February 8, 2012

Woodworking in America at Valley Forge: Dovetails – the details, with Roy Underhill

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Duration: 17:12 minutes

Funny. Entertaining. Hilarious. Serious. Supreme raconteur. What else? Oh, yeah – historian of our craft.

If you have never watched Roy Underhill perform, be prepared to be entertained, and to learn important aspects of the history of dovetails. Also, prepare yourself to volunteer to go back to the first half of the 19th Century, to “correct” a craftsman for using dovetail angles that were “too steep”. But wait! Maybe the craftsman allowed his magazine subscription to expire, and totally missed on the “proper” dovetail angles???

In this episode you will see something old, by way of an old chest full of very old tools of a trade. In addition, I invite you to watch, and learn novel ways of cutting your dovetails. No matter what your background, be prepared to be entertained, and to learn along the way. For Roy Underhill has been doing this for close to 30 years!

I would love to learn if YOU cut dovetails in a way similar to the way in which Underhill does. And, if you do, I, too, will have learned something new.

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—— Al Navas

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Woodworking in America at Valley Forge: Making and fitting drawers, with Mario Rodriguez

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Duration: 19:34 minutes

You can read a short description of the work by Mario Rodriguez at the Philadelphia Furniture Workshop web page, and at FineWoodworking.com.

Making drawers, and fitting them well, separates a good piece from a great workpiece. As a result, it behooves the craftsman to learn how make drawers properly. Mario used a case containing two drawers to illustrate differences in fitting options.

Included in this session you will the following: milling the wood, letting it “rest” to acclimate to the shop environment, milling to final dimensions for a perfect drawer front fit, suitable material thickness, layout of the dovetails, fitting the bottoms, hardwood bottoms and grain orientation, drawer slips to beef up the thickness of the sides, drawer web with dust cover, and installation and sizing of drawer stops.

Mario ended the session with a verbal description of the technique he uses to cut and fit the dovetails by hand.

Although I edited the 90-minute session to less than 20 minutes, I hope you will find all the critical information to properly make and fit drawers in your next masterpiece.

If you ever have a chance, make the time to attend one of the Woodworking in America conferences. I know you will likely learn something new, will meet new people, and will enjoy the Marketplace and the terrific tool makers!

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——  Al Navas

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Related posts:
More Woodworking in America posts on this blog.

The Czeck Edge tools on display at Woodworking in America at Valley Forge

Layout tools are critical in the shop, as they make it possible to mark a work piece accurately and clearly. And this is the sole reason for the existence of Czeck Edge Hand Tool.

Bob Zajicek, Owner of Czeck Edge, sold out his new dovetail chisels at Valley Forge, as he had only a limited number from the first production run. Notice the nice taper, which will allow the chisel to get into tight spaces, such as when paring, to get perfect joint fit:

czeck-edge-dovetail-chisel-valley-forge

Please read this earlier article I wrote about the pre-production version of this chisel after the Woodworking in America conference in St Charles, Ill., and Bob’s comments about it.

Update: I just received word from Bob that he is expecting the next batch of blades in three sizes, 3/16″, 1/4″ and 5/16″. Be sure to contact Bob through his web site, to add your name to the waiting list for the new chisels.

How about some eye candy? The Czeck Edge marking knives, awls, and burnishers – and barely seen on the left of this photo, Andrew Lunn, saw maker extraordinaire, who was immediately to the left of the Czeck Edge display position:

czeck-edge-display-philly

The awl display is colorful and warm, both for the beautiful woods used, as well as the workmanship:

czeck-edge-awls-philly

The burnishers, too, just about sold out. I own one, and it will probably be the last I ever need — the popular brand burnisher I bought many years ago went out in the trash some time earlier this year:

czeck-edge-burnishers-philly

Do yourself a favor, and try out one of the Czeck Edge tools; you will be glad you did. And, in the interest of full disclosure, Czeck Edge is one of the sponsors of this blog. I use Bob’s tools in my shop, and can recommend them without reservation!

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