The Versatile Dovetail: Part 2 of 2

Hello hello!

See the previous post, which introduces this one.

The dovetail, as mentioned in the previous post, is one of the strongest and most versatile joints in woodworking. The have been consistently proving their strength for years. The earliest dovetails have been seen in tombs in ancient Egypt and ancient China right around 3,000 B.C. Considering these are still somewhat intact after 5,000 years is enough of a selling point to prove their strength.

In this post I will show sketches of different variations on the standard dovetail joint, and an example or two where it would be appropriate to use the joint. I will not go into construction detail of these joints, simply because each one would be a series of posts in itself. Many of these joints I have made, and some I have only researched and seen used. As always, let me know if there is any points of confusion or if any clarification is needed. Enjoy!

Through Dovetails

Through-Dovetails.  Perfect for carcass construction when visible end-grain is not an issue.  Often seen on the back of drawers.  This is the most common version of the dovetail.  I am sure I have made this joint a few hundred times.

Half-Blind Dovetails

Half-Blind dovetails.  Also essentially a series of lapped dovetails.  This also is one of the most common dovetails seen. Its usual use is on drawer fronts so that the dovetails are not visible from the front of the drawer.  Another common use would be connecting the base or top of a case to the sides, so that the dovetails are not visible on the sides of the case.

Reverse Half-Blind Dovetails

These are reverse half-blind dovetails.  They would be used to connect the top of a wall-hanging carcass to its side.  They are invisible from the side, and instead of gravity creating a tension stress on the joint, it is reverse to convert the tension stress to a compression stress.

Full-Blind Dovetails

Most commonly seen connecting drawer sides to the drawer front.  It is not very common, and I have only seen it made once.  It is unsightly because of the strip on end grain.  While standard half-blind dovetails expose more end grain, it is in a visually pleasing pattern.

Mitered Dovetails

This is mostly a decorative detail more than anything, with the top having the mitered look.  However, one particular use that I know of is for a dovetailed base frame on a case piece.  There needs to be that miter so when the molding is cut, it has a mitered look.  A friend of mine recently made a dresser with that style of frame at the bottom, and it turned out really well.  It is a little harder to cut, but not significantly.  I have used these on small boxes so it had a more crisp-looking top rim.

Blind-Mitered Dovetails

This is probably one of the more complex and uncommon variation of the dovetail.  Originally I never saw a reason for it. However, recently I started making a hall table with a decorative top, with drops on each side, to mimic the appearance of a runner cloth.  The only way to do this, in my opinion, was to make use of this joint.  I needed a miter, however even if I were to utilize a blind spline, the only thing the joint would have to counter the gravity is glue.  This joint allows it to be much to sturdy against the downward force of gravity.  It was rather challenging to cut.

Slotted Dovetails

Just as it looks like, a single dovetail slides into a dovetail slot.  Mostly used on drawer dividers to connect them to the carcass sides.  This is preferred over a dado joint because it cannot pull apart if the case moves at all.

Blind-Slotted Dovetails

This joint can also be used like a stopped dado.  The only place I have used this so far is in the center stretcher on a chair, to help keep each side of the seat frame pulled together.  As with the slotted dovetail, it is better than a dado because it cannot pull apart.

Lapped Dovetail

This is just as it appears.  Essentially it is a single half-blind dovetail.  In this instance it would be used to connect the top divider on a table with a drawer to the leg.  Just as the slotted dovetails, it is ideal between the legs because it cannot pull apart if the legs move at all, whereas a standard lap joint could  This is where I have used it.  You could use this to replace a  standard half-lap joint in most instances as well.  

Dovetail Scarf Joint

This is quite an interesting joint.  It is basically a double lapped dovetail.  It would be for connecting stock lengthwise, where an end grain glue joint would fail, this would avoid that problem.  I have seen only a sample of this, however I am intrigued and do intend to make a sample for myself.  I generally try to avoid scarf joints in all instances if it is at all possible.  

There are a few other 'semi' dovetails out there, as seen in the photo sequence to the left.  These are technically mortise and tenon joints, however the wedges convert the tenon shape into a dovetail shape.  There are several variations on this joint as well, such as a hidden version.  This could be part of a similar series on mortise and tenon variations.  Maybe eventually I will do that series!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the post.  I know there was not much description, but much of understanding the joint is simply visual learning. I hope to do another post at some point talking about the different stresses joints face and why certain joints are used to deal with these stresses.  When I read about it I was fascinated and would love to pass the information on.

Lastly, pardon my inconsistency in posting, I have been very busy!  I had the majority of this post completed but then I left for a class in Maine for a couple weeks, and that set me back, since I had no computer access.  Full-time school just started as well, and I am in my last semester.  I am giving that my number one priority, but I am sure I will be able to post as well, I just don't know how frequently.

And as always, feel free to ask me any questions!

Until next time!

The Versatile Dovetail: Part 1 of 2

Through-dovetails used on a box

When someone, woodworkers and non-woodworkers alike, hear the term 'dovetail' they usually do not imagine a dove's tail.  The picture something similar to the photo on the right.  Dovetails are generally either what can be called 'half-blind', or 'through'.  In the furniture my classmates, myself, and other artisans create, you can see this joint used very routinely.  Drawers, especially, are a dovetail gold mine.  The through-dovetails on the back of the drawer are the best possible joint to maintain square and strength.  While many like the visual pattern that these interlocking pins and tails create, in some areas it isn't always appropriate.  Generally speaking, through-dovetails on a drawer-front isn't visually appealing,  which dark squares of end grain breaking up the graceful flow of face grain.  Not to mentions that from a cabinetmaker's perspective, it requires more work to run a groove for the drawer bottom that is stopped before the end of the board, as to not be visible from the front of the drawer.  This is a prime example as to where half-blind dovetails would be perfect.  They are the perfect compromise of aesthetics and strength.  Viewing the front of the drawer, one does not see dovetails at all, therefore not breaking up the flow of grain, nor interrupting any other flow in the piece or furniture.  The half-blind dovetails, however, still give the visually interesting pattern as through-dovetails, when the drawer is open.  As stated, these are the two most common, and generally most practical, dovetails seen in fine furniture.  Yet, like everything in woodworking and in life, there is always an exception or two.  This is exactly what I want to focus on in Part 2.  I want to show you as many dovetail variations I have used or seen used in a practical manner, through photos and descriptions.  I look forward to sharing this with you and hope you will enjoy it!  I am shooting to have it done by Friday, but should be done sooner than that.

Cheers,
-Mike Ogden

The Mangle Board

Upon the recent near-completion (currently I am putting on the last coats of finish) of the mangle board, I have decided to write a post regarding the process.

Firstly, as mentioned in a previous post, the original use for a mangle board was for pressing water out of recently washed clothes to prevent wrinkles. Basically an old-school ironing board. Over the years it turned into more of an embellished wall panel, a decorative piece more than a functional piece. The Dutch chip carved mangle boards are the more known, however, the Norwegian also had carved mangle boards, in the traditional scrolled acanthus style of carving favored by the Norwegians. My mangle board is mostly chip carved, and is my own original design.

The design process was challenging, yet fun and rewarding. There was a lot of ideas that didn't work with each other, and a lot of sketching and sketching again. Two books were read cover to cover multiple time in researching mangle boards and chip carving. The design is based on my religious views on the reason for life. Using symbolic geometry, I symbolized my beliefs on before, during, and after our earthly life. The geometric symbols I used are not used in my religion, rather they are symbols I felt best expressed a certain aspect or belief through their geometrical characteristics. Some of the geometry is duplications of patterns I had previously seen, or things that I liked when I was doing research for the project. Some are original to me. Most importantly, and probably the most interesting, no other mangle board in the world has ever looked like mine. It is completely unique, which is one of the reasons I enjoy carving so much. Everything is unique.

Part of my mangle board

Doing the actual carving of the mangle board was very rhythmic I would lay out 6 inches or so and draw the design onto the wood. I would make all the stab cuts in the section, then all the relief cuts. Then I would repeat with laying out the next section. I was surprised how quickly it can be carved when a pace is settled into, it becomes rather systematic, similar to the systematic and rhythmic feel of cutting dovetails. Everything is a little different, but the technique is the same for it all. It took about eight full days to carve.

I wanted a darker look on the project when it was completed, and since I carved in basswood, it was very white. I picked up an oil based brown mahogany stain and a urethane topcoat. First I did an initial wash-coat with an extremely thinned cut of shellac. This helps to apply the stain more evenly, and control it a little better. The staining went well, and the next day I applied the first coat of urethane over the stain. In a few places, it lifted the stain slightly. I am not sure why that happened. That is something I am going to talk to some of my more experienced classmates about and see how it can be prevented in the future. Nevertheless, it is nothing significant and hardly shows, I am not going to get too worked up about it. If it were for a client or a gallery, I would definitely address the issue, as I try to achieve the closest I can to perfection. However, it being the first piece that is going in my bedroom, I won't fuss it too much.

All in all, I enjoyed the mangle board project. I got to try a lot of new things. I had never worked with basswood, I had never chip carved to that extent, and I had never used gel stain and gel urethane for finishing. I am waiting several projects to be photographed, and when they are they will be up on here and on my other site. I am still working on that photos page. It is quite the challenge for me.

Stay tuned for the next post!

-Mike

The Bare Bones of Woodcarving, with David Calvo

Firstly, Happy 4th of July to all!  The Fourth is a great time for me to remember the privileges and blessings I have by being in the United States of America.  Being in this country allows me to pursue the path I want to in life, to freely write this blog, to express my opinions and to live in peace.  While the country is not perfect, it is a great country to live in, and I am proud to be an American.  Living in Boston creates a constant reminder of the work and sacrifice that went into the American Revolution, back in the 1770s.  Each day, I walk past in infamous house of Paul Revere.  I go to school next to the Old North Church.  I routinely see the site of the Boston Tea Party.  I have climbed Bunker Hill many times.  I always am passing by the former house of Samuel Adams.  I see the Old Statehouse on a daily basis, where the Declaration of Independence was read for the very first time, on this date, 236 years ago.  I have these constant reminders around me, for which I am thankful.  At this time, it is also important to remember the men and women who have selflessly fought for this great nation.  Some sacrificing their time in offices, helping with logistics.  Some in war, and protection of this country.  Over 2,500,000 US Soldiers have been killed or wounded in battle since 1775.  Thank you.

Now to continue with the woodworking!  Recently I attended a week-long course in woodcarving, taught by accomplished woodcarver David Calvo, who I have previously mentioned.  Calvo was primarily trained the renown European carver, Frederick Brunner.  Calvo has now been carving for about thirty years, and has the skill-set to show for it.

Grain Wheel

The beginning of the course consisted mainly of understanding wood and how it works.  Learning about grain direction, and the different approaches needed to accomplish a successful cut.  We carved a 'grain wheel', because it covers all the principle directions we will need to carve.  Briefly, grain basically dictates how to carve the wood.  At any point in a project, there is only one safe direction to take a cut without splitting and tearing the wood.  While I understood grain through my training at NBSS, it never hurts to get a refresher and study it more in-depth.  

Clay Model

After playing in wood, we played with clay.  Many carvers use clay to sculpt a model prior to carving it, because of the forgiving and adjustable characteristics of clay.  This helps to decide and determine how certain elements in the piece need to be shaped, what needs to be raised, lowered, thickened, etc.  We modeled our project to be, the fleur-de-lis.  Having previously taken a pottery class in high school, I enjoyed getting my hands dirty again.  I am by no means good with the clay, but I enjoy it nonetheless.  Calvo described clay modeling as adding material to create something, while carving is removing material to create something.  

As the course continued, we got into the fleur-de-lis, and learned a method of transferring a paper pattern onto the workpiece.  Before we could really start carving though, we needed to learn probably the most important aspect of successful carving:  Sharpening.  Calvo's method of sharpening was completely different than anything I have ever tried or seen.  The stones he uses, his body position, how he tunes his tools, everything was different than what I did.  My initial attempts were rather awkward, but I did eventually settle into it and must say that it is my favorite way to sharpen carving tools.  It is very versatile, yet consistent.  In doing sharpening, we learned some basics about how different brands forge their tools differently, and which use the hardest steel.  When sharpening, it is incredible how much you can feel the hardness of the steel.  The extent to which we sharpened was also amazing.  The chisels would slice through wood like butter.  I don't even want to imagine what it can do to me!

During the fleur-de-lis we got more focused on proper body position and stance, to maximize the use of natural force, instead of muscling the chisel through the wood, and how to accomplish consistent and clean shavings.  From that point on, it was practice.  Practice, practice, practice.

Carving, and any art, is different that anything academic.  In academics, you can be told a fact, such as a historical event, and then you know it.  You posses that knowledge.  You can pass that onto other people.  With carving, you can also be told a fact, such as grain direction.  You know it, you can pass it on.  Yet, you still can't carve.  You can never be good at an art without consistent practice.  Carving, woodworking, sculpting, drawing, painting, etc., are skills that take a lifetime to learn.  In this class, I learned my current strengths and weaknesses.  I am very bad at concave shapes and inside curves, but I am very good at grounding and setting in, I can do it fast and well.  

I signed up to continue with weekly courses on Tuesday nights.  Currently I am carving a second fleur-de-lis.  Next I will be getting into basic acanthus carving, for which I am super excited!  For anyone considering carving, I would HIGHLY recommend Calvo.  He is not only a talented carver, but a naturally talented teacher as well, with a rare gift of articulating and explaining an art and how to do it.  

Until next time,

-Mike Ogden

Quick Update

I haven't forgotten you folks! Just a quick update:

• I recently attended a week long carving class by David Calvo. I would highly recommend this to anyone in the northeast who is looking for professional carving instruction. I will be writing about this class in an upcoming post. 
• The mangle board has been completed, just awaiting finish. More information to come on this as well. 
• Drafting and design for the next potential projects is the current task at hand, and there will be more about that as it develops. 

Lots of good information to stay tuned for! I haven't been about to write this past week because between work and school I worked about 80 hours. This week is about the same. I will write as soon as possible though!

Cheers,
Mike

Stab Stab Pop

The mangle board is in progress. It took about three days to draft and do the final designing. Lots of lines. Chip carving is interesting because once you have drawn it out on paper, you have to completely redraw it on wood.  I have been working at it in sections, drawing only parts at a time. The problem I have with drawing it all on at once, with something this big, is that my hand resting on the work when I am carving starts rubbing off pencil lines. I am working in basswood, and playing around with different finishes on a piece of scrap now, while I carve it.  I have never worked in basswood before.  I like it, it cuts well overall, but since it is very light colored, like maple, it shows every error.  Darker woods such as walnut and mahogany tend to blend errors better.  The main reason I chose basswood is because I know it is a fairly common carving wood, and I have never used it before.  Another benefit is that it is relatively inexpensive.

Chip carving is based off of two principle cuts: Stab cuts and relief cuts. Chip Carving is also based on only one shape: the triangle. At any place on a chip carved piece, if you take a section view, all you will see is a triangle. The two main cuts in chip carving are the dreischnitt and sechsschnitt. Translated from German to English, these mean, 'three-cut' and 'six-cut', respectively. The name, of course, comes from the number of cuts each one should take. A six-cut is really just three three-cuts next to each other. Naturally a beginner is not going to do every single cut perfectly and may take more than the three of six cuts. Aside from these there are slicing cuts, with the same core concept: stab and relief cuts.

I believe chip carving is the basis for every type of carving. Every carving is just an array of stab cuts and relief cuts. The complex part of carvings is when you start adding more elevations and concave and convex shapes, etc., but they all still revolve around stab and relief cuts.

For more information on the process of chip carving, consider looking at How to Carve Wood by Richard Bütz. For more information regarding designing things to chip carve, consider the book Chip Carving and Relief Carving by Josef Mader.

Until next time,
-Mike

Summertime

First of all, I apologize about the slow-going of the blog. I am having difficulties with the code for putting in the photos page. Needless to say, I am working on it! This is why I am a woodworker, though.

The summer is an unusual time at NBSS. It is unfortunate that when the summer comes, it means formal instruction from some of the best woodworkers in America is on hold for three months. It means that the majority of my classmates, which have turned into very close friends, will be away for several months, and some forever, with graduation.  However the summer is a great time to focus on the things I consider myself less capable at, such as wood finishing. It gives me a chance to have concentrated study on a specific skill, such as carving. It gives me a lot more available space at school. There are many pros and cons to the summer.

I had the privilege to attend graduation for the students in the year ahead of me. It was great to see some good friends be recognized for the commendable perseverance. As I described in an earlier post, it is always interesting to see students undergo a transformation with a craft.

As for the summer, I am planning on a number of different things. Currently in the sketching stages are a mangle board and a contemporary bench. The second week in June is dedicated to carving. I will be taking a workshop with David Calvo, a local professional woodcarver. Depending on my experience there, I will sign up for an additional ten weeks, meeting weekly on Tuesday nights. I have heard many great things about Calvo, and hope to experience the same. One of my instructors, Dan Faia, recently took classes with Calvo and was favorably impressed.

In August/September I will be taking a two week intensive on wood finishing at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, ME. I won a scholarship through the school that will cover the entire tuition for the intensive, which is being taught by Teri Masaschi, a successful finisher. I am really looking forward to this as well. I will be camping on the school's property for two weeks and have access to a shop 24/7. That is basically my dream right there, being able to combine my two favorite things: The outdoors and woodworking. Before going to NBSS, I was an avid backpacker and hiker, all over NH and parts of Alaska. Being in the heart of Boston and between work and school, being busy about 70 hours a week, it is rather challenging to be able to get any time to enjoy nature.

Stay tuned for photos coming soon!

-Mike