Woodworking Techniques for Dovetail Joinery

Woodworking Techniques for Dovetail Joinery

“Thank you so much for taking part in this course and I hope you've enjoyed it. It's now time to work on your project. This could mean finishing the box you started by completing the course tasks or making a brand-new project! Either way, I strongly suggest you take the time to gather inspiration and make a unique project of your own. Make sure to keep track of your progress with different pictures of each step. It'd be great if you could also explain the choices you've made along the way and tell us if you have any doubts. This will help me guide you better if you need advice. Here are some final tips to guide you on your journey: Preparing the Parts Saw the box parts to the required length. Leave the lid slightly too long at this stage. Use a shooting board to plane the ends square. Add the face marks and place the coloured dots in their respective corners.

The Dovetails Mark out and cut the tails. Transfer the shape of the tails to the pinboard. Cut out the pins. Test the fit and adjust if necessary. Cut out the groove for the box base. Surface Preparation Sand the inside of the box. Apply a coat of acrylic sanding sealer and allow it to dry. Denib the sealed surface with 0000 wire wool and paste wax. Buff to a smooth sheen when dry. The Assembly Glue the box sides and insert the base. Clamp the sides together to make sure the joints close. Measure the diagonals to ensure the box is square. Leave to one side to dry. The Lid Plane the taper on the lid. Cut the lid of the box so that it is a tight fit inside the box. Mark the hinge pin positions. Wedge the lid in place and drill out the hinge pin holes. Scribe the lid to the opening so that it opens smoothly. Round over the back edge. Cut out the thumb tab and smooth the curves. Draw around the tab and cut out the recess. Make sure the lid still opens and closes. The Finishing Touches Plane the outside of the box. Plane or sand off all the sharp corners. Sand the remaining surfaces. Apply a coat of sanding sealer to the sanded surfaces. Denib the surface with abrasive paper. Apply the two tops coats, denibbing between coats. Rub out the final coat with 0000 wire wool and paste wax. Buff to an even sheen. Cut the brass rods to length. File and polish the exposed ends. Lastly, push the rods home until the ends are flush with the sides. And that's all! Scan and photograph your work ready to share online! I can't wait to see what you've come up with. You can share your work with us so by clicking on 'Create your project'. Remember to share both the final result and the steps that have led you to it. It would be great if you showed a picture of each step and added a brief explanation about what you have done in each one. I will be more than happy to answer any of the questions you might have along the way! I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, participate in the forum, comment on others' work, and interact with the community. See you there! ”

Partial transcription of the video

“ Final Project I'd like to thank you and congratulate you for taking my Domestika course. You've seen and learned woodworking techniques where you can create the most iconic of joints, the dovetail, gaining an understanding of how to build something useful from raw materials. Let's take this opportunity to remind ourselves of the key steps. Make sure you use my drawings to help you. Start by cutting your boards to length and squaring the ends to make sure all the edges are 90 degrees to each other. Mark out and cut your tails. Transfer the tails to the pins, cut out your pins, and adjust a...”

This transcript is automatically generated, so it may contain mistakes.

Course summary for: Woodworking Techniques for Dovetail Joinery

• Level: Beginner
• 100% positive reviews (31)
• 2854 students
• 4 units
• 18 lessons (3h 46m)
• 4 downloads

• Category

  Craft

• Areas

  Arts & Crafts, DIY, Furniture Design & Making, Interior Design, Woodworking