Dovetailing

Cy goes out and tries to cut some dovetails, the third attempt finally looks like a dovetail!

[mcremona]

Nice work, Cy! Keep at it. It will get easier! You need really sharp chisels to get the inside of the joint smooth when you're working with pine

[AdventuresInDIY]

Good job Cy!  Keep at it.  Love the little comments :D  "Dang"

[afpwebworks]

Cy, I am in awe of your ambition.   That is FANTASTIC.   You've taken on what a lot of woodworkers think of as the hardest technique to master and gone right for it - grabbed the bull by the horns as they say.    You have the right technique - that 3rd attempt gives you dovetails.    The only issues with that are your technique with the saw and chisels.    You have dovetails,  nicely balanced aesthetically and correctly cut.     (Don't fret too much about how many pins/tails to cut -    half pins whole pins .  its only a matter of aesthetics and getting enough strength in the joint.)

Here's some tips about how to get the result better ....

Make sure your lines are precisely drawn.  When you  draw a pencil line alongside a piece of wood, there's often a slight gap - the line doesnt always go exactly alongside the piece of wood.   You need a really sharp pencil or even a marking knife,  to get the line you're drawing touching the pin youre marking against.  

Know what side of the line you're going to cut.    When you're improving your saw technique,  you'll be able to cut one side of the line or the other.   You want to practice cutting lines with the saw until you are able to cut to leave all the line behind,  or alternatively  cut to remove all of the pencil line,  depending on which bit you're cutting off.    Get that right and you'll be able to get those pins and tails a lot tighter. 

As to getting the bottoms smooth - that's largely a matter of practice too.   You need to make sure you have sharp chisels,  and dont try to chop out the whole chunk of wood at once.   You can use the coping saw,  and that'll get you close to the bottom line,  then use a chisel to pare  (technical term - google for some youtubes to learn about that - it'll help you with the chisels  a LOT if you can do that properly) down to the line in tiny little increments.  

You're doing far better in 3 goes than I managed in 50 goes.   And i had an instructor looking over my shoulder.   BLOODY WELL DONE!!!

[HeavyboxesDIYMaster]

You should do it the easy way.  That's why I go to the dovetail store.  They have lots of doves to choose from, like the mourning dove or spotted dove, and you just cut off the tails you want...and done!

[gaillong]

Nice work.  Keep in mind that pine and softwoods don't always cooperate with the chisel the way some hardwoods do.  You can use a fine rasp or file to flatten out the bottom of the joint.  You can also make a bunch of vertical cuts to help you get the waste material out.  I found that works better for me than trying to chisel everything out from a solid piece.  I did learn that a really good, really sharp chisel makes a big difference.

I did my first ones and marked all of the angles the wrong way using the saddle and the joints wouldn't hold!  It took me several tries to get one that even looked reasonably good.

Mark on both sides of your work so that you don't go past the width of your material when you cut.  If it's going to be a drawer or something and the cut is inside it won't matter much.  A jewelry box where that will show isn't so good.  You can fix small gaps by using sawdust from the material and some clear drying glue like you did before in one of your videos.

Make sure to cut inside of your tail line and outside of your pin to get a "too tight" cut that you can chisel or file out to a better fit.  I'm still not great at them but I do use them and locking joints in all of my drawers now. 

Keep practicing and I'm looking forward to the next video.

[TedAlexander]

Looks like you are getting real close to a whole box.  I don't think you should give yourself an F because you are so persistent.

[buckshot]

watch paul sellers.  and sharpen your chisels. watch pauls video on sharpening your chisels.

[Patricksworkshop]

Yay !! Looks like your on the right track. Keep on practicing
Now I really need to make some soon. Thanks Cy. Patrick

[Mitermikeswoodshop]

Not bad at all Cy. Maybe try a file to help just cut before the true depth and inch your way to line while test fitting.

[moyperezwoodshop]

Cool cy. You definitely have me beat. You've done dovetail joints 3 more times than I have.. haha.

[mfwoodshop]

Nice job, I added you to my dovetail Playlist. Lot of new first time dovetail video this year and Im gathering a list.

[TommyGWorkshop]

Great job Cy!! The important thing is to continue to learn, practice and improve!! As far as the chip out when chiseling the waste, what I have found that helps me with that is to be sure your chisels are sharpened properly first of all, then take shallower cuts when chiseling down on the that makes sense!! lol. Keep practicing, that was tremendous improvement with just the 3 tries that you did, thats awesome!!

[stevemcentyre]

You are now into the suffering part of learning dovetails.  You are making excellent progress.  Sharp tools help a lot.  Don't worry about chisel snobs.  Cheap ones work just as well you just have to work more to keep them sharp.  Once again refer to Paul Sellers videos on sharpening them he is the master.  You'll get there.  Everybody is pulling for you.  Endeavor to persevere.  $3000 worth of tools is not required but you do need to be pretty meticulous on your sharpening  which is good practice and part of the suffering.  My first one was like a dead skunk in the middle of the road.  You are doing much  better than I did.

[ttmcookies]

Thanks for the video. I think you're supposed to undercut, then slowly creep up to your final measurement, that would help with the rough edges and the loose fit. 
Also, i noticed the arabic stop-sign behind you... ;-)

[notsunkyet]

I love it that you are so willing to share your learning experience with everyone. What you are doing is exactly how you're supposed to learn something, by doing! I think your third try was pretty darn good, from where you started. Thanks for sharing.

[plemieux]

You should list video under comedy rather than how
If you can look at Frank Klauz's video on dovetails.  He did do a demo on New Yankee Workshop a long time ago and that is where I first learned dovetails/

[ruizd]

Good work! you've accomplished what many seasoned woodworkers won't even do. I been woodworking for about 15 years and only attempted hand cut dove tails only once and that was the last time. You did not give up so kudos to you. The few times I have made dovetail boxes/drawers, I used the Rockler dovetail jig. I know I took the easy way out. Cheers!

[czellner]

Good job Cy! Those dovetails are scary for me.Your persistence is admirable. You'll get there soon... :-)

[ButchShelton]

I think I went from an F to a C- at dovetailing school!
 No you went from average to a little better than average So a C to a B.  Handmade dovetails are not an everyday thing for most of us. You have made 3 I on the other hand have made 20 or so  LOL  Practice practice practice. Keep up the good work.

[charleyandsarah]

Love it, Cy! So glad we're doing this together... and wait, hangout with Paul?? The Paul Sellers? Please invite me toooo! Haha. :-)