Fastest dovetails East of the Mississippi
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- I needed to dovetail some drawers. But I wanted to try something new. So instead of breaking out the handsaw, I broke out the bandsaw.
And thank you to Henry's House of Coffee and Tarpley Studios for their kindness and general awesomeness. You can support them at:
henryshouseofc...
www.etsy.com/s...
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Items I use in this video (some are affiliate links which help sponsor this content):
Sandpaper: amzn.to/44NCPx7
Spray Adhesive: amzn.to/3PviJTW
Double Stick Tape: amzn.to/3RjlY26
My favorite trim router: amzn.to/3LbCbTF
DeWalt Trim Router fence: amzn.to/43cYwr2
1/4" Spiral Upcut Bit: amzn.to/461b2KJ
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Items I keep on hand in the shop:
Glue:
Titebond I Wood Glue: amzn.to/3zRXHGv
Titebond III Wood Glue: amzn.to/3MVnG6j
Titebond Quick and Thick: amzn.to/42HGuMC
Liquid Hide Glue: amzn.to/3PhZEEW
Power Tools and Accessories:
Table Saw Blade - Woodworkers II: amzn.to/42bIOLa
My favorite trim router: amzn.to/3LbCbTF
DeWalt Trim Router fence: amzn.to/43cYwr2
My Festool Router Setup: amzn.to/3ZPIQal
Extra Fence: amzn.to/3KHi9jI
1/2" dia Router bit: amzn.to/3UkRFYI
A Better Alternative (Spiral Up Cut): amzn.to/3mcPsSp
Sharpening:
Ohishi Waterstones: amzn.to/3TkoZhP
1,000/8,000 Combo (great budget option): amzn.to/3Lqj7Sh
Angle Setting Jig Plans: www.lie-nielse...
Inexpensive Honing Guide: amzn.to/3Jo2Uub
Lie-Nieslen Honing Guide: www.lie-nielse... guide
Sandpaper for Flattening: amzn.to/3Jor73F
My Finish Mix:
Minwax Polyurethane: amzn.to/3kPgpuO
Liberon Finishing Oil: amzn.to/3kXkIEf
Danish Oil (alternative): amzn.to/3Njlabs
Liberon Beeswax: amzn.to/3Jm2yFN
Turpentine: amzn.to/3SWFznB
Mineral Spirits (alternative): amzn.to/3oKU83h
TotalBoat Epoxy:
For 5% off any TotalBoat product, visit www.totalboat....
You can stay up to date with my work here:
/ encurtis
/ encurtis
encurtis.com/
" Go make a thing and have some fun doing it." About the single best piece of advice I've heard in a year. Thanks!
😎🤘
I am a disabled and seriously depressed person who enjoys woodworking. I'm from Australia and I just want to drop my thoughts into your comments section, for all to see how you affect real people who watch your channel.....I itch for each new chapter you make. I don't mean to sound creepy but......
"YOU INSPIRE ME TO BECOME BETTER, you encourage me to "Make a thing"
The way you present things in the no bullshit way makes it real. Thank you for being real, from the bottom of my heart
FOPPKN.
Enjoy your whiskey, I know I do. Cheers
It’s just plain fun listening to you.
Educational, entertaining, cathartic, truth. Tks
Your skill and demeanor warrant way more subscribers than you currently have. I'm 72 years old and have been a professional woodworker for 52 years and I thoroughly enjoy your presentations!
yes! 👍
Thank you so much 🙂
I like the videos... you just show it the way it works for you... which makes it easier for us plodders.
Thankyou.
Semi-old carpenter here... I can "construct" almost anything and always thought I could make furniture. However, I never had the proper tools to make it happen and therefore never attempted to do so.
I then retired early and built a wood shop in my garage... all and all I am proud of what I have built so far, but I have not yet ventured into dovetails because it's intimidating and had/have so many other things to learn (i.e.: proper material prep, consistency, precise accuracy, etc). Going from a carpenter's pencil and circular saw to a marking knife and table saw was a step within itself.
This method (power tools) makes the task of dovetails less intimidating. Because of this video, I will soon try dovetails with power tools to learn the functional basics without the intimidation of using all hand tools... and then one rainy day I will attempt "old school" and try 100% hand cut.
Thanks for the instructional content. Please keep it up!
Really glad to hear what you're taking away from this video. Thank you for sharing that. And good luck my dude!
When chiseling out end grain, a trick I learned from some Japanese master video I watched, get the end grain wet, then pare it off. I use a pipe cleaner folded over 4 times. I was/am attempting to do this with some very dry American Chestnut, and was getting horrible tear out, well maybe chunk out. The water trick fixed that. No need to have 17 degree bevel chisels....
Literally cut my dovetail tails yesterday an wanting to cut the mortis of the half blind ends Monday and was thinking ‘shame he’s not got a video on this as I’ll bet he has an easy solution’ an boom the universe heard me 😂 thank you man! Really useful
Haha glad the timing was just right for you!
I learn something new every single time u put up a video. Thanks!
I’m really glad to hear that!
Interesting, yes. Entertaining, yes. You're the best Curtis 👍.
Thank you!
Totally legit. No one cares about the shape of the wood waste. (Except uncle Charlie, and you know how he is.) Good call on dovetailing Vs pins on the drawers. This is where you're doing a great job getting us all to think about how the details work together.
Thank you 🙏
I’m 💀with the title. Love it. And I enjoy watching your videos, so chill and awesome as well inspirational.
Thanks man! I feel pretty awesome, now that you mention it. 😂😂😂
You're awesome too. ☕
😂🙏
The good ole Bandosaurus technique. It's a crowd pleaser for sure.
😂😂
I think it's your passion for making things as well as your original feelings towards your work as well which draws we "watchers" in. Thanks again. And, as I've said before, keep on making it for the enjoyment of making things. As a former teacher, I can relate.
Thank you so much, Thomas. I really appreciate that.
I agree, it drawers me in too 😊
1 in 7 is my go to, the book in the back ground has been in my shop for many many years, I think it needs another look, thank you for all your time and effort.
The guy at 72 and with over 50 years of woodworking beats me by 2 years - but I would guess our experiences and views don’t diverge too much.
There are several extremely acceptable ways of cutting dovetails (as with just about everything) plus a load of bad ways. Sometimes, it’s down to what tools you have available and sometimes, it depends on how I (my body) feels. I do use the bandsaw plus router plane plus router - if you have them and can use them (two different things), then why not?
If you enjoy doing everything by hand, that’s great. Personally, I like to use power tools for the heavy work and then hand tools for finishing.
Sharpening? You’re absolutely right in what you say. My usual answer is “more than you are currently doing”. In cutting those dovetails, I might sharpen and hone the secondary bevel more than your 3 times but that’s just me.
Your way of fixing the drawer bottoms is fine but it seems to be a particularly American method. I was taught in the UK, and every high quality UK antique that I’ve studied seems to be the same, to do it differently. Before better glues came around, it was usual to dovetail front and back. After better glues, it was more usual to dovetail the front and rebate (not a dado) the back. More and more cutting edge pieces forego dovetails altogether particularly if they have false overlay fronts. Truthfully, who cares so long as you don’t think that it has to be one way or another.
Interesting information regarding the evolution of drawer box constriction alongside the development of modern adhesives. Haven’t considered that but it makes perfect sense!
@@ENCurtis I have heard the view that hide glue is a very good adhesive witnessed by the longevity of the pieces constructed with it. I would only partially agree. Firstly, the animal bone and hide glues made 2, 3 or 4 centuries ago was of very variable quality; secondly I have enough antique pieces of furniture to know that hide glue fails when it is not mechanically assisted. Today, it seems to me that the only unique point about today’s hide glue is that they are using by products which otherwise might be wasted. However, I don’t think there is any adhesive quality of hide glue that cannot be replicated better by a chemical glue.
Unfortunately, I’m old enough to remember the choice of glues available to a small shop nearly 50 years ago. Now, I would suggest we have gone the other way in having so many choices that, frankly, are there to sell glues and not solutions.
Thank You Eric! I like the router and bandsaw idea for hogging out material, thanks for that.
Thanks David 👊
I am a little old lady getting ready to retire and make a bunch of sawdust in my shop. I started woodworking with my dad as a small child but haven't really done any serious builds until recently. I love your channel!!! You have a kind way of presenting your expertise and it is always understandable. I truly appreciate you! I hope I can make some beautiful pieces to pass on to my grandchildren so they can remember how much i love them. You are helping me to make that happen!! Keep up the good work young man!!
Thank you so much! I love to hear that. I’m sure you’ll make some lovely objects if you keep after it 🙂
Takeaways in no particular order... Expanding skills cutting dovetails on the bandsaw; Down and dirty jigs to get the job done (not a takeaway, but I appreciate reinforcement, I don't enjoy jigging either); Good coffee in a hand-made mug, gifted from the heart; Waxing the base of jigs for a smooooth ride; Pay attention to intention, deciding to change the plan because the plan didn't feel right; Now its time to go make something. Thanks, Erik.
Go make a thing my friend. And have some fun doing it. 👊
Your approach to jigs is so refreshing! I recently spent hours making a crosscut sled after watching who knows how many videos on how to make “the ultimate crosscut sled.” Then I saw a Norm Abram jig to do the same job. 🤪 It was a runner, a base, and a “fence” aka a strip of wood. And it worked.
P.S. I did learn from a plethora of mistakes on my sled so it wasn’t time wasted.
Always entertaining, always educational. Always a great way to get my dovetail out the chair and in to my shop. Thank you.
Thanks!
Sunday morning. Coffee in hand. Great way to start the day seeing you do your thing. And I will tell you that it is consistent, considerate and educational all while being just plan great to watch. I hope that you enjoy doing what you are doing bc it sure does show through that you do. Keep it up
Thank you so much 🙂
dovetailtastic mugastic goodness.
aaahhhhhhh yeah
You are definitely one of the best woodworking channels on UA-cam. Keep up the fun and informative videos!
Pure amusement for wooddies!
Man, every time I watch an episode, I am ready to go out and make a thing. I just love all the tips and techniques you give and not in a "HERES 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO BE DOING RIGHT NOW OR EVERYTHING YOU DO SUCKS!!1!" kind of way. Just a dude making stuff and teaching others along the way. Love the mugs, too. I am watching his shop waiting on the right one to drop. Keep on doing the thing dude. You're killing it.
Thank you so much!
You are always educational and fun. Thanks!
Thank you!
I do a lot of inlay bow ties on the bandsaw and then hog out the piece with the same router in a plunge base. I have to admit there nice. Have a good one.
I have stopped watching NETFLIX… you are awesome! Instructive, authentic, entertaining as hell!!! Keep ‘em coming. Dan in Hawaii
love your videos. You have an excellent teaching style.
Thank you very much!
Another awesome video! Well done! In addition to understand the technique, you implement it with superb skill. But, the thing you do best, in my old and humble opinion, is communicate. You explain what you’re doing clearly and without sounding like it’s your way or the highway. You instruct, but make it feel like a casual conversation between friends. That makes your videos special. Thanks for the time and effort you put into your work. It’s a benefit to everyone that sees your videos.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate the kind words 🙂
Always hyped for a new video!!
Thank you!
Great work. Hand tools or power tools is always a question. My old high school wood shop teach would never let us use a power tool until we showed that we could do the work with hand tools. That’s how I am teaching my son.
Look, the way you work, thé way you talk, thé way you are... I love watching your vids. You give a lot. So you deserve it.
Thank you so much 😀
Just wanted to say I’m a huge fan and just starting my business I appreciate you very much
I make unique one off cribbage boards so will I ever do a dovetail? most likely not but absolutely love watching... great style, editing, humor, and mad skills. Thank you for the time you take to do this UA-cam thing.
Thank you so much 🙂
Excellent video, thank you,
Glad you liked it!
Very cool mug.
I see those earbuds…what’s on your playlist?
Nice work and keep the positivity flowing!
I use the “bandsaw” method on all my drawers. Easy to batch out a lot of drawers.
Cheers
Man this video was helpful, interesting, educational, and entertaining… to some degree.
Glad it was helpful!
Love your take on simple jigs and spend time making the piece. I too bash out the simplest jigs to get the job done. Tapering jigs on other you tube channels!! I can pin nail two boards to a piece of ply in about 5 mins.
Efficiency is an often overlooked tool in the shop. Hand tool work is cathartic and a wonderful meditative process (Most of the time lol) but if there are faster more efficient ways to get the same results, then why not employ them if you have the tools available? It is almost physically painful to watch some videos that are on youtube just because of the methods and tools the maker is using are so woefully inefficient for the job they are doing. I try to remind myself that not everyone has all the same tools I have access to though so I usually just skip through the process and get to the end product and figure out my own process to reach the final result. Good video and I didn't know the different ratio for hardwood and softwood for dovetails always just thought that was a design element of the makers choice. It's a good day when I learn new things. 👍
A standard hand cut dovetail is easy, quick to cut and perfect for craft work. Now if a shop is running hundreds of repeat joints then machines are a good choice.
100%. For many who do this as a hobby, the process is the enjoyment. For others, it's the object itself. Efficiency helps us get to the end a bit faster so we can reflect and start again.
The explanation of the angles you use was really enlightening. I have never seen anyone explain how and why they cut their dovetails a certain way.
Encurtis podcast when? 😂 Great video
Thanks for the video Eric, always interesting and informative.👍👍
Thanks for watching!
Dude those are nice hand cut dt's all the way. Good design
I am sure Michael Fortune is applauding somewhere. Or he would be if he saw this video. I'm applauding.
Very nice video, Eric. I have tried the bandsaw method and it works great but I had to recently dovetail twelve drawers for a Highboy I am building and I used the table saw method to cut the dovetails. It was quick and very accurate. I had to do minimal chisel work after. In my case, I had a table saw blade ground to a 10 degree angle. You then set the blade to 10 degrees on your table saw and with a simple sled you can cut very accurate, adjustable and repeatable dovetails. Just a thought. Of course there are a myriad of ways to cut a dovetail! Cheers, Brian
I've considered DTs on the table saw for a long time but haven't gotten around to it just yet. Perhaps at some point down the road...
This reminds me I need to look up Matt Cremona's band saw dovetail method. Worth a watch. Or rewatch.
I made one of his dovetails jigs and I love it.
I love your videos and your honesty keep up the good work.
Thank you! Will do!
Very entertaining and educational.Keep it up!
If all my jigs were fancy, I wouldn’t have room in my shop for tools. Make a quick jig from scrap and burn it when you’re finished with it.
Thirst trap at 12m15s. That hair tussle and stare. I say good day!
😂😂
“…make the object rather than the tool.” I know many woodworkers who get mired down in building their shops, so much so that they spend all their time building shop jigs. I too prefer to spend my time making my actual projects, furniture, boxes, etc.
Who is the artist for your theme music I love to here more of there music.
I really enjoy your videos and your way of teaching woodworking.
Hey just started watching your videos. Keep it up they are very enjoyable. Noticed the book in the background. Have you been to the Mercer museum in Doylestown? Huge tool museum.
Great video as always cool to see a different way to make dove tails. Thanks for sharing
Nice! You won't get much expansion and contraction on plywood that size anyway but it’s good to see I'm not the only one gluing the front and skipping the nails on the back. It’s just not necessary with modern pva and a tight fit ar the front.
I love this channel!!!
I will have to give this a try. Thanks for the great content.
Thank you!
I used a thin kerf circular saw blade and ground every second tooth off with my CBN wheel use a blade stiffener set and boom clean cuts 11° (the teeth were that angle) without getting a $200 dovetail grind blade, mines thinner too thin enough to trick people into thinking it couldn't be done with a table saw.
Once again, great work. outstanding video
Thank you! Cheers!
Thanks for another inspiring video. I like your philosophy on jigs and I write all over mine in pencil too. I think jigs are for either saving time or making repeatable cuts. Also mine don’t last forever because I not great with storing them…
Thanks, Don!
Nice to see other new and interesting ways to get the same thing done. What bit did you use in the router. I happen to have the same router Thanks for showing new and inovative ways to get things done Cheers
I too use that hand router technique. My favorite bits are from Whiteside made in North Carolina. I find they leave the least amount of burn marks. But I chop out most of the waste first and then use the router to get the bottom perfectly flat but I don’t go right to the edge because it can go wrong quickly
Thank you. That was a spiral upcut bit, 1/4". I believe it was from Whiteside if I recall correctly.
thanks @@ENCurtis
Very nice, i might actually be tempted to dovetail with this technique!
Go for it! It was a breeze.
JSK-koubou makes excellent jigs BTW, in case someone wants a suggestion.
Cool gigs
Great video. Nice to see other techniques to cut dovetails. Where do you purchase Liberon finishing oil from?
Thank you! I usually purchase on Amazon since they don’t have a proper American distributor.
i'd like to see one of them fancy coffee mugs carved outa wood.
That would be DOPE. Perhaps one day.
You got the bandsaw, you got the thick cherry, Would it be Sacrilege or an Idea to make a 1/8 thick flitch of veneers, make all the dovetails thru, then glue on the veneer converting to blind dovetails, hiding the groove, and get some grain matching..
obviously enjoyed everything, as always, but very much enjoyed how you didn't try to find the right corner of the screen for the related video link this time x
hahaha thanks
❤ solid!
Could there be a video of a display case to show the coffee mugs coming up in the future?
Oh you read my mind...
Thanks for showing us your drawers.
Haha you're welcome!
thank you .
No thank you!
Another great teaching moment. Do you cut through the jig when you are cutting the tails on the band saw?
You certainly can. Or you can cut the top of the sled to the same angle (~10 deg) so that the shoulder of the dovetail is always square to the jig. That way you avoid damaging the sled.
Almost always love your videos! Great content!
....
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Sorry though, i can't stand the coffee mugs lol.
Frank Klausz actually uses a router to remove the waste of half blind dovetails as well
If Frank does it, then you can't argue!
Well I'll be damned. Like Tom said, if it's good enough for frank, it's good enough for me!
UA-camrs love for the trim router.
Love your content, I’m glad I stumbled across it about a month ago. Was wondering where you acquired your fence for your table saw?
Looks like a Rockler sled if you’re taking about the light white with blue stops. If you mean the aluminum extrusion that can be turned, that is a Harvey that comes with the Harvey table saw.
Thank you! And yes, @fearsomewarrior has it right. The fence is from Harvey. The crosscut sled is from Rockler.
Frankly speaking, I don't know enough to disagree with you on ANYTHING! 🤣😂
So I'll just watch and enjoy your magic!
Meanwhile I will enjoy time in the shop making sawdust. 🤪 It's comforting, ya know?
Haha it's all about that enjoyment!
How did you allow for wood movement in the bottom in the long drawer? Looks like the grain runs parallel to the grain in the sides. Good video.
handsome boxes
I really liked the bandsaw method. Never thought of that. I’m going to try it. Also, not sure if you’re a fellow Phillies fan since you are there, Harper shaved the beard, are you following and doing the same? Hahahahaha
Hahaha I'll tell you what, if I hit 100k by the end of the year, I will shave the beard for charity. Spread the word.
@@ENCurtis oh wow that is quite a statement. Hahahaha. I don’t have a preference but if it helps you get to 100k than I’m happy to help.
Which marking gauge do you use? Love your stuff keep up the good work.
I had to come back and look at that dove tail lay out jig thing you have. Since I do my layout with a knife, I would need a metal one. Do you have a source for that jig?
It was made by a friend of mine. I asked if he sells them to the public and unfortunately he doesn't. Sorry!
Very nice, which Dovetail "hand" saw were you using?
It's an old $20 Crown gents saw. Still my favorite.
Do you like the cold coffee that you drink at the end of your videos? 😃
Always! 😂
Would you mind telling me what type of router bits you used? I'm very new to using a router and didn't recognize the type you were using. Not the brand necessarily, the cutter type.
Btw the "special effects" in the video were nice...very smooth!
Thank you! That was a 1/4" spiral upcut. From Whiteside I believe.
Someone help me out. Why not dovetail all four corners of a drawer box? I sicks at dovetails, so I have used box joints on the few drawers I have made. But, now I am wondering if I was wrong to have box jointed all four corners instead of dado-ing the back panel. 🤔
Quick edit: I have cut the slots for the bottom panels to allow the panel to float by around an eighth of an inch in any direction to allow for expansion.
You totally could. I simply dado in the back because nobody looks at the backs of drawer boxes so it feels like something of a waste of time. But that's just me
@ENCurtis duly noted. Always interested to get a professional take on these things. I was starting to worry that I might have problems down the road. 😄
I loved your mug, I want one how do I buy? I'm from Brazil
Thank you! It's from my buddy DBowenSculptures on IG. He's great.
Love the remarks on jigs. I'm the same way. I wanna get to my project not spend extra time on jigs
Could you put a fake dovetail in the left side of the box where the draw is?? Just asking to make it a drama 😂
Unrelated: I made some of the finish that you described in one of your videos. Two, actually; one flat and one gloss. I used the flat on my shelf wood, with the abrasive cloth. They've been curing for a month and are still a little tacky. Is that normal? Did I do something stupid?
How many coats did you do? Just guessing maybe the subsequent coats were not dry before you applied a new one or you applied too thick of a coat maybe?
@@TWC6724 I did 3 coats with at least two days’ time in between each one. I mixed them at 1:1:1. My locale’s humidity may be too much for that drying time. I wonder if bringing them indoors (drier atmosphere) will set the finish.
@@Clintotron I think that’s the key. If you live in a very humid climate like I do, dry time takes a lot longer.
It may indeed be an environmental issue. August/Sept are notorious for messing with finishes due to high humidity. It could also be that there is too much material on there. I would wipe it down with Mineral Spirits and give it another coat. Then wipe off the excess immediately and let that cure.
@@ENCurtis thank you, sir. I may try that this afternoon and report back in case others have this issue.
What's the song that starts playing while he's jogging out the blind pins?
It's called Baptized and Burried by Will Harrison
@@ENCurtis awesome thanks, new song to listen to in the woodshop.
I MUST KNOW... does your cyclops have his own toofbrush?!
He really should before tooth decay sets in 😂
You should totally make a pencil sharpening jig. That would be the s*!t
I'll do a 13 minute video on making an epic pencil sharpening jig just to upset the internet 😂
I confess to being a tad disappointed you missed the opportunity to use the phrase 'get jiggy with it' but hey, there's always tomorrow..