Dovetail

Handmade European Dovetail Markers by Richard Kell

“Measure twice, cut once,” said the old craftsman.
Only careful planning and patient skill make a dovetail.

Early cabinetmakers were faced with the problem of joining two pieces of wood together at a right angle so that they would bear the stress not only of use but of the weather as well. Especially in places where the summers are hot and humid and the winters are dry and cold, a plank of wood might change its dimensions by a quarter- to a half-inch. Quite enough to make joints fall apart and drawers stick!

The dovetail joint holds because the two interlocked pieces of wood expand and contract at the same rate. The direction of the pull is against the locking of the joint. The byproduct of all this fine craft is a joint so precisely fitted that it is a thing of beauty in and of itself.

Cutting a dovetail joint is a demanding skill. The lines must be laid out with great care, and the cutting must be carefully done using a thin saw. The waste must be slowly trimmed away with a sharp chisel until both sides mate tightly. The making of a dovetail joint requires planning, skill, and patience.

Nowadays, cheap synthetic materials do not breathe with the seasons. That might reduce inconvenience, but it has also reduced the chance for another relationship to Tao. For when the cabinetmakers sought to build furniture that was compatible with the wood, the seasons, and their own ingenuity, they were perfectly in tune with Tao.

Deng Ming Tao, 365 Tao

We seem to have lost so many of the old arts. My home has a lot of craftsman-style furniture, but they are not the real thing, they are copies. We’ve had to fix the chairs several times, which wouldn’t happen with a truly well-crafted chair. Unfortunately it’s difficult to justify spending what it takes to buy really fine craftsmanship, but I’m finally starting to get to the point in my life where I can afford it more easily.

I just gave my sister-in-law and her husband a couple of paintings I did for them. Somehow it seems what I can do so easily and lightly, like my painting, is so difficult for others to do. No, I’m not a great artist, I just stopped being afraid to try and create something that others actually appreciate. It doesn’t matter to me that my art sells or not, it’s just fun for me and sometimes others appreciate it as well.

I think what is important in life is to create and to explore our capabilities. Some of us will become fine crafters and artists. Some of us may just make a bookshelf like the one that sits in my kitchen, created by my husband in high school woodshop. Where have all those woodshop classes gone? Why aren’t we teaching our kids these things anymore? Over the bookshelf hangs one of my paintings, of California poppies. A painting I did of sunflowers hangs on the other side of the kitchen. People are amazed when I tell them I painted these pictures! And yet, it’s not so difficult.

Whatever art or craft you wish to try, please do so. It is so rewarding to be able to surround yourself with things made by your own hand, those of friends and family, or other fine crafters you come to meet, like the silversmith I buy most of my jewelry from. And it is so much more rewarding than the cheap imitation things we see everywhere.