The Dovetail Work

There is a lesson in this illustration - in that man usually looks at beauty from the outside. The Creator always sees the beauty as more than skin deep. In this case, creator (small c) shows that, the dovetail work is meticulously done the old fashioned way - with a dovetail saw and chisels. The approach I use is patterned after that of Rob Cosman, the master of handcut dovetails. There is a video on YouTube where Rob Cosman does one of these joints in less than 3 minutes. I am not that fast but not terribly slow either. I start with the tail board and cut the tails with the dovetail saw - very sharp progressive pitch saw of Rob Cosman's manufacture. I rough cut the waste with a coping saw. And then I chisel to the line made by the marking knife. Rob is fast because he chisels so little away. He cuts very much closer to the line with a fret saw. Then comes the pin board which is marked with a knife using the tail board. The key is to precisely cut the waste so the fit is tight. Better to be a shade too tight than too loose. Care pays with a sweet looking - tight fitting joint. The sides are made from poplar. Drawer slides are made by Blum, the invisible variety.