I’ve noted before that I am terrible at hand-cutting dovetails, and so avoid it whenever possible. Not this weekend, though.

While I do handwork whenever necessary, I tend to go for machines when I work. Nowhere is that more true than for dovetails. I’ve admitted in the past that I am terrible at cutting dovetails by hand, truly awful, and so I generally rely on a router to cut them. I’ve also noted in the past, however, that cutting dovetails by hand is a skill that I’m going to develop “one of these days.”

Well, those days are coming up this weekend. At the moment I have no project of any kind on my to-do list, and expect it to stay that way for about the next week. So I’ve decided that with a bit of extra time on my hands I’m just going to practice cutting some dovetails.

My plan isn’t to just cut a bunch in some stock for the literal practice, but to make a small dovetailed box. No goal for the box itself, but it seems to me that the practice will be more meaningful if I actually make something while practicing. Even if it turns out terrible (a possibility), I can still put the box to use in the shop. Not only will it serve two functions – practice and storage – but it will also stand as a reminder that I’m finally tackling an area where my skills are weak. I’m thinking that it can only encourage me to practice further.

Wish me luck.

A.J.