My first hand-cut dovetails

[Handplanesandmore]

Your disagreement is noted. I haven't come across any furnituremakers who prepare their stock in anticipation of resizing it to fix an error. I do know many who will prepare extra stock to allow for wastage, errors etc.

So what do we do when we aren't really ready? We either practice more until we're confident of our skills or charge ahead. 

Simon

[bandit571]

tend to cut ONE extra piece...mainly to size up a joint.....all mistakes can be done on that piece, first.

[Handplanesandmore]

For the record, I throw out my bad dovetails. Looks matter to me. A lot.

For me as a furnituremaker rather than a diyer, an ugly but functional piece is ok only if it's for shop use.

My eye sights are still good, and sawing skill used often, so most of my cuts come out right the first time. If I have a miscut, I can usually fix it while sawing or after the fact. Knowing how to fix dovetail mistakes, or for that matter, any woodworking blunders is a skill in itself.

Simon

[adamcherubini]

Sure, totally true. I think Adam's point is that inexact dovetails are ugly but still functional, whereas inexact M&T means your piece will fall apart. For the record, I throw out my bad dovetails. Looks matter to me. A lot.

Thanks. That was exactly my point. Now I feel heard!


I also don’t like pecking orders. Don’t want anyone to feel discouraged because their dovetails don’t look like Derek’s. Like Phillip said, a lot of times they get covered up anyway.

[adamcherubini]

For me as a furnituremaker rather than a diyer, an ugly but functional piece is ok only if it's for shop use.

My eye sights are still good, and sawing skill used often, so most of my cuts come out right the first time. If I have a miscut, I can usually fix it while sawing or after the fact. Knowing how to fix dovetail mistakes, or for that matter, any woodworking blunders is a skill in itself.

Simon

I agree with the above. Just wanted to throw out, 18th c master craftsmen didn’t care about dt quality as much as we do. DIYers do a better job than some high end hand tool pros did 200yrs ago.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Adam

I agree with you about the mortice-and-tenon joint being more difficult than dovetails.

Some dovetails are easier, some harder. Half-blind are the easiest to disguise mistakes, but can be a challenge to transfer marks (hence the Blue Tape method when you have older eyes). The through dovetails at the drawer back are much more of a challenge especially if this area is lowered at the top as well as the bottom for the drawer ...




The reference side here is on the left. That is where the challenge lies .. to keep it square (so use a combination square - this was part of my recent posts on dovetailing) ..



A multitude of sins may be hidden under the half-blinds, but you cannot do this with through dovetails, especially the baseline at the back of the boards which show in an open drawer ...



Adding more angles to match simultaneously is where the complexity comes in. A mitred through dovetail trumps all of these dovetails ...



Now where the M&T beats all of these dovetails is that anything out of square affects other parts as well. It can throw off the stability of a table or the integration of a  frame-and-panel within a case or cabinet door. Such a simple thing, and you really need a sense of plumb. Tenons can be adjusted, but an off-plumb mortice comes back to haunt you forever!


Regards from Perth

Derek

[hbmcc]

Along those lines, do you all cut drawer pieces long so you have the opportunity for cutting off and redoing a joint if you're not happy with it? I realize that at some point, you have to cut pieces to the final dimensions and would only get one try on some joints, but you could prioritize where you have a chance to try again (e.g., the front joints on a drawer vs the back joints).

Or, do you cut everything to final dimensions at the beginning and only get one shot? And you'd have to fix it (slivers in gaps, etc.) or throw it out and start over if you're not happy with it.

Tyler

There's a reason tennis is a good sport for amateurs. It's a pain to rebuild a carcase for a long drawer, and sort of easy to lie about a really short one.....