Hand Cut Dovetails
Learn how to cut dovetails by hand and craft your own keepsake box with your newfound skills.
Taught by Shota Yamaguchi
- Skill level
- Upper Beginner
- Prerequisites
- Some hand tools experience is recommended
- Materials
- Included
- Where
- 1600 W Stassney Lane, Austin
- Tuition
- $525
About the class
Hand Cut Dovetails
Are you mystified by the dovetails found in fine furniture? In this class we'll cover all of the steps for making tight and accurate dovetails, culminating in a keepsake box project to show off your new skills.
We'll begin with a brief overview of sharpening to establish functional edges followed by sawing exercises focused on cutting confidently to the line through repeated test cuts.
Once foundational skills are established, students will move into box construction. Instruction will cover laying out and marking dovetails, keeping track of parts, and cutting through dovetails with consistency. As skills progress, the instructor may demonstrate different types of dovetails such as needlepoint and half blind as advanced variations, though students will focus on standard proportions.
The box curriculum will include frame-and-panel construction for the top and bottom, with discussion and demonstration of multiple approaches and their tradeoffs. Students will complete glue-up, cut the box to create a fitted lid, and refine surfaces through block planing. The class will also cover hand-cut hinge mortising, milling and fitting an interior bottom and finishing.
Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on tool selection, sequencing, accuracy, and repeatable process: skills that carry beyond a single project.
What to bring
We recommend that you take the time to research and purchase high quality hand tools. Buying the cheapest tools possible will lead to headaches down the road. Please do not buy hand tools from Amazon or Home Improvement Stores. Check out woodworking retail stores like Lee Valley Tools, Woodcraft, Rockler, Heartwood Tools or tool makers like Lie-Nielsen Tool, Bad Axe Tools, or Melbourne Tools. We also have tools you may borrow. If you are thinking about making some significant purchases for this class feel free to reach out to the school for further recommendations. We can also talk about tools during class. If you own these tools please bring them along to get practice with your home set up.
- 12" Square (Starrett)
- Marking knife (Scalpel: Swann-Morton 4 handle with #11 blades, or Pfeil No 4)
- Cutting gauge (circular)
- Dividers
- Ruler/Measuring tape
- Dovetail template 1:7 or 1:6
Sawing
- Dovetail saw (Lie-Nielsen, Bad Axe or Veritas)
- Coping saw (any deep reach one will work, Knew Concepts or Groz)
Chiseling
- Assorted chisels (Narex are a good value, any good quality bench chisels will do)
- Sharpening setup
- Wood Mallet
- Notebook and Pencil
- Water and snack
What the class covers
- The fundamentals of sharpening for precise, clean cuts
- Proper sawing techniques, including tool hold and usage
- How to cut through dovetails with accuracy and confidence
- Half-blind dovetails
- Tool selection: which tools matter most and how to use them effectively
- Strategies for reducing stress by focusing on what truly matters in joinery
Book a seat
Your seat at the bench.
A few short steps: pick your date, tell us about you, sign the waiver, pay. One booking covers every session.
Booking for a partner or friend too? Add seats as you book. Each student signs the waiver from a link we email.
Save your seat
If plans change
Our refund policy, at a glance.
What you get back depends on how far ahead of class you cancel. Send your cancellation in writing. Phone calls, texts and comments don't count.
of your payment refunded, less the 5% cancellation fee.
of your payment refunded, less the 5% cancellation fee.
Missing all or part of a class counts as a cancellation.
Why we hold to itClass income pays staff and instructors, buys lumber and keeps the lights on. We run on a tight margin, and this policy protects the school.
If the school cancelsIf we cancel a class, every student gets a full refund.
The whole policyRead it in full on our Refund Policy page.