One of the blanket chests that originally inspired this class in dovetailing (Peter Stickney Collection).
In our first heirloom blanket chest making class, we used first growth pine boards. These were from a 200 year old barn in New York State. These required a lot of processing. Many of these boards were 15 inches wide or wider.
This another pine blanket chest that served as a model for our first class ( Peter Stickney Collection).
Detail of dovetail joinery; this is a class in dovetailing not blanket chest making. Nearly all the students in our first class finished their front, back, sides and bottom, which required dovetail joints or a dado (bottom).
The pine boards, whether new or old, had to be run through a jointer, and glued using pole clamps. Although its a matter of aesthetic, we filled nail holes with glue and sawdust or wood filler. Some prefer to have the look of old barn wood, and this is a choice offered in mass-produced furniture of late (see the recent Sundance catalog). These blanket chests were traditionally painted either red ochre or blue, as these colors were often the only ones available in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Before starting with one of the six boards for the blanket chest ( The chest traditionally consists of 6 boards: top, bottom, front and back, and two sides ) we have an introductory project. As we are making chests roughing 36 inches wide, 18 inches deep, and 24 inches high, we limit this first practice to joining two boards with two dovetail joints.
The work can be done sitting or standing. We provide clamps for you to hold your project fast while you cut with saws and chisels. Her a student is using a coping saw, which is not necessarily used for dovetailing. If it accomplishes the task, why not? A variety of dovetailing saws and wood chisels were also provided. Some students even used a keyhole saw.
The line has been scored with a marking gauge. Here a student refines the cuts he made with a dovetailing saw with a 1/4 inch wood chisel.
Some of the tools we use for our dovetailing: a jam saw/ shallow blade dove tail saw, a small cross cut saw, a dove tail saw and a marking gauge.
Two sides of the chest completed.
Sharpening your own chisels is an important part of doing dovetailing, as you are often faced with dulled chisels. Here a couple of soapy water serves with a whetstone to fine tune chisels in our recent class.
Walter White creates a dado for his blanket chest bottom.
Dwayne Chretien cutting his dovetails in our recent woodworking class.
Assembly of the finished product.
Instructor Adriaan Gerber assists Walter White with the assembly of his completed chest.
With the top added. The narrow piece on top will be cut and fitted tp the top to create a lip that hangs over the front of the top.
Dis-assembly for transport.
Walter white leaves with his completed blanket chest under arm.
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