Blind Mitered Dovetails Lesson
You might be thinking what the point is of going to all the trouble to cut dovetails and then hide them behind a miter joint. I’m not sure what the answer is. I can only assure you these talented craftsmen were most likely commissioned by people more interested in seeing nice wood then wood joints. In the seventeen and early eighteen hundreds glue was unreliable at best, nails were expensive, and screws were made one at a time and only the rich could afford them. Wood joints held all furniture together and not everyone liked the looks of them.

If you are ever at an auction or antique shop and see an unremarkable mitered box, look carefully for signs of a blind mitered dovetail joint. If you see tiny V shaped saw kerfs deep in the inside corners you are in luck. The person who made the box was probably not concerned with the inside appearance so he sawed past the scribe line. The simple fact that a mitered box survived hundreds of years might also be a clue you found one.

I will explain two different ways of making this classic joint. The first is the traditional way by hand. The second way uses power tools and could possibly be the strongest miter joint in existence.

This is an opportunity for you to really test your skills and impress your friends and clients. I will guide you step by step through the procedure of cutting this joint by hand. The many digital color photos will be presented to you in a way to insure your success. I will also briefly explain the more contemporary version of this joint.

Dale J. Horst.

 Price: $8.00


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