Four Reasons for Tails-first Dovetails

Good article on dovetails by Christopher Schwartz...

A Neat Jig for Hand-Cut Dovetails

A 'Smart' Jig for Hand-Cut Dovetails:

Smart Tails
Time: 20:47
Submitted by: Charles Neil, In The Workshop
New Market, Virgina

There's no shame in looking for ways to perfect your handcut dovetails. Especially for those of us who don't cut dovetails with a handsaw everyday, it's hard to expect good results everytime. So the plethora of commercial jigs, hand-saw depth stops, and other gadgets and gizmos that claim to get the job done faster and better can serve as great ways to improve your results.

That's why we were so smitten by this do-it-yourself dovetail jig demonstrated by Charles Neil, host of the video podcast In The Workshop. In addtion to showing you how to use it, Charles has made available a downloadable PDF with measured drawings that will help you make it.

Try it out and post a comment below to let us know how it works for you!

(Via GlueTube.)

Stand II

Stand II
Uploaded by Backwash Bob

This was the second of the two Shaker Round Stands. Just as the first one, this one is made of solid walnut. This pedestal of this stand is a bit larger (3") and the top is 18" instead of 16".

Shaker Round Stands

Round Tables
Uploaded by Backwash Bob

These stands are replicas of those made by the Shakers in the first half of the 19th century when the Shaker sect was at its peak. They were used to furnish the retiring rooms of the Shaker's communal dwellings, which often housed 100 or more people. These stands require about seven board feet of lumber each.

UPDATE: These tables were donated to a local group for an auction with the proceeds going to the cause. You never know how a group will respond to pieces like these. One group would love them. Others may not be that crazy about the Shaker Style. These tables went for $50/ea. That was quite a steal but in the end, the organization benefited.

UPDATE: I received an email from the Thos. Moser company the other day. Apparently, TM builds and sells the same style of stands - BUT - for a bit more than $50. Check it out.

Shaker Round Stand

Shaker Round Table
Cell Phone photo by Backwash Bob

Here's one of three Shaker round tables I am working on. This particular one is a reproduction of one from the early nineteenth century (1830). There's one in a museum in Bath, England. This one is made of solid walnut. I have applied one coat of BOL and will follow it up with a General Seal-A-Cell and top it off with a rubbed urethane.

Deck Skirting

Deck Under-skirting
Cell Phone photo by Backwash Bob

This is a sample of the under-skirting I am building for our deck. Using reclaimed mahogany from the paneling we saved from our renovation, I am building 2x4 foot framed screens. The paneling is planed down to 5/8 inch; I used a 3/4 dado stack on a radial arm saw to cut 5/16 deep dados across the planks; I rip the planks down to 3/4 inch wide pieces then glue them into a grid. We plan on staining and sealing the screens to match the decking. I will suspend the screens from the bottom-edge of the deck fascia board, leaving 2-3 inches of space around and between the frames. This will give the appearance of floating panels as well as prevent the screens from touching the ground. Although the properties of the mahogany make it a great outdoor wood, keeping it off of the ground will prolong it's life.

Window Trim

Window Trim
Uploaded by Backwash bob

One down. One to go. I finished up one of the windows in Andy's room today. The trim is wood and MDF. The blinds are faux wood from Lowe's. Andy says that he likes the window trim. Says it makes the window look bigger. In the upper left corner is a before photo of what the window looked like before the trim was added.

Headboard

Joe's Headboard
Uploaded by Backwash Bob

Joe's headboard after the dye and finish have been applied. Early American Maple (with a shot of Dark Mahogany) analine dye was applied. General Finishes satin was applied. I rubbed the piece down with steel wool between applications. All that's left is a good coat of paste wax.