Another project on the workbench

[DAB]

i detest dovetails.

aint got time for that. gotta get things done.

yes, i have 2 jigs, rarely use them.

hand cut? nope....

[zsr22]

Originally Posted by DAB

i detest dovetails.

aint got time for that. gotta get things done.

yes, i have 2 jigs, rarely use them.

hand cut? nope....

We dovetail our drawer boxes but most times I'm grabbing the Domino when exposed fasteners aren't acceptable.

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by CurtP

I don't know enough to figure out how to search for it. Instead of one pin in the middle of the pin board, it would be a bunch of pins evenly spaced all the way down. Kind of like this picture, just smaller:

Those would appear to be done with a router and a jig. I own a Leigh D4 dovetail jig, which actually will allow for variably spaced dovetails. About the only time I will use it is for something large like a blanket chest or a guitar amp cabinet. No way I'm cutting all those dovetails by hand. For my small keepsake boxes, I enjoy hand cutting the fine dovetails. I can usually do a corner in just under 30 minutes.

I had an old-timer once look at one of my boxes and say, "I see you use London pins". I didn't know what he meant so I asked around. Nobody knew. So I kept asking until, one day, I had another old-timer tell me that back in the 17th and 18th centuries, when nearly all work was done by hand, there was some rivalry between French woodworkers and English woodworkers. The English woodworkers decided to show their superiority over the French by making their pins smaller and finer. Naturally, this meant that the distance between the tails got smaller and finer as well. And they became known as "London pins".

I do them that way because it is how I was taught - by a bad-tempered drunken Scotsman - and I enjoy the process. And anyone who knows woodworking can take one look and know instantly that the only way they could have been cut was by hand.


Here is a guitar amp that I built a while back. I used my Leigh dovetail jig to cut the half-blind dovetails. It allows for variable spacing, giving the unit a custom appearance, but make no mistake those dovetails were cut with a router.

[justaguy]

Mighty fine work there Tiki

[ricks327]

Beautiful work Tikiman!. My grandfather was from Holland and came to America in 1900 as a 16 year old and was a cabinetmaker. His work was a piece of art, as is yours. I didn't inherit his talent.

[ZipZap]

What's with the battery powered enema hanging on the wall?

[IB4TL]

Nothing but quality craftsmanship

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by ZipZap

What's with the battery powered enema hanging on the wall?

I believe you are referring to a drench gun for cattle.


Or, you could use it as an enema. I'll try to not judge.

[Tikiman]

Okay. Got all the dovetails cut. Tomorrow, the real work will begin.

[GTOguy]

Originally Posted by Tikiman

Okay. Got all the dovetails cut. Tomorrow, the real work will begin.

Looks to me like it's time for a well-deserved cocktail. Or two.

[Don Rickles]

Are you left handed?

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by Don Rickles

Are you left handed?

Nope. Nobody can say that I am in my “right mind”.

[Vandelay Industries]

Originally Posted by Don Rickles

Are you left handed?

Did you really just ask Tiki if he's a lefty?

[Don Rickles]

Originally Posted by Vandelay Industries

Did you really just ask Tiki if he's a lefty?

Oh snap!

[TheHammer]

[Tikiman]

With the dovetails cut, it was time to do some machine work. The short sides needed a blind rabbit and a full rabbit. While the long side needed a full rabbit. The full rabbits were done on the table saw, while the blind rabbits were done with a router table. With this machine work completed, it was time to glue up one corner. I glue up one corner at a time because I find it easier to keep everything square.

[LATB]

Tiki you sure are a master at joinery.

I'm more of a screw it and putty it kinda guy.

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by LATB

Tiki you sure are a master at joinery.

I'm more of a screw it and putty it kinda guy.

If I just wanted to get it over with, I would have glued the box together with butt joints and a pin nailer to secure it until the glue dried. I'm trying to make something nice here and, frankly, for me, the journey is actually better than the destination. If I had my way, all I would do is cut the dovetails and some other guy could do the sanding and finishing. Not really that keen on sanding and finishing, but it has to be done. First corner is glued. Probably glue another corner tomorrow and start roughing out the lid.

[LATB]

Originally Posted by Tikiman

If I just wanted to get it over with, I would have glued the box together with butt joints and a pin nailer to secure it until the glue dried. I'm trying to make something nice here and, frankly, for me, the journey is actually better than the destination. If I had my way, all I would do is cut the dovetails and some other guy could do the sanding and finishing. Not really that keen on sanding and finishing, but it has to be done. First corner is glued. Probably glue another corner tomorrow and start roughing out the lid.

I get that. And I have a lot of respect for your talent and patience.

[DAB]

more patience than I have in my shop.