Dovetails straight from the saw!

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Hi guys.
Everyday before working on any project, or even if I don't work on any I commit myself to cut at least one set of dovetails for practicing. Some days I cut two or more.

Well; three days ago something made "click" and fell in place and my dovetails started to be almost perfect straight from the saw. ( notice I say almost).

The best thing is that I can achieve these results consistently, and I can make them quite fast, (these took me about 12 minutes) so it is not a matter of luck. Now I have to improve my chiseling technique while I maintain and improve this standard, because the inner part of the joint is still lousy.

I know that this is no big deal for many of you, because you reached this stage long ago, but for me is quite an achievement so I wanted to share my joy with you.
 

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tony i think yu give many to much credit,, i think your on a level of dovetails that is higher than alot of folk here:) they look great..much better than any i made..:thumb::thumb: congrats on finding the right way to hold the saw:)
 
tony i think yu give many to much credit,, i think your on a level of dovetails that is higher than alot of folk here:) they look great..much better than any i made..:thumb::thumb: congrats on finding the right way to hold the saw:)

Thanks Larry, but it wasn't the way I was holding the saw but finding exactly the right distance from the line I should cut them.:)
 
Toni they look so good I'd swear you cut them with a dovetail jig :thumb:. Very nice work. At the spead you cut those it wouldn't be worth the time for you to try and use a jig. They wouldn't turnout any better than what you did by hand.
 
Looking really good Toni. Practicing like that is something I keep wanting to do but I do not follow through. Maybe your progress will inspire me where I have failed to inspire myself. thanks for sharing that.
 
Toni,

Way to go. Those look great! It sure is nice when they really fit well.

I concur with those before me that regular practice (which includes paying attention to the feedback and making necessary adjustments as needed) can truly pay off. I had "found it" on my dovetails about a year ago and then laid off due to some medical issues and when I made the next ones, they were not even close to being as good. Now I'm picking up the saw and making practice cuts on a daily basis in effort to keep the skill current.

Keep up the good work and look forward to seeing some projects built around your dovetails.

Regards,
 
And in oak, yet! None of that pine stuff... Nice going, Toni! Practice does indeed make for perfection.

Really nice dovetails. Wow, I wish I had practice wood like that! The best I can do is popular or pine.

hey bill,, its the staves from an empty wine barrel:):rofl:and he has a large supply to work with..

In fact those are sample pieces (the wood, not the dovetails!) I take from the lumber store where I buy my wood. Great part of their bussines is cutting and prepare flooring planks, and they have piles of samples for the people to take.

So each time I go there to buy wood, I take advantage of that and pic a few.
They have Oak, Teak, Sucupira, Mongoy, Wenge, Tatajuba, Ipe and some others, the only drawback is that they are small, but big enough to make small boxes with them so it gives me chance of testing those different woods and feel how they behave under the saw.

Haven't done any box yet due to my lousy dovetails, so maybe it is time to give it a try!
 
Hi Toni,

Those are great looking dovetails, I don't care what the other folks are saying!:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Seriously, those are some good looking cuts. I was going to post some of my "practice" dovetails but they pail in comparison to yours so I think I'll leave the pics on the camera for now and go back to practicing. ;)
 
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