Dovetails

First attempt in alder.

Well it's been about 2 months since I've made some stuff. I've been practicing dovetails recently and here's what I've come up with. My first attempt was in class with 2 tails in alder and it's inferior to my second in poplar (both softer woods). The one in alder is not very tight and had wide gaps from bad cutting and it apart and reassembling it time and again. The second in poplar is considerably tighter with much smaller gaps. It took a couple of taps with a mallet to get it all the way in but it looks much better and was more carefully cut. From cutting the first joint I learned to look more carefully when paring towards a final fit and not to take too much. From the second joint I've learned that the chisel will wander when chiseling away the waste so be aware of that. I took some lessons here from James Krenov's book The Fine Art of Cabinet Making. I'd also recommend Krenov's A Cabinetmaker's Notebook to anybody who's interested in quality workmanship and quality.

Second attempt in tulip poplar.

I should also say a couple of things about cutting myself. First, have sharp tools. As sharp as you can make them within reason. Although it's easier to cut yourself with a sharp tool the wounds aren't anywhere near as bad as cutting yourself with a dull tool. I cut my hands about half a dozen times in the last few weeks and I'd take those cuts to a single cut with a dull tool. When using a dull knife you have to push harder and are more apt to slip and really hurt yourself. The cuts on my hands are from grazing myself while moving tools and the cuts are so shallow and fine that I don't notice I'm cut till I've bled on my work. Those small cuts heal up in a day or two. The other thing that I'm going to say is that you should blunt the side's of your chisels. I was told this by my instructor and I never thought about it again till I noticed I'd gotten a few cuts in the side of my finger where I hold the chisel when making small cuts. Since you lap the back of the chisel it makes a fairly sharp cutting edge where it meets the side. I'll include a picture to illustrate this. I guess if Roy Underhill is okay with cutting himself then so am I.

Cuts on finger from holding chisel as below.

Make sure to blunt the sides.

James Krenov for A.

Roy Underhill Woodwright's Shop on PBS