A Nice Looking Joint

 

After I got all the dovetails cut on the main box, I cut a backpanel to size and glued the first box together. Above one of those completed dovetails after the glue had set and I could do a rough sanding. You can see some small gaps here and there but overall, I'm really pleased at how well they look for my first attempt. I learned a lot on how to work the chisels to achieve the results I was looking for. I also learned that hard maple was not probably a good wood to do chisel work on as a novice. It requires extremely sharp chisels to sever instead of crush the wood. I discovered that my chisels were probably not sharp enough and will have to learn how to sharpen them better.


Below is the main body of the first box that will be the one I mount to my wall. All the doors still need to be made and I am waiting on the hinges to arrive that will hold those doors and allow them to work how I envisioned in my head. Unfortunately, they will take a couple weeks to arrive. Fortunately, it will probably take me that much time or more to make the two smaller middle doors that will attach to this body. I need to get all my chisels sharpened and start in completing twice as many dovetail joints as I did for the above box. 


Comments

  1. You have much expertise but are still learning. 👍

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  2. Very nice. Impressive for first time. All cutting tools must be very sharp. My Japanese draw saw is scary sharp and I've been sliced by it more than once.

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    1. I still need to learn how to sharpen my chisels to a whole new level than I’ve done before.

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  3. Beautiful fittings! It looks great.

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  4. Yes, it's a pretty joint. Not found with IKEA furniture, eh? (My son just made a baby bed with stunning joints too.) Linda in Kansas

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    1. We don’t have any IKEAs around but I’ve been disappointed with manufactured furniture for awhile and have sworn to build my own from now on if possible.

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  5. Surprising how much you learn by actually doing something.

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  6. Beautiful work so far. I'm enjoying following your progress!

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  7. Nice dovetails! I don't get to say that too often. Can’t wait to see how the doors turn out once those hinges arrive. Sounds like a rewarding project in progress!

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    1. Doves world wide probably wish you said it more often!

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  8. The closest I've ever gotten to using dovetail joinery is watching Roy Underhill's The Woodwright's Shop. Dados and rabbet joints worked for my utilitarian carpentry work, but it's just not the same as a dovetail joint.

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    1. I remember Roy and watched his show from time to time when I was around a television and it was on. I guess I was called more to Norm and his Yankee Workshop full of power tools though. Somehow, I've spent most of my life in between both of those men and am not trying to find the Underhill in me.

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  9. OK, I'm super impressed. I had to show this to Art.

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  10. Sharp tools are key! It turned out very well though.

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    1. It turned out better than I expected for my first attempt and with probably the wrong material. It makes me want to try it on some softer materials.

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  11. Wow, that looks so good! Your making good progress.

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    1. Slowly but surely it is going together. In real time, I am working on the last three dovetail joints to complete the project and maybe get it hung on the wall.

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  12. It does look good, Ed.

    I know there is a least one book of making Japanese dovetail joints (likely more than one). If you are into that kind of thing or specialized tools, there is a subsection of the website Woodcraft called Japanese Woodworker (Woodcraft purchased them some years ago). They have, I believe, a number of traditional Japanese tools for this kind of work. (https://www.woodcraft.com/pages/japan-woodworker).

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    1. I have seen several videos on Japanese joinery techniques and have been fascinated by them. I even watch one Japanese furniture making YouTube channel where the creator rarely used mechanical fasteners. I also own several Japanese saws that I find very useful in this craft.

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  13. I’m impressed and jealous of your talents

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    1. Thank you for the compliment though there are definitely those out there more worthy of it than I!

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