Becksvoort Dovetails

[Gary G™]

It's like watching art in motion:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/2017/09/2...er-at-work

[Strokes77]

It's like watching art in motion:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/2017/09/2...er-at-work

Until the belt sander burned my eyes!!!

[Tony Z]

He also uses a belt sander to flush up inset drawers! Very proficient with a tool that srews up work for me when it is in the same vounty!

[Steve N]

Mastery in Motion, perhaps our nations top woodworker.

Noted in this that the noob may not have even registered.

On layout he used his widest chisel, which when it get's down to it is the one deepest into the joint, and if you need to use a narrower chisel 3 times to span across the part most left to be seen you will note the ingenuity to using a full width chisel.

The splint to simulate the drawer bottom for registry, leaves it so the only place to go is where you want it to be.

No fear of the belt sander, where shy retiring types use a block plane, he finishes the entire case, and drawers in the same time as one drawer. Like with Alcohol, you just gotta know when to say when.

One of my favorite pieces is a small Shaker chest he makes. It has a lot of drawers, and he uses a tab behind each drawer, and he uses a belt sander across the entire front to flush the doors, so they all close exactly the same. It's awesome, yet if you keep the sander moving it works like magic. I've never seen him use one of those girlie belt sanders either, full width, 4" of howling grit coming atcha





Nice post Gary.

[CanoeBoy]

Oh my, more tips in the first 3 minutes than volumes of books. Love the train not very often one sees a beauty like that.

Mike

[Gary™]

I've heard someone call the belt sander the "project wrecker". My experience says he was mostly right.

[Steve N]

I heard this in a movie............

Man's just got to know his limitations



Sometimes I think movies are entertainment, and education wrapped in one.

[rwe2156]

Well obviously he's a better craftsman than me,  but I'm afraid a lot of guys will ruin their drawers following this technique.

Personally, my belt sander is where every belt sander should be : safely stored away hopefully in a forgotten place in the shop .

[Handplanesandmore]

Well obviously he's a better craftsman than me,  but I'm afraid a lot of guys will ruin their drawers following this technique.

Agreed. I have seen some rounded edges on otherwise fine pieces due to the use of belt sanders.

No one would argue the fact that Becksvoort is a fine and experienced furniture maker and I enjoy his articles. But I will not cut dovetails by hand and finish them with a power tool, be it a sander or, router. The mix for such hand cut joint is simply so un-craftsman-like in my book; not to mention his sanding without wearing any breathing protection (even if it was for photography reasons).

Simon

[AHill]

Becksvoort does fine work, that's for sure.  I wouldn't necessarily put him at the pinnacle of American furniture makers, though.  His style of furniture, while classic (Shaker), doesn't include a certain skill set that I believe elevates others in technique higher than Becksvoort (e.g. period furniture with carvings and inlays).  As for using a belt sander, I wonder how many of his customers are aware he does this and if it would change their opinion that he's used power tools as a (time) shortcut when making his drawers.  I may never achieve the level of craftsmanship Mr. Becksvoort.  I'm not knocking his technique nor his expertise.  Just want to keep things in perspective.  At least my perspective.  YMMV.