How I Dovetail a Drawer (Hand Cut Dovetails)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2015
- In this video I share an in depth look at my typical technique for dovetailing a drawer. My drawers are joined with half-blind dovetails in the front and through dovetails in the back. My technique tends to vary depending on my mood and the size of the work pieces but this is my go to technique.
Website: mattcremona.com
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I know that this video is 3 years old but I just watched it for the first time. Once again your craftsmanship shines!
Thank you!
From Hand cut dove tails to building a massive Sawmill We are so very lucky you chose woodworking because you would have been successful at anything you would have tried Keep up the Good work
Thank you so much!
Another great video...slowly but certain your channel became one of my favorites!
Não Só Serradura Thank you!!
Great video with some awesome close ups! Thanks for going over this process Matt!
AdventuresInDIY Thanks Chris!
Exceptional video, Matthew. I love the close up shots in your video. I find myself coming back to your channel more and more. Thanks for putting this video together as it explains this process very well.
Fine Woodworking of South Carolina Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :)
I think this is one of the better tutorials on dove tails with a lot of GREAT tips that I'll use, thanks Matt…
best no non sens video on dovetails. Thank you so much for all your explanations
Great vid! Awesome close up shots on the chisel work! I caught myself trying to blow away the waste off the screen lmao.
Thanks for this video. I am just now trying to learn the through dovetail by using my bandsaw and chisels. Your chisel tutorial was very helpful because i find them hard to make accurate cuts with. I guess practice make perfect
I have to say, after having attempted my first finger joints by hand today (just chisels and a hack saw) never having tried dovetails of finger joints before by hand - I take my hat off to you for your incredible skill!!! Incredible workmanship fella!!! Yeah I've ordered a proper dovetail saw to keep practicing. I would love to see you make a vid of a finger joint with just a saw and chisel no coping saw, I can't find such a vid on youtube :/
ben celiz hey Ben! Thank you and congrats on taking the hand cut plunge. Removing the waste with the chisel is common but I find it slower. If you watch any dovetailing videos where they chop the waste out, the process for finger joints would be exactly the same.
Nice work Matt, as usual! Thanks for sharing your technique. I hope to try these some day.
Mike Kapotsy Thank you Mike! Let me know how it goes whenever you give it a try!
BEAUTIFUL workmanship . . . as usual and something we have grown to expect from you. What a wonderful talent you have been blessed with and thank you for sharing it with the rest of us. You are an inspiration for me to improve my woodworking techniques.
Michael Trent Thank you Mike! That means a lot to me!
Thanks Matt, so many helpful tips and techniques in here!
I had the weirdest Déjà vu, as if I have seen you do this before - well explained Matt!
Nick Ferry It's like you were here in person or something :)
Déjà vu all over again?
Nice work Matt, nice to see proper skills instead of kreg joinery as they call it in other video's.
The angled board on the bandsaw thing is brilliant. I am going to make one ASAP. Thanks again Matt.
I've watched this video like a dozen times ;-) Lots of golden nuggets.
Can't wait to start dovetailing!
:) Awesome!!!
Very nice work Matt. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and skills.
Ted Alexander Thank you Ted!
Great instructional video Matt and very well composed shots! Professional result!
Tamás Elkán Thank you so much, Tamás! I put a lot of effort into this one :)
Nice job Matt. Can't wait to see this finished piece.
Paul Meyette Thank you Paul!
Your videos keep getting better! Multiple camera angles, good close-ups, good lighting and good editing make for entertaining and informative videos.
***** Thank you so much!
A really great overview of dovetail joints, very nice.
The ShavingWood Workshop Thank you Tommy!
Nice job Matt. I'm going to use this technique on my next project, a puzzle box w/ a drawer. Should be fun.
Matt, you do wonderful work with great explanation. I really liked when you said, "if there's a little gap in them, don't worry about it". I'll have to give this a try some day.
Ron Briz Thank you Ron! Just saying it like it is :)
Very nice video Matthew. I ran across your videos this last week and really like your presentation. As mentioned by AdventuresInDYI, your camera closeups really adds to viewers understanding of what you are doing. Really great stuff. Looking forward to watching your other videos.
Thanks for sharing Matt!! I think I'll use some of the scraps I got in the mail to make a small box with dovetails. You make it look so easy ☺
Don't go taking your son's toys away :) Thanks Jonathan!
Awesome information as always. This is a great tutorial like video. Great tips thank you for sharing.
Thank you Thom!
You make it look easy, I will have to give it a try one of these days. Great video.
pcorlis Thank you! Let me know how it goes!
Awesome video! I’m just getting into dovetails and this helps
Great video and very informative. I think that I am going to try this on some scrap wood. Hopefully I can add dovetails into my bucket of skills.
I left this video with a lot of knowledge! Thanks to you!
Thank you!
Andrea Arzensek Thank you Andrea!
Thanks Matt, this is the best dovetail tutorial I've seen!
James Downes Awesome! Thank you so much!
You have good timing I was cutting dove tails in some white oak while watching. I do pretty much the same only I hadn't thought about making the draws longer and I only use the band saw on large dove tails, good idea thanks. The project is coming out nicely by the way.
Bob Egbert Thank you Bob! Great minds think alike ;)
You just made dove tails so simple thank you and as always nice close up shots.
crazethedave Thank you!
Hey Matt. Great tutorial on dovetail joints...I love the idea of cutting the grooves first to use as alignment for marking the pins and the bandsaw jig to cut tails...Really well explained and awesome close ups......Have a great week dude and thanks again for taking the time to influence the world with your skills..\m/
Rodney Howe Thanks Rodney!!!
Watched you and Nick a bit ago, clicked here to watch you. Wow, this is such a great skill you have. I have to learn all the terms, I only know stuff by the name 'thingy', but I am learning however slowly. :) Thanks for the teaching video, I especially liked the end when you said that there is no wrong way to do it, as long as the result is what you want.
I saw a TV program about antiques and the host explained that the place of manufacture can be determined or narrowed somewhat by the style in which the drawer dovetails are made. One area makes them like you do in this video and another area makes the pins & tails about the same size. And then there were variations inbetween.
Big Fat Tony's That's one of the things that I like about dovetails. You can really make them your own by varying the style and spacing.
Awesome! Very informative! Thanks for sharing!
Scrap wood City Thank you!
Excellent how-to video, Matt!
Steve Collins Thank you so much, Steve!
Finally you made this vid! good work
sam Thank you!
Yippy :) That was very cool Matt. I guess I always thought dovetails had to be measured out and it was complicated. I was just about ready to start to make some but forgot I did not have a vise like that, lol. Building something for my table know. Thanks again, I enjoyed this.
woodturningjohn haha! Happy Saturday!
When I furniture shop or just look around That's one of the key features I look for only because I know the joint is strong and its pretty to look at when the draw is open. Love dovetails and you did a great job on explaining it Matt. My next tool purchase will be a decent set of chisels and hand planes.
Bobby Rodrigues Thank you! It's hard to beat the look of dovetails on the side of a drawer. Hope you enjoy that chisels and planes when you get them :)
Thanks Matt
You make it look easy Matt. Great tutorial.
John Conklin Thank you, John!
Great video, awesome closeup work.
noytheya Thank you!
mathew you're amazing. I love your technique
shane b Thank you so much!
Awesome. Thanks for the investment of your time and sharing your techniques. What a gift!
Tom Harding Thank you Tom!!
Great video Matt! I actually watched how Frank Klausz cuts dovetails and its quit similar to your style with cutting the pins first! I definitely plan on trying to cut my first set of dove tails sometime this coming week.......whenever Im not working, lol!! Thanks for the walk through
NKWB Awesome! You'll have to show us how it goes :)
Excellent video Matt! Can't wait to start hand dovetailing. It seems like it would be much more rewarding than setting up a jig and cutting dovetails with a router.
Aaron P Thanks Aaron! I agree! seeing that joint come together by your own doing is very rewarding :)
Matt, you make it look easy.
Ed Waggoner Sr. Thank you! Doing anything a few hundred times will have that effect :)
Great "how-to" Thanks Matt!
John McNail Thanks John!
Very good video!
I think you understate some of the advantages of rabbet the inside of the tailboard. Specifically on the inside corners of a drawer, the line of the inside tailboard drops below the depth of the sockets on the pinboard. This creates a conjuncture of two straight lines that hide any variation along the inside of the pinboard.
I wanna try ! Going to practise now !
Tom Howbridge :)
Nice work. Maybe someday I'll get there!
Slight gaps....Hahaha! Those gaps were amongs the smallest I've ever seen... Those were practically airtight.... Super nice job man. Unreal.
Haha! Thanks so much Patrick!
That is exactly what I was thinking. I remember being in shop class and if I had gaps that small, I would've gotten an A+ on my project!
Hi Matt, Love your videos on fine woodworking as well as your "adventures" wrestling with logs the size of the State of Iowa! Since your video on cutting dovetails was particularly useful to me, I wondered whether you could consider taking us all with you to the next level: cutting dovetails on curved drawer fronts? (Mostly I find videos on ways to "cheat"..ie: cutting the dovetails on straight stock and then bandsawing the curve out, etc...but not much on cutting dovetails on stock with a smooth curve that meets the drawer front)..Thanks!
Hey Matt - great video as always and very informative! In your video, you mentioned you're simply eyeballing with your 1/8 dovetail jig; Is there any reason you choose that over a measured/repeatable dovetail, or is that simply what you find works best? Thanks in advance and thanks again for the excellent video!
Well done! Keep up the good work! I see you are freaking out dema with them sime techniques? !😲
whitewolf8758 thanks! haha! He seems a little afraid
Matt - great video, as always! When cutting pins first, any tips on how to track the outside/inside of the drawer back and which direction to angle the saw?
Kris W. Thank you! When I use that layout tool the lines I draw are on the outside face of the drawer back. I just keep that in mind when laying them out.
thank you Matt . as i am ham handed i was wondering how many of those little pins do you break . lord knows if i tried pins that small i would kill about half of em . again thank you i enjoy your stuff
Great video, i will try :) thanks for sharing
Sebastian ocaño Thank you Sebastian!
Matt I have seen a few that say you should mark the cuts by eye only and not worry about being symmetrical. This is so that the dove tails don't look machine made. EI Router and jig. I kind of like that idea what is your thought on this?
Thanks for sharing!!!
Structurally is there a rule of thumb when doing dovetails? Great stuff, thanks
Woot! Getting close to trying this, I think. Right after I fix that Japanese chamfer plane.
Ian Michael Ferguson Awesome! You'll have to let me know how both of those go :)
Matt, I really got a lot out of watching the whole process start to finish. Great tip putting the drawer in the case while the glue dries in case in needs to be skewed a bit. That would have saved me a few headaches on the first lift bed build.
Paul Desmond Thanks Paul! Next time you'll know :)
Thanks Matt
well presented nice one
theds2003 Thank you!
I wish that I had knew about the forstner bit trick when I mad the half blind dovetails for my wife desk. My first try at handmade dovetails was in red oak.
Built by Bill Drilling out the waste really speeds things up. Next time, right? :)
good stuff!
Glebokie Wykopy Thank you!
love the vice / plane tip
o bez Thanks!
Excellent tutorial. I was looking forward to this video and I wasn't disappointed. How long would it take you to do one drawer (when you don't have to explain and video every step)?
Robert Echten Thank you Robert. Something this size would take me around an hour and fifteen minutes. This drawer with the filming took 6 hours.
Can you post a picture of how you have the blade on your cutting gauge shaped. (the first gauge you use). I have one, but the blade is very ‘pointy’ and I think it shouldn’t be.
Great video. Someday I might even try a dovetail :-)
Joe White Thanks! Let me now how it goes if you ever give it a try :)
good job
Hey Matt
Loved the video as always. What brand marking gauges do you use?
Wayne Brown Thanks Wayne! The cutting gauge is a crown brand from woodcraft and wheel style is just a cheap one from either woodcraft or rockler
What is the board thickness that you made the drawers with? Very nice video! Thanks!!!
I believe these were 3/8". thanks!
Great job Mat. Just a question... is it necessary for dove tales to use hard wood? I only tried it once with pallet wood and during the test fit every corner was braking off and i wasn't even forcing it. Thanks!
+Gregory Yiokkas
Attempting to dovetail soft wood is an exercise in extreme patience. Especially if the stock is thin. Pallet wood is probably not suitable, unless it's hardwood.
I can complete a handwork only dovetailed box in about two hours (not counting milling). Recently tried some small boxes, in 3/8" pine. I was working on them for two days. The one that I actually finished looked not so good.
But, it taught me a number of things.
Hi Matt, nice job on the video. I noticed your coping saw looks like it makes easy work of that wood. What kind of saw and blades do you use? It puts mine to shame but it's just a cheapy anyway
steve98ex The saw itself just a standard home center coping saw. I think it's a Stanley Fatmax and I'm just using the blade that came with it. I've had the same blade on there for 4 years. Thank you!
I've not heard of making the back of the drawer a little narrow to make the drawer sides slightly angled. Nice tip. Nice job on the dove tails. What marking gauges do you use. I'm looking into getting some and there are SO many out there. Hard to know what's what anymore with regards to quality.
The 2 Car Garage Shop Thank you! The cutting gauge is a small one by crown. I got it at Woodcraft. The other wheel style one is just a cheap one I picked up at Rockler, I think. I have a video about my marking tools: th-cam.com/video/eDqgH7Zcmqs/w-d-xo.html I talk about the gauges at 3:10
This is fantastic. Thanks for sharing Matt! What's your sharpening routine?
Geoff's Garage Workshop Thanks Geoff! Have you seen my sharpening video? th-cam.com/video/sHr-qiQNuzo/w-d-xo.html
I'll check it out. edit: Apparently I forgot that I had already watched and even commented!
It looks so easy. If the back draw is smaller that the front drawer, how do you check the "squareness" of your draw when you glue all together? If the front angles are lower than 90 it's OK but if one front angle is greater than 90, your drawer won't fit.
Thanks for the sharing.
***** When I glue it up, I don't check it for square. I apply the glue, put the drawer into the opening and adjust it so it's perfectly fit for the case. The case itself might not be square so this allow me to match the squareness of the drawer to the squareness of the case. Thanks!
Matt I have been looking for some good paring chisels.. Do you find that the round back chisels fit the bill for most all paring jobs ?
Ross Hastings Yes I love them. Any operation where you don't need to use a mallet, they are the best. (In my opinion)
Hey matt! Great video. I have a dumb question. So the bottom of the drawer at the back end doesn't slide in a groove? Is there a reason for this? Are most dovetailed drawers made this way? Thanks!
Jeff Criss Hey Jeff, The drawer bottom slides under the back. I think the main reason for doing it like this is so the bottom can be replaced but the layout could be modified to have a captured bottom. Thanks for the question!
Matthew Cremona thanks for this video i really enjoyed it. re. the drawer bottom: do you worry at all about the wood expanding with the seasons and if so do you leave a bit of space in the grooves for it ? would you also take that into consideration when applying the glue or do you glue up around all for edges of the bottom ?
***** Hey Jorge! I orient the drawer bottom so it expands and contracts front to back. The drawer bottom is allowed to float out the back. There are two ways to attach the bottom. You can either apply glue just to the front or you can put a screw or nail through and elongated hole in the bottom into the back. In both cases, the movement is sent to the back of the drawer.
Makes sense thanks I'll be making a couple of these this weekend I've been studying your video closely :)
Hey Matt -great video. What happened to the fancy mallet you got given in December - please don't tell me you broke it ...........
Aussie631 haha! no, I still have it. It's just a little too large for this type of work
New Matt Cremona t shirt:
If you like my pins, you'll love my tails... LOL
Another great video displaying Matt's super excellent skills. Thanks for the video, Matt!
KSFWG haha!!! Oh yes! I love that! I need to start having tshirts made! Thanks as always!
Matthew Cremona I was thinking... (yeah, I know - my problem but I deal with it best as I can) your tea chest on the front of the shirt with: If you like my chest...
and on the back: a board with the tails cut and above that, You'll love my tails
Feel free to use it if you like. If you do, I hope you make a million dollars off of them. :)
KSFWG Thanks! I'll at least send you one :)
Nice tails. ..I mean pins...I mean....haha!
.great techniques man.. so once u get into the "zone" you use the hand saw? The bandsaw seems nice and easy, But nothing like hand cut dovetails..or pins. ..;)
Cant wait to see the grand finale on Th e secretary! !
As always, great vid & very informative as well
"Til the next episode"
Joe Walters Depends on my mood I guess. Sometimes I like to just use the handsaw more because I'm too lazy to walk over to the bandsaw lol Thanks Joe!
Ahh haaa!!!So the truth comes out!! Ur A LAZY BOY!
Hey tht would be a sweet project to make after the secretary is done..a recliner..
im still learning the dove tails my issue I have is the chiseling im always short which is ok from what ive seen and heard but the I always go too much when I touch it up.or one pin is longer/wider. Its one or the other. So when my tails are perfect the pins are jacked and vice versa ive been busy doing these refinishing jobs and a couple other th ings so I havent been doing my 30 minute a day dovetail workout..haha
Great video Matt I learned a lot from this one. You are a good teacher. Do you always use such a large hammer on your dovetails? There is a guy named Dema who has some "stubby" hammers and he might SELL you one. lol I always enjoy your videos.
God Bless my friend.
Nice Work Matt! I will have to try that. I usually make these with a dove tail jig. I have a Porter Cable half blind one and a Leigh DR4 that I have used for making large boxes. But it seems like the time spent to set up a jig on a small drawer like the one you made in this video you could have it done by hand. I tried my hand at compound dovetails where you are forced to do them by hand. They are very tricky but I wish I had seen this video first before I attempted those. It would have helped.
What tools both marking gages and marking aids did you use there?
1crazynordlander I have the big PC omijig that I haven't used in a few years. I just enjoy the process of cutting them by hands. I's rather be doing that than setting up a jig and running a router. I did a video on the marking tools here: th-cam.com/video/eDqgH7Zcmqs/w-d-xo.html Probably more info in that video than I could give you in a comment :)
Matthew Cremona Thanks Matt!
What is the black angle iron that you traced onto your work piece? and where do I find one? Great video!
www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=49424&cat=1,42936,50298,49424 Thanks!
Go look at Veritas . They offer some of the best tools. They will have different types of dovetail markers . They have a huge amount of woodworking tools.
Hahahha... I love that you think those count as gaps. Take a look at my dove tails and you'll see what a real gap look like. Great video!
TabLeft :) Mine have come a long way and I'm still chasing perfection lol Thanks!
thanks Matt
Alan Rodriguez Thanks Alan!
Hey Matt, I tried my first dovetails today - ha! :-/ Definitely need an actual dovetail saw - what kind do you use? I've been recommended the veritas 20 tpi dovetail saw. Thanks!
Slowvannah Farms ha! congrats on trying! I have a Bad Axe dovetail saw. They're really nice and custom made which is nice since I have small hands, they can make the handle fit my hand perfectly. They're not cheap though. The Veritas saw cuts just as well but I would go with a 14 tpi. 20 just cuts way too slowly.
Thanks! Yeah, I'm not ready to spend a pretty penny yet. So you don't have issues cutting under 1/2" thick with the 14 tpi?
None. The drawer side material in this video is 5/16" thick. I've cut hundreds of dovetails in 1/4" stock as well.
Perfect! Thanks so much.
Matthew Cremona And just sayin... I ordered from Klingspor's Woodworking Shop and used coupon code FREESHP35 (free shipping over $35). Just in case you "needed" a new toy. ;-)
Am experimenting with dovetails these days, for something I built and now just for the fun of it(never thought I'd be saying this.) Woodworking was just something to help restore this old farm and now, ....well I'm watching EVERY dovetail video on YOuTube, lol...rr(and I see you have one with Nick Ferry...here I go)
+Richard Rider lol have fun!
what kind of chisels are you using??
Adam Craig Hey Adam, check out this video: th-cam.com/video/aJjXLj1L94w/w-d-xo.html I go into detail about each type of chisel that I use and when I use each of them. Thanks!
I'm guessing you are going to be painting the drawer fronts PURPLE right? LOL! Great video, love the tip about making the back just a litter smaller so it fits easier and gets tighter as it goes in.
I'm thinking the drawer fronts would look nice in pink (salmon -- if you're Steve Ramsey...) LOL
Jorge Araujo I was thinking about a contrasting color. Probably a salmon or a teal :) Thanks Jorge!
Hi Matthew, are you self taught?the things you do remind me of tips from an old timer,old school stuff,you teach very well great insructions cheers malc
Thanks Malcolm! Yes, I'm self taught.
+Matthew Cremona amazing job on those dovetails
+malcolm oxley thanks!
Hey Matt, as you know I've been doing my daily dovetails, practicing and trying to get great at it. I'm at the stage where I'm building dovetail boxes now.
The next box I going to build will have grooves on the sides, front and back to slide a panel in.
I'm having a hard time figuring out how to hide the grooves and keep them from showing on the outside. It's easy to hide them on half blinds but this one is going to be through dovetails so it's going to show.
Do you have a video on how to hide it, or any tips on how?
Thanks in advance!
On those you would need to do a stopped groove on two of the pieces. The other option is to fill the gap with a filler piece but I find that looks way too obvious.
+Matthew Cremona kinda figured that. Just thought I'd ask first before trying it and messing my wood up. Guess I'm gonna have to make a quick jig on the router ;-)
Thanks man, you're the bomb!
No problem! I usually stop short and finish them up by hand. The little bit of material can be fragile.
Good job Matt, nothing more satisfying than hand cut....combined with the smell of Cherry....mmmm..mmmm..mmmmm.
effeinc Thanks Mike! mmmm now I want cherry pie...
+effeinc I USE A LOT of cherry and for me it only smells when I bind it in the table saw. Smells like burnt cherry pie then.
Nice work and a lot of it. Those are gaps(13:00)?????
How come you didn't let Nick Ferry do a couple of those drawers for ya?? He had a great teacher.
JimE
blackemmons haha! Thanks! I should have had Nick do the other drawers while he was here. That would have helped a lot!