I've worked as a tradesman all my adult life; carpenter, millwright, machinist. I have always enjoyed watching someone who has mastered his craft. I got a great deal of satisfaction watching David at work. No wasted motion, expert technique. Congrats. Very impressive.
That's the first time I've ever seen good quality tools that actually make a big difference in the build process. Pretty amazing how well they work when someone has good technique
Thank you for saying what many have discovered only after much frustration. The many videos out there by masters of dovetails do not provide the level of detail needed for someone trying to learn the craft. Your videos are truly helpful. The pace is just right, your descriptions are clear and the quality of the video is high. You cover what other masters skim over and this is exactly what I needed to get over the initial hump in the learning curve.
David, this is by far the best explanation for cutting dovetails. Thank you for posting this video. For me it has taken out the mystic of cutting dovetails. All of my joints are coming out clean and tight, with no gaps. Thank you.
The hammer is a great little tool, it nestles in the palm of your hand and packs a great punch! It also doesn't roll off the bench. All the best, David.
Watching anyone who has Mastered his/her craft is a great pleasure. Thank you, David. I used your methods and tools to make gift boxes for my Sons. Godspeed! Steve
Hi, it takes a great deal of practice to learn to cut dead square and straight. I've had a lot of practice in the past but still hadn't properly mastered it, now I use the jig I probably never will! It is not just the accuracy but also the speed, very important if you want to make money. The chisels are by Barr Quarton, the saw is by Gyochochu, the fret saw is by Knew Concepts and all the other tools are made by me. All the best, David.
I bought that dovetail guide and my instructor was really not happy about that. He said it'll serve as a crutch more than anything. I'm just starting out so I thought it might help me make straighter cuts. And, it did help but the second I went back to freehand I was all over the place so I guess he has a point. I love these videos for the relaxed elegance. Bravo David Barron!
I'm a total novice at woodworking, but after watching Davids videos, I went to his web sight and ordered the saw and guide. And they perform exactly as he shows in his videos. You DO have to have good layout technique which I don't have, but the saw and guide cut perfectly straight wherever you place them.
Silent- Hill You've summed that up perfectly! The guide will give you perfectly square, straight cuts at the same angle every time, but you still need to mark properly and learn where to place the saw for cutting the pins. Once you've grasped this, you'll be away! All the best, David.
I just got a 1:7 dovetail guide through Highland Woodworking, and have been using it with a Western style saw, works great! The guide ensures that my cuts are dead square & plumb every time. And if the guide is placed properly when cutting the pins, the joint fits perfectly. Wonderful tool ... thanks David.
I have fallen out of woodworking for a while due to a lack of a shop and have decided to learn proper hand tool technique instead of relying on bulky power tools. Your video was very helpful in this endeavor thank you
I have watched many videos of this now, many other "Masters" and "Experts" at work, this man used less effort and provided better results, that comes from real skill. Well done and thanks for sharing.
Thank you David, for a kindly response! I'm not sure I will change careers as such, it's more that my new house has the potential for somewhat of a workshop and I have always been reluctant to buy furniture over the years (a hidden dream of making my own!) After watching various vid's, I find your approach the easiest to follow by far and I am inspired! Our American brothers etc are also very skilled but tend to cram too much info in. Thanks again. Regards, KC
Hi David, Thank you, I hope you have a good holiday and enjoy using the guide when you return. The video is always there as a reminder of the process. The hardest part is learning where to cut in relation to the knife line, but a bit of practice will soon get you there. All the best, David.
I'm pleased the video has been helpful, there is a place for both hand and machine tools in woodworking, it's hard to do it well with just one or the other. All the best, David.
"So we're gonna have one at one end, one at the other, and we're gonna have one somewhere in the middle. And that's the marking done." Delightfully casual presentation and technique, and fantastic result. On my way to your website to pick up your guides. Thank you for sharing your skills with all of us!
I guess Practice makes it easy (lots of practice), any way great video. There are two expressions that go together: "Nothing is easy like it looks and it always takes longer than you think". I learned these lessons well. Cheers.
Hi David Bought one of your dovetail guides yesterday at the show. I was impressed with your happy and help full attitude, along with your presentation. I have always been intimidated by the thought of doing dovetails by hand, but am now looking forward to having a go.If you remember I relieved you of your demonstration piece, it is now sitting in my workshop as a reminder of how it should be done.Of on holidat for a week tomorrow but will be having a go when I get back. David .
Hi, keep at it your dovetails will improve. The undercutting of the end grain helps avoid gaps and doesn't reduce the joints strength as the end grain has no glue strength. All the best, David.
As a very novice DIYer/carpenter thanks for the video, me and my fiance have just bought a new home and after scouring the internet for a decent desk for me to work at I'm now planning on building my own using dovetails for the drawers. You've also given me some ideas on what tools to buy (such as the fine saw) Subscribed =)
"And there we go, easy" If I could reach you I would hurt you LOL! I knew subscribing to your channel would be worthwhile. Liking that dovetail guide a lot. Nice one! Love those Japanese saws too. A cabinet maker mate of mine here in France converted me onto the small Dozuki saw. I couldn't believe I'd been a carpenter joiner for 30+ years and not known about these beauties! I have nothing but praise for them.
Thank you for sharing, I'm trying to make a carry case for my 1/14th scale RC Trucks today, very informative,and will do the best I can with the tools at my disposal. Beautiful joinery there, I don't live to far from you, near Andover.
Hi David. Just like to say how Helpfull the techniques shown in this video are. I am returning to cabinet making after a spell of working as a joiner. I studied as a cabinet maker but am quite rusty on the hand skill side of things and the first few sets of tails I tried left a lot to be desired!! I think the technique of cutting the shoulders the way you do is brilliant, when I first saw you do it I was a bit sceptical, but with a little practice it's so fast and accurate. Many thanks:)
That's great I'm glad you have found the video helpful. The shoulder method is a great time saver and the skill of 'seeing' 90 degrees also transfers to other chisel work. All the best, David.
In answer to the recent questions, I used to weight train when I was younger and I guess the physical side to woodworking helps keep some of that strength. All the best, David.
Hi Alan, The saw I'm using is the Gyokucho 372 and the chisels are made by Barr Quarton, very nice but expensive. Ashley Iles make very nice dovetail chisels for a lot less, go for the mark 2. All the best, David.
Extremely well done... Whenever I see this kind of craftmanship, I feel the urgent need to go into my woodshop. But wait, I don't have one. Whatever, when I'll have it, hand dovetailing would be my first project. Just kidding, but this video and information in it was very well done.
Ok, so maybe I've done a few before! The guide really helps make dovetails quicker and more accurate but of course with a bit of practice. All the best, David.
hello. love the videos. I do furniture making for 3 years now at college. within them 3 years my dovetails do not look as good as i would like them to be but now that i seen you use a guide i cut a practice one and it looks alot better just looking at how i can make the magnet 1:7 guide. keep the videos coming. thanks
Hi, The hammer I'm using is one I made made myself. The head is 32mm (1/ 1.4" diameter) which I think is the Glen Drake no 3. It's just the right size and weight for dovetailing. All the best, David.
Just received your package. I am practicing now 20 min. and I can say: "It really works"! :))) Thank you for sending the Items so fast. Best wishes Mike.
Hardwoods are best. If you have one which is hard (hard maple, it holds it's shape crisply) and the other which is softer (walnut which gives a little), this is an ideal combination. They also give a nice contrast to the finished joint. All the best, David.
Thank you so much for this video. I just had my first attempt at hand cut dovetails and it was a disaster. I built a dovetail template, but the magnet is sheer genius and I'm sure I'll do better once I add that. I was also using a cheap saw from Ace hardware. The dozuki looks like it will help me. As I looked at the horrendous gaps at the bottom of my dovetails, I wondered if there might not be a better result with some undercutting, if that was some sort of trade secret, looks like it is.
Very nice video, extremely satisfying to watch how seamless the pieces of wood snug into place, I wish I could do that, but unfortunately I have two left hands :D
Hi Aled, Thanks! The saw I use is made by Gyochocho and it has a universal blade which is a combination of both cross and rip cut teeth. It has the speed of a rip with the fineness of the cross teeth, a suberb saw. I sell them on my website or you can get them from Dictum in Germany. All the best, David.
@niceguypants Hi, Thanks for your comments, there will be more vids in due course. The saw you mention is made by Knew Concepts in USA and it works very well. I stock both sizes for sale at shows, Yandles is next up in April if you can make it. Otherwise Workshop Heaven also stock them and they are the best bet for mail order. Hope this helps, all the best, David.
could you possibly make a video showing how to pursue making fine furniture or wood crafts for a living? Do you sell to wholesalers? Do you sell ready made or custom to order and if its to order how to make a customer base? I love your videos man you are great. I've been making cabinets and boxes and chairs etc and i've sold many to people that visit or friends of family etc. They all say they love the quality. I am a computer programmer that would love to have a career making tangible items that can be passed down etc, but i don't see how one goes about the leap and maybe your story with no specifics of course could help fellow woodworkers with a dream achieve that dream.
I'm not sure I could do a video on this. Rather than view it as a leap, try to ease into it, see where it takes you. I'm a member of strong local crafts guild who hold 10 shows a year. I have work in a couple of local wood galleries, I make and sell tools, I teach, I write magazine articles and I exhibit in a couple of national furniture show each year. Out of all of these the tools have come through the strongest (for now) and I'm happy.
This is a great presentation thanks David, I have bought some of your guides and will be having a go with them today! I've seen Paul Sellers comment that: "It’s not the best way, using a coping saw or a fret saw, but it can speed up the operation if you are in a hurry or making a beehive. On finer joinery it’s not really accepted." ...but the results here seem immaculate to me so I'm not sure what the problem is with that really? This seems much quicker to me than chiselling out all of the waste bit by bit? I wondered what you thought about that.
Thank you for a respectful reply David. I usually chop my pin waste rather than use a coping saw because I am more accurate that way. You obviously can do it with a coping saw as a many a man can. I never could.
You have to understand where Paul Sellers is coming from. Like David said, he is a traditional woodworker. Now I have seen him use a coping saw without ever having to chop the waste and his dovetails fit perfect. He is still fast at it even when he chisels. To each his own, which I'm sure he'd agree, but in totality by hand is the accepted traditional method.
Thanks very much for your comments. To make the guide you need to profile a length of 60 mm square timber and then make cuts to your desired angle, making sure they are exactly the same angle on each side and dead square. Add 20 mm magnets and slick pads and your ready to go! You could always buy one ready made, they cost £29 and are now made in aluminium and available in 5 different angles. All the best, David.
The conventional way to remove the waste from the outside tail is to chisel in from 3 sides. However it is quicker and less fussy to just chisel it in one go at 90 degrees to the board. It is very easy to see 90 degrees by lining up the edge of the board and the back of the chisel by eye, try it!
Worked hard working two 8"x 8" scrap boards into 4- 2+1/2" x 8" strips and made a Practice set of Dovetails, by the 3rd pin board, straight from the saw to the joint, no paring needed, ....Progress : ) !
