Hand-Cutting Dovetails
Basic steps for beautiful joints. Dovetails. They get put on a pedestal as a sign of quality. And while not every project or furniture style warrants them, I enjoy sitting down, listening to an [...]
How To Lay Out Compound Angle Dovetails
A system as elegant as the joint itself. Compound-angle dovetails are some of the most beguiling joints in all woodworking. But, as John Lennon once suggested, they can be as difficult to make as [...]
How to Make Dovetailed Drawers
Fine furniture calls for an elegant drawer. A master cabinetmaker shares his approach to design and fitting. There are just a few things my partner at Philadelphia Furniture Workshops, Alan [...]
Dovetail Jig Support Fence
I love my dovetail jig except for one thing: If I forget to hold the router flat, it can tip backward off the front of the jig and ruin the job. To solve the problem, I made my own Lshaped …
Mitered Dovetail Box
A few key elements push your hand tool skills. Project #2106 • Skill Level: Intermediate • Time: 2 Days • Cost: $50 When my wife asked that I build her a box to contain a growing collection of [...]
Tablesaw Dovetails
Machine joints that look hand-made. Imagine cutting through dovetails with pins and sockets spaced any way you like—as if they were cut by hand. Now imagine cutting them without using a dovetail [...]
Dovetail Markers
These simple shop-made helpers will make marking less of a chore. Marking out dovetails for hand cutting goes much easier with these helpers. Held in place while hooked over the end of a board, [...]
Drawer Slips
An historical detail adds refinement to projects both period and modern. The 18th century – a time when human hands were set to work in order to create the objects of material culture; when men [...]
Dovetail Ruler Trick
A throwaway wooden ruler prevents fatal errors when dovetailing. The No. 1 mistake made by first-time dovetailers has nothing to do with sawing or chopping – the obvious choices. Instead, I’ve [...]
How to Use a Router Dovetail Jig
Not everyone’s ready to tackle hand-cut dovetails. Here’s how to get the most from your router and jig. Dovetails are prime joints. Long history, great appearance and cachet. Used in boxes, [...]
Timber Frame Child’s Bed
Practice Traditional Building Joinery on a Smaller Scale Project #2104 • Skill Level: Advanced • Time: 2 Weeks • Cost: $300 During my 14 years living in Europe, I marveled repeatedly at how these [...]
A Dovetail Reference Joint
Like many woodworkers, I own a basic half-blind dovetail jig, which I use only occasionally for making utility drawers. During the interim, I tend to forget the setup procedures and spacing [...]