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Stop measuring and simply learn how to saw straight. The dovetail is an ancient joint widely used in cathedrals, barns and Egyptian furniture. It is the right joint for many items including fine [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

Hand tools are the way to go for this traditional joint. Tapered sliding dovetails are multipurpose joints traditionally used for drawer dividers, holding legs in place on a pedestal table and [...]

The right techniques and tools (plus a few tricks) will give you a good start on mastering this fine traditional joint. Dovetails have long been recognized as the premier joint for casework and [...]

Christopher Schwarz once demonstrated a time-honored trick for hand-cutting tenon shoulders. After laying out the joint, he chiseled directly downward onto the shoulder cutline, then made a [...]

Sliding dovetail joints are peculiar—sometimes, the two parts are meant to travel past one another; other times, they’re glued together. Whatever their purpose, making these joints is [...]

Precise Hand-Cut Dovetails A new approach to half-blind dovetails guarantees a precision fit. By Tom Caspar Purchase the complete version of this woodworking technique story from AWBookstore.com. [...]

Precise Hand-Cut Dovetails A new approach to half-blind dovetails guarantees a precision fit. By Tom Caspar The handmade half-blind dovetail joint is an enduring symbol of fine craftsmanship. [...]

Tapered Sliding Dovetails Two jigs make a complicated joint ever so easy. By Luke Hartle The tapered sliding dovetail joint is one of the hallmarks of fine craftsmanship. But making it has made [...]