Ay Wood project

Dovetail Class With Roy Underhill

If youve spent much time reading this blog, youve probably figured out how I feel about Roy Underhill and what he does. Just in case you missed it, click here for a brief summary of his impact on my woodworking. That first time was back in 2003. Since then, and especially after he opened his school, Ive been dreaming of taking a class from him. But, North Carolina is pretty far from Alaska, and now with two little ones, spending time away is not easy.

But then, last weekend the Alaska Creative Woodworkers Association (ACWA) hosted a fantastic weekend of woodworking with Roy Underhill, in Alaska! Wahoo! Thank You!

I ended up in both the dovetail class and the mystery mallet class, plus I went to Roys presentation at the University of Alaska. All in all, it was an amazing weekend!

Heres a photo summary of the dovetail class:

The recommended tool kit (of course I took more):


We did through, half-blind, and rising dovetails, but in reverse order of difficulty. So rising came first.


I bought a set of the new Stanley 750 chisels, and was pleasantly surprised at their quality. They dont compare to either Lie Nielsen or originals, but I think they are a good deal for the price.


Yet another awkward work holding challenge solved by a handscrew clamp - with an assist by two Gramercy holdfasts - quiet a team.


The finished joint:


Still another use for the handscrew - it makes a perfect dovetail transfer jig - especially with the holdfast keeping everything still.


My first ever half-blind dovetails. Cool!


Some shots of Roy. Check out his camera tripod!


Hamming it up!


Pondering...


Roy is a great teacher, and it was really fun to spend time with the other woodworkers. Thanks again Roy and ACWA!

Ill post the mallet class next...