How to cut a DOVETAIL JOINT by HAND

Dovetails are often seen as the pinnacle of hand tool woodworking and the sign of a good craftsman, usually intimidating beginners from trying them. But are they really that difficult?

This is a comprehensive video breaking down every step of the process including various options you have, different techniques you can use, and extreme close ups so you can see exactly what my eyes are seeing.

These techniques come from a variety of sources and tutors throughout my years of woodworking and is the combination that I find works best for me.

Any questions, let me know in the comments!
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PRODUCT RECOMMENDED IN THIS VIDEO:
🔸 Katz-Moses 1:6 Dovetail Jig

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MY FREE ONLINE COURSES:
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🎁 How To Make a Dovetailed Box:
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✏️ How To Design Furniture
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WOODWORKING BOOKS I RECOMMEND:
📘 Collins Complete Woodworkers Manual
📖 Workbenches: Design & Theory to Construction & Use
📚 The Overstory - My Favourite Fiction Books about Trees
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MY FAVOURITE TOOLS:
🛠️ Knew Concepts Fret Saw
⬜️ Faithfull Engineers Squares
⚙️ Veritas Wheel Marking Gauge
🗡 Precision Marking Knife
🎥 Lumix S1H Mirrorless Camera

🔍 See EVERYTHING I Recommend HERE:

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KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ME:

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🕵️‍♂️ WHO AM I?:
My name is Matt Estlea and I’m a Woodworker from Basingstoke, England. My aim is to make your woodworking less s***.

I come from 5 years of TRAINING at Rycotewood Furniture Centre in Oxford, 5 years of experience WORKING at Axminster Tools and Machinery in Basingstoke, and 3 years TEACHING both day classes and evening classes at Rycotewood Furniture Centre. All while trying to get this YouTube thing off the ground.

By September 2021, I packed it all in to focus on YouTube and my business full-time.

Want to know more about how I crammed all this experience into such a short period of time? See my experience and qualifications here:

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For longer messages, please drop me a message via the contact page on my website.

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PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that I get a lil’ commission from recommending at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to know more about how this works, and what businesses I work with, please read my affiliate disclaimer here:

[MattEstlea]

Get the Katz-Moses Dovetail Guide HERE: 👇

This jig is best paired with a Japanese saw. But can also be used with a Western push saw if required! 👍

[NLHRX]

Was doubtful this video would be helpful, due to the lack of beard, grey hair and leather apron. Turns out, this was the best dovetail video I've seen...cheers!

[LithiumSurfboard]

I am a surgeon, and I can assure you, this is much more precise than surgery. What a great video.

[richardshirley]

This is first rate, not only in explaining how to make a dovetail joint, but in demonstrating how to make an instructional video! There's not a moment wasted - the speeded up bits help keep up the pace. Incredibly well executed!

[RR-gmqj]

Didn’t do any of the work, yet I felt super accomplished at the end.

[TheLindsay]

Such a comprehensive, interesting video. The high quality, close-up filming makes so much difference for clearly seeing and understanding what’s happening. Epic job, man.

[katzmosestools]

My guy! One of the best dovetail videos I've ever seen. So many tips and tricks that are so useful. You're truly a master. Thanks for the shout out!

[CanuckWild]

The technique is flawless, even if a person doesn't need all gadgets he uses. One glaring omission is wood. I've been cutting dovetails for the better part of 15 years now. I can still remember struggling endlessly with this technique by hand. What I eventually found was that working on dovetails with a hardwood is easier than a softwood for getting technique down. However, working with really dense wood like oak was problematic for me. Using woods like Mahogany, Walnut, Teak, or Beech will help the novice understand how the grain behaves while having a small margin of error. Using softwoods like Pine, Cedar, Spruce, or Fir have a high probability of denting, over cutting with a chisel, overall have a high margin for aesthetic error. The softwoods aren't bad for practice but know that most novice users will end up with a finished product they aren't completely happy with. The reason I didn't put oak in as a good category is because of it's high probability for chipping. When learning these techniques, the probability of chipping is already high. Adding in a wood that has a high likelihood of chipping just raises that chance of disappointment.

Another great thing about dovetails that will undoubtedly teach the novice is recognizing grain patterns and cleanliness of wood in it's rough shape. The last thing a woodworker, even a mastercraft woodworker, wants to have is a big 'ol knot landing right in the middle of a dovetail joint. I have seen some gorgeous dovetail work done incorporating knots into the joint but holy hell is it a painstaking process.

Great video Matt. Love the tutorial series.

[gerryedwards]

Lovely, I remember trying to do this in wood shop about 45 years ago and ending up with something I was not willing to show anyone. Now I an going to try it again, wish me luck.

[markstanden]

As a fellow Brit, I love Matt's no nonsense presentation; there are a lot of pointers & tips not given by other, more lengthy videos of this type. I do find, however, that the Rob Cosman approach works incredibly well and has enabled me to make 2 "rustic" 2 drawer ladder style nightstands, with dovetails in the drawers. Cut all 4 drawers' dovetails in a single day - which for me is unheard of. Great work Matt!

[PaulROyen]

This is the first of many dovetail videos I've seen that so thoroughly explain every single nuance of precision that I've been missing on my own projects thus far. Thank you Matt for taking the time to make this very well planned and thought out instructional. Remarkable to contain so much information in just 39 minutes.

[reneelav]

I see that this video has been here for awhile but I gotta tell you, BEST DOVETAIL TUTORIAL EVER. I’ve been trying to get making dovetails seem easier to me. Up til now I just felt stressed at the thought of trying again. Your tutorial just brought it all together and now I seem to understand the process better. Hard to explain but you’ve rocked this tutorial. Thank you so much.

[mihiranand]

Maturity way beyond your age Matt. Will probably end up watching all ur videos before the weekend!
Being a surgeon, dabbling in carpentry and mechanics as a hobby, loved your attention to planning, detail, precision and quality of work. Your communication is just so natural. Your passion and flair stand out….would be nice to know who trained you, clearly an obsessive task master 😀

[senselocke]

You were very thorough in how and why using the chisels, so much so that a total beginner like myself learned a bunch, and spoke quickly and smoothly enough that a seasoned person wouldn't be saying "get on with it". That's a very delicate balance, but you did it. Thank you very much!

[trebledog]

I love this presentation. No drama, no attempt at comedy, no superfluous sophistry, just very clear, straightforward, precise instructions on methodology of the exacting demands of the dovetail joint, possibly the king of joints in the world of woodworking, with exception to the Japanese styles of wood joinery that are more complex, however the same basic approach is required of both if one expects to create the beauty inherent in creating the interface between two of the forest's more elegant species.

[boxo]

We'll, once again you did a great job of explaining and demonstrating. Take it from this 51 year old, you are going to be very valuable to the craft and I hope you do it for a very long time.

[gpdoyon]

As a up-and-coming woodworker, I have watched so many videos on how to cut dovetails. But, none have come close to explaining the process--especially the measuring!!!--with as much detail as you. Thank you!!

[moorem]

Here's a tip. When cutting the tails instead of angling the saw sideways and cutting at an angle (12:33) kick the wood over at an angle in the vice so that you are cutting vertically down and able to see both sides of the cut. Most people are more able to cut accurately vertically than at an angle sideways.
Years teaching kids how to cut dovetails many years ago...
Apart from that... I enjoyed your video and explanation. Very clear.

[vancestephens]

The rate at which you speak is refreshing. I'm actually terrified of wasting time, and seldom watch videos or tutorials because they are usually soooo drawn out and full of unnecessary hype and fluff, but this was fantastic. Well done sir

[adnilasor]

This was, quite possibly, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.