I've been making a few dovetailed drawers and boxes lately. To get some inspiration and maybe a few hints and tips, I decided to watch all my videos of dovetail making. I watched one yesterday and the other two today. It was really interesting to watch Rob Cosman, David Charlesworth, and finally Frank Klausz make dovetails. I've watched all videos before, but not all in a row like now.
I'm very fascinated by the different techniques.
Cosman saws the tails first. Marks them before sawing, using a dovetail marker. He transfers marks with a marking knife, balancing the tail board on the pin board (secured in the vice) with the other end of the board resting on a plane on its side. He's very methodical and accurate. He's confident enough not to test fit before glue-up.
Charlesworth also saws the tails first. Uses Bob Wearings transfer jig to mark the tails accurately. He saws using a band saw. He checks everything extremely carefully. By the time he's assembling the joint, every last bit of wood in the corners have been removed, and the fit is perfect. He's a fascinating person. Thoughtful, and won't hurry at all. Appears to be completely un-stressed, which is unusual in today's world.
Klausz saws the pins first. He doesn't measure, just saws by eye. Then he marks the tails from the pin-board using a pencil (not a marking knife like the others). After sawing all four drawer sides, he applies glue, and assembles the drawer. He doesn't check the fit before applying the glue. The glue faces are fitted sawcut to sawcut. His approach feels like the old fashioned, practical way to do it. In the days before electrical lighting, there was a need to get things done without so much lighting.
The best thing is this: all of them produce good looking, tight fitting dovetails.
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Originally Posted by Zach England
