A Dovetail Workout!

Tim, our new apprentice and I have been working feverishly on the prototype for our new 4- drawer dresser class. This class will be chocked full of wonderful opportunities to learn many new skills as well as the possibility of improving your dovetail skills! We have cut the dados by hand with a saw and router plane. And then made up mortise and tenon frames which are pegged together. Then it’s all assembled and tied together in the front with sliding dovetails.

The main part of the chest is made out of solid cherry including the back, which is a work of art in and of itself. It is all mortise-and-tenoned together with hand planed raised panels, not what you would usually find hiding against the wall!

The 4 drawers are half blind dovetailed in the front and through dovetailed in the back. Much careful sawing and chiseling produces a perfect fit that will last generations. The drawer sides are maple and the drawer bottoms are cypress. The raised portion on the drawer bottom is hand planed to fit the groove precisely.

I was pretty excited to hand plane the 7 foot section of cove mold using only a rabbet plane and a couple of molding planes. It’s amazing how fast this can be produced. The sense of satisfaction is overwhelming when you actually craft molding in this way, which is usually produced with a router. Just think the finest furniture that has ever been made was done entirely with hand tools! Of course I think I am little biased!

We have just recently applied the first coats of finish on the chest, I am really pleased with the wood selection and how it looks. I will send along finished pictures within the next couple of days.

If you are interested in making this chest you will have to register soon. There are some openings left, but we need to mill the wood. So if you are on the fence, sign up now! 4-Drawer Dresser Course May 16th through May 28th.

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