The Morning Woodworker

lol. Dude. I’m at your response more than anything. There is NOTHING wrong with your first crack at a dovetail. I bet some folks would have loved to get results like that on their first shot. Its no secret that dovetails take some practice. So…..practice. Keep the chisels as sharp as possible. And it wouldn’t hurt to get some techniques from a good video. Rob Cosman is the man in that arena. But many other resources exist. So dont sweat it. Just do another one.

By thewoodwhisperer on Jan 6, 2008

Tell you what man, for the first ones they look great. Hand cutting dovetails is all about confidence. Mark out everything and just do it over and over again. Pretty soon you’ll be like Wow those like really nice. I think I cut about 20 sets before I thought that they finally look good. Just keep going and all will be great.

By Kaleo on Jan 6, 2008

This little piece will bring a premium on ebay one day, when I grow up to be a famous woodworker!

By Eric on Jan 7, 2008

Good work man! for a first set it looks really good. I find that to work with pine I need to sharpen my chisels very well so they can slice the wood instead of just crushing the fibers.

Also do very light cuts, paring small shavings of wood at a time will certainly help.

How are you sharpening your chisels, there may be nothing wrong with them….

By Luis on Jan 9, 2008

I second what the other three guys said. So I guess that means I fourth it.

As a beginning hand tools guy (with barely any power tools experience either), I’m impressed! I hope to make a little dovetailed stepstool (with a tenoned cross-piece) so I’ll be sure to show the world my first attempts as well.

Happy chiseling! (By the way, I picked up a set of four Irwin chisels from Woodcraft and took the “Hand Tools Basics and Sharpening” class).

By Eric on Jan 10, 2008

Thanks for all of the kind words about my dovetail attempt. I will keep trying. But, I’m sure that I will get a fixture in the future.

By morningwood on Jan 10, 2008

luis, at the moment I am using wet/dry sandpaper and a honing guide on top of a slab of granite to sharpen my chisels. the chisels I am using are made by Buck Bros that I got at the home center about 15 years ago. I think I could justify getting new ones.

By MorningWood on Jan 11, 2008

Well, it looks a lot better than my first attempt. Back in school I cut my first three sets backwards!! I kept cutting the end off and starting over only to do the same mistake again! Keep cutting and if those chisels are crushing the wood they need more sharpening! A sharp chisel will slice softwood end grain. Japanese chisels are designed with this in mind. With a hard steel laminated between softer steel, you get a keen cutting edge that is easy to touch up. Just keep it honed during use. Hey, thanks for the comment on my site. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I am still figuring a lot out about the site and I just saw it today! Oops!! Keep up the great work and keep us all informed!

By Adam on Jun 2, 2008