◾️ Saw a Little, Saw a Lot

Dovetails for Dinner

This is part 3 of a 4 part series on sawing and cutting dovetails. Last time, in part 2, I kept putting off starting at all. I moved along at a very slow pace. After a little while, my appetite returned and I continued the competition with “lunch” to fuel my brain. To saw or not to saw… I cut my first dovetails.

Contemplating that issue, still, why was I so paralyzed? I figured it out. I was afraid that once I got better at dovetails, I’d have to keep doing them… for every project. All of them.

It seems that the skill of doing dovetails is a venerated one. Regard for this once humble, often hidden detail looms large. Now you have to include a dovetail “map” in your project plans. If you don’t, you’ve fallen off the wagon. Oh, I jest… hmm, maybe not.

I saw this coming

At this point, these dovetails are hard-won after a lot of work. I admit, it feels a bit excruciating. I am used to drilling a pilot hole and inserting a nail or screw to secure box sides, tops, and bottoms. It’s fast and simple. Dovetails require more mental and physical energy. They are detailed (see what I did there?). Potential projects may be left on the table or deferred until I feel like making them. I hope they don’t put me off woodworking. Will I be happy doing these? Will they put a smile on my face?

I’m overthinking again – stop that! Ok, not so roaringly, just… stop that.

Butt joints? I use butt joints like comfort food. Yes, like mac and cheese. Are they now out? Box joints or its rustic cousins, finger joints. Out? Lap joints? You’re out of here? No, to all that. I still get to pick any joint based on its mechanical qualities, purpose, and how I feel at the time. That is a freeing and exciting thought.

Alright, back to the dinner portion of our program.

Ok, now I am practicing cutting and sawing dovetails no matter what I am doing in my shop. I take a break and walk over to the bench to do three dovetails.

Recipe

• use a cutting gauge to lay out the baselines,
• cut tail walls with a dovetail saw,

• remove waste between pins and tails with a chisel, fret or coping saw and mallet,
• use a marking knife or pencil to transfer tails to pin board,
• use deliberate, paring cuts when approaching a line,

• inspect the work with a keen eye,
• make notes for improvement,
• mark the date.

If a dovetail saw is not on hand, use a saw with medium to fine points per inch (ppi) that helps you cut straight on the line. That is all you want.

Strategy for the saw

Sawing is a skill in itself. As I mentioned before, making precision cuts takes concentration. Just look at what you are cutting. Taking your eye off of the ball, I mean line, will be the ruin of the cut. You can ask me how I know. I did it… more than once. My mantra always: pay attention and don’t give up. Even with the mistakes, there is something to learn every step of the way

I liked sawing the tails first for my breakfast and lunch dovetails. Before I even get to the pins, it feels like I’ve done a lot more than half of the dovetail “sandwich”. And it feels less stressful.

Now the pins.

Good. Better. The Rest.

Starting the feast, I admitted my goal was to become good at dovetails. That is still my goal. Any skill improves with practice. The practice has to be deliberate and actively engaged. I will get better at marking and sawing. That means including them in future projects. I will certainly do that. I like how dovetails look. A simple pleasure that I look forward to is to someday consider them my friends and not my nemesis.

How long?

From experience, I know it is possible to achieve a skills goal after a period of time has passed. How long is influenced by:

• exposure
• instruction
• practice
• motivation

If you figured it out by now, you’ll realize that this is the premise for this feast of dovetails. Food is required for the body to live. Satisfying the need for creativity and purpose is food for the soul. Most people never get that far on the chart of needs.

Just keep this in mind: there are 7.8 billion people on this earth! Everybody can’t eat or do the same thing in the same manner with the same attitude. We don’t learn the same either.

Here, gratefully, I’m competing against myself.

When I add a little bit of new knowledge upon “old” knowledge:

• I realize that I don’t know as much as I thought and,
• I fear that my mind will come undone.

But, what I learn and what I thought I knew eventually come together. It happens without fail. This is important when I have to start all over – as I have many times – in the shop and in life. Random but not so random, remember.

Oh, what’s that? It’s a little smile.

Baadaye.

♥️ S

——-

This is the end of part 3 of a 4 part series on dovetails and other things.

Next time: part 4. Dovetails for Dessert and a little talk about learning new things.