DIY Network

Dovetail Bench: Preparing the Stock From "Wood Works" episode WWK-602

	This sitting bench has a contemporary feel, but was inspired by ancient Egyptian design.
	Dovetails are one of the strongest and oldest forms of joinery.
	The light maple seat provides a strong visual contrast with the rich claro-walnut sides. The two woods intersect in eye-catching dovetail joints.

In this episode of DIY Wood Works, host David Marks builds an Egyptian-inspired bench made using dovetail joinery. This is an excellent project for learning an updated version of the fine art of hand-cutting dovetails.

Though inspired by Egyptian design, this sitting bench has a contemporary feel and is visually distinctive with its contrasting woods. The maple seat and claro-walnut sides are joined with dovetails that are cut on the band saw. After the bench is glued and dried, it's shaped to create flowing, drape-like curves on the inner and outer surfaces. The seat and the legs are rough-cut on the band saw, then hand-sculpted with a combination of electric and air-powered tools.

Approximate dimensions: 11 inches wide x 26 inches long x 19 inches tall.

Materials:

Claro-walnut stock
Maple stock
Moisture meter
Circular saw
Table saw
Jointer
Planer
Band saw
Jointer
Block plane
Cabinet-maker's scribe
Carpenter's pencil
Safety glasses or goggles

Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses, and follow proper safety precautions, when working with wood, power-tools, saws, drills, routers, etc.

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	Figure A
	Figure B

Preparing the Stock

• The sides of the bench were cut from a piece of claro-walnut stock that had been curing in David Marks' woodshed for years (figure A). The wood was from a tree that blew down in a storm in 1985. It was milled into raw stock at the time, and has been air-drying since then.

• To determine the suitability of air-dried wood, it's best to check to check the moisture content of the wood. To do this, David used a circular saw to cut a small slice from the end to reveal a fresh cut of end-grain.

• To check the moisture using a moisture meter, place the two metal probes in the center of the fresh cut (figure B). Our moisture level read in the good range at 8 percent. In general, it's best to have wood with a moisture content between 6 and 10 percent. If it's greater than 10 percent, the wood may be too damp to work. If it's less than 6 percent, the wood may be too brittle.

  You can check the grain and figure of the wood by shaving off an area of the top layer using a block plane, then spraying the exposed surface with a small amount of water. The moisture will help reveal the hidden beauty of the wood grain.
  

  
  

• Measure and mark off the pieces using chalk (figure C).

• With the stock marked, cut the pieces using a circular saw (figure D).

• Note: You don't have to start with raw stock as we did. You may opt to purchase 8/4 finish-milled stock from your lumber yard. For our bench seat, we used 8/4 maple stock milled to 1-3/4 inches thick after edge-gluing two boards together. The remaining dimensions of our seat stock were 26"L x 11"W.

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  
  

• At the table-saw, we trimmed the walnut stock to about 12 inches wide (figure E) -- wide enough to fit through the planer.

• At the jointer, joint one edge and one face flat (figure F).

  Figure E

  Figure F

  
  

  
  
  

• At the planer, make the opposite faces parallel (figure G), leaving the stock a uniform 1-3/4" thick.

• At the table saw, rip each board to the final width of 11 inches, then use the table saw and cross-cut sled to cut each to final length (figure H).

  Figure G

  Figure H

  
  

  Figure I

  
  
  

• With the stock milled, examine the stock and determine which sides you want to be the show faces. Look for the side where the grain looks best, and you may want to conceal any flaws by turning them to the inside. Your decision at this point will greatly impact the finished look of the bench. Once you've decided on the show faces, mark the stock with chalk to indicate your choices (figure I).
  

  
  

• You can now begin the layout process for the joinery. Use a cabinet-maker's scribe (figure J), set to the same thickness as the stock, to score the ends of the maple and walnut. This setting will indicate the baseline for where the tails and pins will be located. We added 1/32" to the setting to allow room for the joinery to protrude.

• Scribing (figure K) is much preferable to using a pencil. It is more accurate, and scores the fibers of the wood to give a precise cut line that will also help prevent chip-out.

  Figure J

  Figure K

  
  

  Figure L

  
  

• The dovetail is the strongest joint known to woodworkers. When making dovetail joinery, David prefers to cut the pins of the joint (figure L) first. The pins are cut so that they'll stand proud about 1/32-inch above the stock.
  

  
  

• Before laying out the dovetail pattern on the walnut stock, add green carpenter's tape around the scribed area (figure M) to make it easier to see your layout marks.

  Begin by laying out the half pins on both ends. Then space the two full pins between them. Using an adjustable bevel gauge, draw the 12-degree pins on to the end of the stock (figure N). This is a standard angle for a pin of this width.

  Figure M

  Figure N

  
  

  Figure O

  
  

• Make X-marks to define the areas to cut away to expose the pins (figure O).

RESOURCES :

Woodworking Techniques: Best Methods for Building Furniture from Fine Woodworking
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561583456

David Marks Website
David Marks, DIY's Wood Works host, is a master woodworker. For more information on cut sizes and project details, please contact him via his Website at www.djmarks.com

Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com