Handcut Dovetails - Why Bother?
by Paul Rolfe (Sawdust, January 2001)
In Norm Abram's televised world of woodworking, nearly every task is performed with power tools, air tools, and jigs. It is a sharp contrast indeed to the woodworking world of Roy Underhill. On TV, Norm is always very calm in his very tidy shop and his joints fit perfectly every time. On the other hand, Roy is seen sweating, working from a very cluttered workbench and things don't always go together just right; but you get the idea just the same. So, here we have two very different approaches to woodworking. Is one way better than the other? Is one way faster than the other? The answers are maybe, and not necessarily.
Most people will agree that working with power tools, in most cases, is faster, requires less physical effort and produces more accurate, reproducible results. Woodworkers that still use traditional methods will tell you that they get tremendous satisfaction from performing tasks by hand. Using hand planes, handsaws, and brace and bits to shape the wood allows them to hear, feel and understand the natural material that they work with. Nowadays, furniture that is built using traditional techniques is perceived as being of high quality and thus valuable. But it is understandable that not everyone wants to take the time necessary to master the skills required. And then, if someone did have those skills, it just takes too long and too much effort to do things like surface and accurately dimension stock when there are tools like jointers, surface planers, and table saws around.
There is one traditional skill that can be easily learned and used in conjunction with modern techniques. That is cutting dovetail joinery by hand. Yes it does take some practice to get consistent results but it can add so much to a project. If you have a dozen or so drawers to build on a regular basis, buy an Omnijig, it does a fantastic job. But if you are building a blanket chest, jewelry box or highboy, try cutting the dovetails by hand. Why bother you say? I can only say, "Try it and you will see." Routers are very loud and big mess generating tools. In the time it takes to set them and the jig up, you could have been well on your way to getting the joints cut by hand and you wouldn't have had to deal with the noise and mess.
The only tools that you need are a good handsaw and couple of chisels. Other hand tools that are helpful are a marking gauge, and sliding bevel gauge or special dovetail marker. The secret to the simplicity of cutting the joints by hand is that you first cut one side, however you want to, and then use that half to mark the other half. So what if all the tails are not exactly the same size and perfectly spaced, that just adds to the uniqueness and charm of the joints. The only real requirement is that the joints have to fit well, and that comes with practice. So get started and have fun with them!
In Norm Abram's televised world of woodworking, nearly every task is performed with power tools, air tools, and jigs. It is a sharp contrast indeed to the woodworking world of Roy Underhill. On TV, Norm is always very calm in his very tidy shop and his joints fit perfectly every time. On the other hand, Roy is seen sweating, working from a very cluttered workbench and things don't always go together just right; but you get the idea just the same. So, here we have two very different approaches to woodworking. Is one way better than the other? Is one way faster than the other? The answers are maybe, and not necessarily.
Most people will agree that working with power tools, in most cases, is faster, requires less physical effort and produces more accurate, reproducible results. Woodworkers that still use traditional methods will tell you that they get tremendous satisfaction from performing tasks by hand. Using hand planes, handsaws, and brace and bits to shape the wood allows them to hear, feel and understand the natural material that they work with. Nowadays, furniture that is built using traditional techniques is perceived as being of high quality and thus valuable. But it is understandable that not everyone wants to take the time necessary to master the skills required. And then, if someone did have those skills, it just takes too long and too much effort to do things like surface and accurately dimension stock when there are tools like jointers, surface planers, and table saws around.
There is one traditional skill that can be easily learned and used in conjunction with modern techniques. That is cutting dovetail joinery by hand. Yes it does take some practice to get consistent results but it can add so much to a project. If you have a dozen or so drawers to build on a regular basis, buy an Omnijig, it does a fantastic job. But if you are building a blanket chest, jewelry box or highboy, try cutting the dovetails by hand. Why bother you say? I can only say, "Try it and you will see." Routers are very loud and big mess generating tools. In the time it takes to set them and the jig up, you could have been well on your way to getting the joints cut by hand and you wouldn't have had to deal with the noise and mess.
The only tools that you need are a good handsaw and couple of chisels. Other hand tools that are helpful are a marking gauge, and sliding bevel gauge or special dovetail marker. The secret to the simplicity of cutting the joints by hand is that you first cut one side, however you want to, and then use that half to mark the other half. So what if all the tails are not exactly the same size and perfectly spaced, that just adds to the uniqueness and charm of the joints. The only real requirement is that the joints have to fit well, and that comes with practice. So get started and have fun with them!
2 comments:
When it comes to making dovetails I believe power tools and jigs. I can't do without them. Working smarter not harder is what works for me. With that said I can agree that sometimes power tools are not the right tool for the job and their is some self satisfaction in having the skills to do it by hand.
Thanks for your comment! Agreed, Dovetail jigs are a sure bet for quickly, accurate and uniform dovetails. On particular pieces though, the subtle asymmetries and evidence of the human touch can't be duplicated. Both methods definitely have their merit.
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