to cut dovetails by hand through experimentation.  Even as I write this, it is clear that, this is at best, a dumb idea.  Perhaps I will do some research before my next practice session.

A reasonable man would cut a set of pins after a set of tails.  I am not a reasonable man.  I am a logical man who has delusions of grandeur.  Though there are clearly some issues with my first set of tails, I was generally pleased with how they look.  I can do better.  So I will cut some more practice tails, possibly quite a few of them, before I move onto the pins.  There are two good reasons to approach my education this way.  One, I am able to focus on one aspect and learn through repetition.  Two, the errors one makes don’t really become painfully apparent until the pins and tails are joined.  I choose to maintain my warm fuzzy feeling for a few days more.

The source of my warm fuzzy feeling isn’t the results.  It started when I began to clean up the area around the tails with my chisel.  As I pared away bits of wood I felt comfortable.  I felt like my hands were beginning to get use to manipulating the chisel in a controlled fashion.  Though I am delusional about the actual quality of my tails, I am not the least bit delusional about the amount of practice and work it takes to master the use of the chisel.  I know that it will be some time until I am there, but seeing progress is all that I need to keep the motivation to continue.

Ok that isn’t exactly true.  A sign of progress is actually just a one ingredient in the inspiration salad.  The recipe for inspiration salad, as it was told to me by Louise, a Cajun chef, motivational speaker, and part time bantamweight boxer, is as follows.  One part motivation, two parts natural essence of obsessive compulsive, three tablespoons of competitive juices, mixed in a small wooden bowl (carved by a sharpening monk) and served on a bed of noodles covered in a white wine sauce.  This combined with a healthy portion of pot stickers can feed the soul and body.

With each day I feel myself progressing nicely towards my dream of being to woodworking, what Albert Einstein was to the… ‘Tour De France’. 

Thanks for reading...

Brian Meeks

http://extremelyaverageone.blogspot.com/

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Comments (3)

frankfive writes: Brian,

I like your blog.

You'll get 95% of what you need from the books, articles and videos then learn the last 5% yourself - the nuance, subtle technique and style. When you learn that last 5%, your dovetails will be 95% better.

Sounds like you want it bad enough and enjoy the process, so I’m sure you’ll get there.

Respect the baseline. Sneak up on it. Treat it like it is a trip wire.

Frank



Posted: 7:40 pm on January 14th

JimFuller1 writes: I gave you a thumbs up just to feed your delusion a little bit and perhaps help with the motivation to continue even though I can tell you are a self starter. I admire a man who is introspective enough to recognize his own delusions. Some people go through their entire life with blinders on and don't know it. A smart man knows when to use the blinders to get through a rough patch like his first set of hand cut dovetails.

Good luck and best regards.
Posted: 2:06 am on January 14th

butchf18a writes: I too found the learning curve of practical hand-cut dovetails fleeting at best until taking the time to read, review, and view all the available information right here on Fine Woodworking. Armed with almost too much information, guidance and advice from true professionals, I enjoy tearing up the scraps of material laying around and can actually make a reasonable drawer or chest with hand-cut dovetails. More practice is needed, but thanks to all the info here I'm at least making progress.
Posted: 2:52 am on January 13th

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