The is no doubt that the dovetail is the joint in furniture making. It's strong and beautiful. It's great for casework and drawers. At first, it is a tricky joint to cut well, but with practice you'll master it. I've been cutting dovetails for about 20 years now, and have learned many methods for making the joints. In this course, I'll show my three favorite ones for through dovetails, and then show you two ways to make a half-blind dovetail joint. The course consists of four live lessons that are available to watch on demand afterward. Here's what each lesson will cover.

Lesson 1: Handcut dovetails I'll demonstrate every step of the process from laying out the tails and cutting them to transferring them to the pin board, cutting and fitting the pins. we'll move slowly, and I'll share with you all of the little things I've picked up that help me cut tight, beautiful dovetails with hand tools. Speaking of the tools, scroll down to see a complete list of what you'll need.

Lesson 2: Tablesaw dovetails The quiet work of the first lesson gives way to the roar of machinery, but don't think that this makes the job somehow easier or automatic. It takes just as much skill to cut dovetails (both tails and pins) with a tablesaw as it does with hand tools. It's just a different set of skills. You do not need specially ground blade to make dovetails this way, but it does make things easier. I'll walk you through the layout process, show you how to set up the saw for the tails, talk about transferring them to the pin board, and demonstrate how to cut the pins. There should be little to no fitting needed. I'll also explain the sleds that I am using.

Lesson 3: The bandsaw and router method I used this technique for years and years. It's great because it doesn't require any specialized tools. The tails are cut with the bandsaw using a simple wedge to create the tail slope. After transferring the tails to the pin board, there is a bit of handwork to get rid of the waste, but a router comes in and cleans up everything, creating a square shoulder in the process. We'll go through the entire process in detail.

Lesson 4: Half-blind dovetails This is the quintessential joint for drawer fronts. We'll skip cutting the tails and dive right into transferring them to the pin board and then cutting the pins. I'll show you two ways to cut the pins: one with hand tools, and another with a router.

Tools you'll need

• marking gauge, bevel gauge, 6" and 12" rules, small square, sharp pencil
• backsaw, coping saw
• chisels: 1/8", 1/4", 3/4" or 1"
• tablesaw, 40-tooth combo blade, a blade with a flat top grind like a 24-tooth rip blade
• bandsaw
• small router and a 1/2" diameter pattern bit with 1/2" cut depth
• there are some jigs and sleds that you'll need, but I'll provide details and drawings in the class sections on Thinkific.\

Dates for the Live Lessons