Hand cutting dovetails

A couple years back I took an interest in hand cutting dovetails, and I found this great video on the Fine Woodworking website about how to do it. It made the layout pretty simple to follow.

Until recently I hadn't actually done anything about hand cutting dovetails. A couple of weeks ago, I decided that a) I needed to be out of the house and b) it was time to try cutting dovetails. I don't have a picture of my project handy, but it turned out not to be too bad.

First, I had no idea how crazy strong this joint is. My first joint looked like something done by a crazed maniac with a Japanese saw and a chisel (the reasons for this should be obvious). But without glue, that joint still held together. Not strong enough that I could use it without glue, but strong enough that I could hold one side of the joint and the other would stay in place.

By the time the fourth joint came around, I pretty much had the hang of it. Enough that I felt I could show my work to my dad. It took a mallet to assemble the joint, which is always a good sign.

I need to built my bathroom vanity real soon now. My design calls for an insane number of drawers, and I expect that I'll get to put my new found skill to use there.