Perfectly Executed…Ask yourself why.

“A perfectly executed, hand cut dovetail joint…” Oh yeah? It seems lately when I open up woodworking magazines or watch woodworking video clips everybody is talking about their perfect way to cut dovetails. Half-blinds and hounds tooth, better saws and better jigs. Doesn’t matter if you use a hand saw, band saw or even some cross-cutting sled on your table saw, all you’re going to hear is: “the perfect joint”, “the best way to cut this or make that” perhaps even a “better way” in some one’s eyes. What is perfection but some un-achievable measure of proficiency, skill, or excellence. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m as guilty as the next guy. When I take the time to cut half blind dovetails I want them to be as near perfect as my hands will allow. I’ll use contrasting woods so when you open up a drawer they’ll jump right out at you. Why? Well let’s go further back.
It’s kind of ironic that when we think of some of the greatest craftsmen in today’s society names such as Sam Maloof or James Krenov immediately come to mind. Sam Maloof who takes 4″ metal screws and drives them through his Chair legs to hold them in place. Now look at some of the most famous pieces by Krenov, dowelled together glorified butt joints; and don’t get me started about Norm Abrams techniques…Now before you start sending me hate mail for bashing these great masters of the craft, let me start by saying that I admire them to the outer most limits; I find inspiration in all that they do and have studied anything and everything written on their works. But here lies the irony, today’s young woodworkers are inundated with teachers pushing them towards excellence. No, their isn’t anything wrong with striving towards excellence, but remember to stop every now and then and to ask yourself why. Is Sam Maloof wrong or any less a craftsman for using metal screws in his furniture? Is James Krenov cheapening his work by using a dowel to hold two pieces together instead of some elaborate joint? Go to an antique dealer or walk into a museum and look at the fine examples of hand crafted furniture. Pieces that have stood the tests of time and are the proof we need to justify the joinery in furniture construction. Take a close look at the dovetails if you can find any; in most cases they were covered by mouldings or hidden out of sight from prying consumers eyes. When you look at the joinery in these classic pieces you’ll probably uncover rough cuts with loose fitting cheeks, perhaps the saw lines extend down further than the witness marks; Oh..the horror, I know. When contrasting woods were used it was probably due to a cheaper secondary wood and not for the fashion sense we’re constantly reminded of. Were these craftsmen unskilled? Is it simply coincidence that these pieces are around for you to see a hundred years later? No. These skilled workers in wood simply didn’t feel the dovetail was so much of a design feature as they felt it was the strongest possible joint they could execute for a particular application. In today’s face-paced, fashion world where trends can come and fads can go, the joinery being ‘marketed’ by your favourite wood workers can sometimes feel like that’s all it is. I think its great to practice cutting a joint and honing your skills; making a piece you can truly be proud of. But stop sometimes and ask yourself are you taking the time to cut those half blind dovetails so you can give that chest of drawers to your grand children’s grandchildren, or is it to fetch an extra buck at the craft fair this Sunday?

RECENT COMMENT:
Hey Tom,
I really appreciate your blog, thanks for taking the time……………It was only a couple of months ago, I thought “blog” was a typo.
Well, I’m a novice woodworker and completely relate to your entry, “in the eyes of the beholder”. I’ve read a lot of woodworking articles, books and watched DVDs on dovetails. It always comes back to the same thing, how much time do you want to take? As you know, there is no substitute for time: the more time you spend the more proficient and skilled you become. I am satisfied with learning to cut dovetails by hand because I know my perfect dovetail will take time. Time to develop my own set of techniques and skills …………………I guess some people are just satisfied with the journey and some people need to arrive. For me, the art of working wood is not a means to an end but a quest to learn a skill that satisfies my soul. Could I make a living for my family building period furniture? Probably not but maybe someday I’ll the chance to cross that bridge too. It sure would be nice.

Thanks again,
James

Reflecting the Shaker influence but displaying an original modern interpretation, this side table will complement any decor. Made from solid Cherry and Birds Eye Maple it features hand cut joinery that will last for generations. I chose a hand rubbed oil and varnish mixture for the finish, it brings out the wood grain without adding too much gloss. I use a safe, non-toxic finish from a small company out of New York. Tried & True Traditional Oil and Varnish finish is a combination of highly refined polymerized linseed oil and natural-resin varnish (modified pine sap). Its high resin content produces a durable water-resistant finish that buffs to a warm semi-gloss sheen. It strictly adheres to the standards established by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and qualifies as non-toxic and safe for food-contact surfaces in both their uncured and cured (wet and dry) states.
The hardware I chose for the piece are delicate cast iron pulls that have a nice traditional look. The table top really jumps out with it’s wide panels and blond ribbon across the center. This piece I believe is one that would work well in a formal setting as well as perhaps as an entry table. The five drawers make for ample storage in a small foot print.Anyone interested please feel free to contact me for any additional questions.
The dimensions are : Depth: 22″ Width: 39″ Height: 30″
The unit is priced at $2550.00 CAN

RECENT COMMENTS:

“Stunning piece! Love the modern interpretation of a familiar form and the scale of the whole piece. Gotta love those hand cut half blind dovetails. Going to add this to my favorites. “

“Tom a great design and interpretation on your part. A stunning piece of furniture.”

“Unbelievable! Your craftsmanship and attention to detail are outstanding.”

Classic Joinery Highlights this Modern Kitchen Aid

This Arts and Crafts Style kitchen I’m building has a lot of great design features. One small detail is in the interior of the door cabinets. Instead of having a shelf which you have to bend down and reach into to access the interior, this design acts like a drawer and pulls out as well as adding to the over-all appeal of the cabinets. I shaped the shelf fronts so you can easily grab hold eliminating the need for any kind of after market drawer pulls. The box is built in the traditional style using through dovetails on the front and rear. It’s made out of solid Cherry and will be finished with a hand rubbed oil suitable for kitchen use. I go through the dovetailing process in an earlier blog, so once I have the basic box complete, I shape the front.

Cutting the Sweep

A gentle curve compliments the lines of the cabinets and I simply draw in the desired shape with a pencil. If you have a few of these to do, make a template off of this first one for continuity among the others. To simplify the cutting out process I take a Forster style drill bit and on my Drill press I drill out the two bottom corners of the sweep.Once the two corners are cut out I clamp the face in my shoulder vise and using my Tenon Saw I cut down the two outside angles. I follow with a Fret saw and cut across the bottom, carefully following the pencil line. I leave about 1/8″ of material that will be removed later.

Spokeshave

Now that the main area has been rough cut out, I bring things a little closer using a Spokeshave. I use Canadian made VERITAS Spokeshaves, the three models they manufacture are flat, round and concave; each being designed for smooth, effective, chatterfree shaping of panel edges, paddles, tool handles, and all freehand work. The flat and round bottom spokeshaves are the general workhorses in my workshop. These are the tools you will pick up for practically every kind of woodworking activity. The round shave has a 1-3/4″ radius. After shaping the drawer front with the spokeshave I fine tune the inside curves with a cabinet scraper. These are great tools for a wood shop, simple yet effective for smoothing difficult grain patterns, rounding over sharp edges or any other shaping you may do.

Assemble and Finish

Once the front is shaped I assemble the Shelf Trays using the method I described in the Dovetailing a Drawer Blog. Once the boxes are glued up I install the 1/4″ Cherry bottoms. These are strong trays designed for generations of use as well as adding a nice touch to this kitchen; when you open up the lower doors, instead of seeing a couple of crowded shelves, you’re able to pull-out a custom build tray enabling full access to the bottom and back spaces within.

I was recently commisioned to build a full set of cabinets for a kitchen in an older Arts and Crafts Style Bungalow. This is a large project that I’ll document here as it develops. The first step was going to the home, discussing design elements, wood species, special requests from the clients etc..After this first meeting I designed, with lots of input from the home owners, a set of cabinets that I thought would complement the Home style while incorporating the owners lifestyle. The cabinets will have a very much Arts and Crafts feel being made from Black Cherry, which I was quit happy about. Building a full kitchen is quite different than building a one-off cabinet. First of I’ll be using 3/4″ Cherry plywood for all of the cabinet boxes. These will be fastened using dadoes and rabbets cut into the panels to accept the mating pieces, with glue and pocket screws to fasten. All of the cabinets are furniture quality, meaning each box is it’s own enclosed space seperate from the next. This is a bonus for a kitchen by way of containing any smells or spills from one area to the next. A rock-solid building method that will last for the next hundred years.
Once the boxes are built, they’ll get a full solid Cherry face frame, no plywood here, just solid wood. A full 7/8″ thick this will stand up to any abuse. From this point on it’s all traditional joinery, frame and panel, mortise and tenon doors with centre stiles; hand cut dovetailed, solid cherry drawers with half blind dovetailed fronts. The finish is going to be a hand rubbed oil and varnish mixture. I find it really brings out the wood grain without adding too much gloss. I use a safe, non-toxic finish from a small company out of New York. Tried & True Traditional Oil and Varnish finish is a combination of highly refined polymerized linseed oil and natural-resin varnish (modified pine sap). Its high resin content produces a durable water-resistant finish that buffs to a warm semi-gloss sheen. It strictly adheres to the standards established by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and qualifies as non-toxic and safe for food-contact surfaces in both their uncured and cured (wet and dry) states. A perfect finish for a custom made kitchen.

Well here it is, complete. I chose a hand rubbed oil and varnish mixture for the finish on this piece, I find it really brings out the wood grain without adding too much gloss. I use a safe, non-toxic finish from a small company out of New York. Tried & True Traditional Oil and Varnish finish is a combination of highly refined polymerized linseed oil and natural-resin varnish (modified pine sap). Its high resin content produces a durable water-resistant finish that buffs to a warm semi-gloss sheen. It strictly adheres to the standards established by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and qualifies as non-toxic and safe for food-contact surfaces in both their uncured and cured (wet and dry) states.
The hardware I chose for the piece are delicate cast iron pulls that have a nice traditional look. The table top really jumps out with it’s wide panels and blond ribbon across the center. This piece I believe is one that would work well in a formal setting as well as perhaps as an entry table. The five drawers make for ample storage in a small foot print. This side table is for sale. Anyone interested please feel free to contact me for any additional questions.
The dimensions are : Depth: 22″ Width: 39″ Height: 30″
The unit is priced at $2550.00 CAN.

Posted in Furniture Projects | 1 Comment