I’ve been working with wood in one form or another all my life. Which is not to say I’m an expert or profess any special knowledge; in many ways I’m still a hacker. However, there’s something to be said for time-served. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of teaching quite a few newcomers to the craft and have found that with few exceptions, they bring to the workbench a reverence for hand-cut dovetails. Many view a well executed dovetail as the sine qua non of the woodworker. I won’t debate the point other than to say that any well executed joinery is a thing of beauty.
However, as I try to teach hand cut dovetails, I’m consistently confounded by the students overwhelming desire to find the ‘silver bullet’. They all seem to have this notion that once they discover the perfect gadget, the secret method or the proper mouth-holding technique, the dovetails will cut themselves and slide together as if by magic (as a heavenly choir breaks forth in song.) Maybe I’m missing something – as I said, I’m not an expert – but to date, I’ve never found such a panacea.
While I’ve never found the shortcut to perfect joinery, I do offer my students a set of simple guidelines to help them on the journey. I humbly offer them here for your consideration.
1) There is no ‘silver bullet’ when it comes to creating fine joinery. Get over it, roll up your sleeves and start cutting. This is not to say that there aren’t a great number of helpful tips and tools to making joinery better and the process more efficient, but I honestly have never found a fits-all technique that bypasses the need to put the saw and chisel to the wood.
2) Find a method and stick with it. There are as many ways of cutting dovetails as there are those who cut them. Find a method that seems to work for you and then stick with it! Too often I see students flitting from one method to another trying to find the magic one. For the most part, they all work. Most methods will work well if you’re willing to invest in three things…practice, practice, practice.
3) Draw what you want to cut then cut what you’ve drawn. There is no substitute for the ability to draw a straight line and then split that line with a saw. If you haven’t mastered these fundamental skills, then you will end your quest for joinery perfection in frustration no matter what technique you use or gadget you own! I know it isn’t glamorous or sexy, but put a piece of wood in the vise, draw lines on it and then practice splitting the line with a saw(repeat over and over.)
4) Make a lot of bad dovetails. Don’t be afraid to make bad dovetails! I promise you, everyone has. And with each failed attempt you are gaining invaluable experience.
5) The mastery and execution of fine joinery requires time. Not only time to learn the process itself, but time to actually do the work. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on some great classical music, take a few deep breaths and savor each moment you spend creating something of lasting beauty. Feel the warmth of the tool, enjoy the heady scent of fresh cut wood, see the beauty of your work unfold. Well executed joinery will be around for hundreds of years…what’s the rush?
In a world plagued by short attention spans, and growing impatience, look upon your journey as a way to fight back.
Cliff
“Ars longa, vita brevis“
– Hippocrates
Replies
Hi Cliff,
Your lines must be pritty wide if you can split them with a saw !
C.
Thanks for the reply C. I think I had you as an editor once. ;) I'm not sure if your reply is tongue-in-cheek, but to be more precise, the lines I'm talking about are the width of a marking knife edge. When properly 'split', one half of the line should remain while the other half is necessarily gone with the kerf.Is it hard to do? You bet! Is it a worthy goal when trying to make solid joints? Absolutely. Are there craftsman who can do it consistently? Yes!Thanks again!Cliff“Ars longa, vita brevis"
- Hippocrates
Of course my reply was tongue-in-cheek,
I, however use a different technique, I cut the tails first and when I mark the pins I push in the tail piece about 1/32 that way I can use my knife mark for a light chisel cut that will guide my saw.
That 1/32 makes the pins just bigger enough to do that.
Of course my reply was tongue-in-cheek,
I, however use a different technique, I cut the tails first and when I mark the pins I push in the tail piece about 1/32 that way I can use my knife mark for a light chisel cut that will guide my saw.
That 1/32 makes the pins just bigger enough to do that.
Cliff,
Well, there may be no silver bullet but there is another important item, namely: the saw (brass & steel). Experience tells me that a good one, properly made, set, sharpened, weighted and so forth makes a Very Big Difference. Those other kinds of saw jes won't go down the side of that line too well, even after 1,893 practice cuts.
Which reminds me; one hopes you aren't suggesting the use of (shudder) a nasty thick pencil for marking lines!? No, no - only a sharp marking knife will do, especially as it may be used to guide the saw down the waste side of the line, not split the line, which is much thinner than the saw kerf you see. Is it not so?
Lataxe
PS Notice that I have refrained from describing the purfek DTs that may be cut with my silver woodrat. I do not want to distract those naughty students of yourn, with their short little attention spans and need for instant success. Woodrats cost even more than a good saw.
Cliff
I couldn't agree with you more. Woodworking is like all other acquired skills, and no different than hockey, baseball, basketball, football, playing a musical instrument, or writing a fabulous novel. You must first learn the rules......Then you must practice, practice, practice!!
Jeff
Ah, the old Silver Bullet quest.
Interestingly, I recently watched a TV program that investigated werewolf stories, and they actually tested silver bullets versus lead ones. The silver bullets were quite inaccurate compared to lead. (Silver being a harder metal, it doesn't track the rifling as well.) So, even if one were to go to the trouble of making silver bullets, one might miss the mark, and be "eaten" as a consequence. ;-)
KD7NKN,
I love your guidelines but one is missing that I tend to harp on: body position and movement. Many years ago I watched a Phil Lowe video that made a huge difference to me and really helped with quality improvements....not just in dovetails but all hand work.
Just like learning a musical instrument, it's body and hand position first.
Hi Cliff
Good post.
While dovetails have been elevated to a level beyond reason, I do enoy cutting them. They are just another joint, and I enjoy hand cutting all joints.
It appears that the Perfect Dovetail is a figment of recent years, and blame can probably be placed at the feet of those DVD demonstrations that squeeze a softwood tail into a hardwood pin. I would Love to see the Dovetailer demonstrate his/her technique using hardwoods all round!
What can I add to your list? Well - don't laugh - I would say that the aspiring Dovetailer could learn from the Art of Zen ... relax ... relax the grip on the tote ... let the weight of the saw blade lead the way ... (Perhaps a book, Zen and the Art of Dovetailing?).
Most recent dovetails (yesterday) ...
Jarrah-on-Jarrah, 1/4" thick boards ..
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Regards from Perth
Derek
Edited 11/3/2009 8:26 am ET by derekcohen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ars_longa,_vita_brevis
Yes, I had to look it up!
Your statement..
I’m consistently confounded by the students overwhelming desire to find the ‘silver bullet’. They all seem to have this notion that once they discover the perfect gadget, the secret method or the proper mouth-holding technique..
That is what make humans, HUMAN... We all try to evolve to some higher state.. Some go to a lower state doing this. And then again, I suspect you teach teens or old folks which nobody can control however hard you try. Never give up trying!
I was and I am still like that. I always did my own thing. Especially if told I had to do it this way! Whenever I was told how and what to do. Period! BUT I did LISTEN to the teacher and learned more than a few things along the way. I never admitted that I did listen to the teacher. I tried the ideas at home in the basement so noboby could see my mistakes!
Teaching is a bummer but a joy at the same time. Doctor and Masters here in Education. NOT ME! My daughter and her very strange but wonderful husband. A Dr. that likes Hard Rock? I hate hard rock but old 1940 Swing is great!
The full text is often rendered in English as:
Just what a teenager/old folks loves to hear!
Edited 11/3/2009 11:41 am by WillGeorge
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