Secret Mitered Dovetails with Kaare Loftheim at Colonial Williamsburg

[@solidsnake9332]

Nothing like watching a master craftsman at work.

[@HWCism]

Oh, I like how you stamp your corners with numbers instead of just a pencil mark. Nice touch.

[@johntroy6323]

Very nice work, Kaare!

[@FernandoBernall]

I was thinking about you Kaare and did a search and found you.. So glad you are doing well.. Please extend my greetings to your lovely wife.. Best, Fernando from Springfield, MO.

[@claytonschemper8375]

That was so amazing to watch. I know very little about woodworking but thoroughly enjoyed watching a true craftsman in his work. Thank you for making this.

[@YoHeroZero]

"Instead of putting you to sleep over the course of 45 mins..." I love watching work done in it's entirety! This type to super fine woodworking is captivating to me.

[@layeredwork]

I'm just learning woodworking, and I'm really at the very beginning. This video is so inspiring! Also, I really like your traditional dressing. I think it gives you something like the right attitude to work with wood by just using hand tools. Thank you.

[@dogwoodtales]

Great video! This is the excellence in joinery to which I aspire. Considering how that a blind dovetail like this was just a matter of the process, whereas today it's almost intimidating, I often wonder if the craftsmen had any idea just how excellent they were.

[@cornflake73]

It is such a treat to watch a master work at his craft. This joint is a beautiful joint as it is durable and strong. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.

[@hurcorh]

I find this joint very interesting. Probably one of the hardest dovetail joints to get right with the end goal being so that you can't tell it's been done without a good look at it. Excellent stuff.

[@Finewoodworkingofsc]

Exceptionally pleasing and strong dovetail joint. Great video and instruction.

[@slojet1000]

I believe we should be thanking you for sharing your expertise. Well done

[@williamang9649]

This is one of the joinery I have to learn and I hell bending on it thanks for sharing. It's hard to find this as people love seeing visible dovetails so I'm only recommend to watch those. The instructions I got were to glue it up and saw it to ensure fitness etc I'll cut short here and just say I'm brainstorming it. This helps !

[@joshualowery951]

You make sawing look easy my friend.

[@ГИГ-ж1л]

The most important thing in manual! There is a lot to learn. Great result! Thank you.

[@toonybrain]

What a beautiful joint!

[@simonaldridge82]

really nice joint used a lot in Japanese joinery. great tutorial thanks

[@jluffy9461]

Excellent work. Thank you Kaare

[@marcosaslan1802]

Esas sierras con esos filos son geniales sin mucho esfuerzo cortan , saludos desde Ecuador

[@a.torresluthier164]

Excellent! this is a very ancient Japanese technique used for furniture and other constructions, a lot of practice is needed, but the results deserve it. Thank you for share it!.

[@bighands69]

Not exactly taken from Japan but there are similarities.

[@laurencemedina7851]

You are an amazing woodworker sir. Reminds me so much of brooks in shawshank

[@Bloodsweatsawdust]

Beautiful. One of my favorite joints!

[@simonoconor8149]

Great video, great craftsmanship.

[@tooljunkie555]

this is awsome love the hidden effect looks like i have a new joint to try and master. good stuff

[@billmccaffrey1977]

Nice work. Every joint does not have to show like some think. Having a clean finished joint like this looks more refined than a half blind dovetail. Everything has its place.

[@TheShavingWoodWorkshop]

Really good video as always Joshua, thanks

[@charleyandsarah]

Lovely show and process. Thanks for sharing.

[@nothankyoutube]

Perfect timing, thanks so much! I'm building a waterfall table with a 12" miter and had no idea how to join it. Here's hoping I can pull it off.

[@angelpa]

Hope it went well!

[@mihumus]

Very nice video, thanks Wood and Shop.

[@jjamorris1]

beautiful work

[@martinberry1040]

Fantastic. A master at work - what a wonderful thing to see. Such precision with hand tools . Much obliged.

[@WoodAndShop]

You're most welcome Martin.

[@HWCism]

You said you need reading glasses yet you saw without them. Nice joint. Impressive. What angle do you sharpen your chisels at?

[@MazMaslin]

Incredibly gifted group at your shop, and the dovetail is a beautiful joint, almost seems a shame to hide it. Done very often in Japanese woodwork too.

[@robertbrunston5406]

Very good! Thank you.

[@robin22956]

Very nice work.. thank you for sharing!

[@WoodAndShop]

Thanks for watching Robin!

[@robs5186]

I just enjoy these videos thank you

[@tangle70]

Such a craftsman.

[@kriscris70]

Love it.

[@sputnik4216]

Luv'd the video, thanks! btw, just me, but he looks like Lloyd Bridges.

[@NelsonCondeLoboMartins]

Wonderful! Thank you a lot!

[@tombaker3794]

Excellent video / tutorial, many thanks. Curious as to why no hold down is used to keep the board from moving.

[@williambranham6249]

One reason is economic I believe. Remember in those days, just like today, production is everything. He alluded to it a couple of times.

[@idontthinkso666]

I thought the same thing. I feel safe saying we all would use a hold down, and he likely would too. But for demonstration/class purposes, it’s faster to skip that. But if you watch Roy Underhill do this same thing, he’s got it clamped down.

[@twoweary]

Pablo, I totally agree.Such great craftsmanship should never be hidden.Sorry I just don't get it.

[@przybyla420]

“Back in the day” people saw wooden joinery all day everyday. That is why woodworkers often went to great lengths to hide joinery on the finest quality work. Doing this also covers the unstable end grain.

[@wadesaunders583]

His eyes arent as young as they used to be! wow. be great to spend a couple days with that gentleman.

[@bbfoto7248]

@Wood and Shop Joshua, I am searching for the plans or dimensions of the EXACT wood Joiner's or Chisel Mallet that Kaare is using in this video. Or somewhere I can buy a mallet of this exact design??? Thank you.

[@martyn1678]

critic- "that a nice mitre but it would be stronger dovetailed carpenter- "it is dovetailed, its just hidden" critic- "yeh right pull the overone, prove it" carpenter- "I carnt its glued together" 😠 critic- "whatever!" well done beautiful hidden joint, very interesting to watch

[@martyn1678]

@@markwebb9431 are we learning what?

[@nightbladenation7448]

Would this be a good joint for a small box (hinged lid) for chess pieces, I'll be using either mahogany or ebony if that changes anything

[@scottroy6195]

If I made a dovetail that well, I'm not hiding it! I'm making sure everyone sees that beauty.

[@WoodAndShop]

Yup, but fashion is different in different times

[@bighands69]

@Scott Roy Traditional fine furniture making did not show the joints. Joint showing became a craze later that was more about showing of joinery but in that era it was all about the furniture.

[@NLDHGRockStaR]

indeed it is a shame they had to hide it back in times ,realy nicely done sir.

[@DrRobrez]

excellent

[@RobMcKeown]

What a gent.

[@leonpse]

I would have liked to seen the final chiseling parts to see how to make everything clean and square.

[@daw162]

A video at williamsburg, and George Wilson doesn't make a cameo?

[@benba9724]

I also enjoy the video very informative, however I must say, ergonomically your table should higher then you wouldn't bend unnecessarily. Thank you nice joints.

[@WoodAndShop]

Actually, it is a perfect height for handplaning, because it allows me to put more weight over the plane. And it's fine for me while dovetailing. If I wanted more height, I can use a Moxon vise.

[@thomashverring9484]

@@WoodAndShop James @WoodByWright Wright made a survey amongst his subscribers and the surprising result was that most of them had a bench almost exactly half their height. This is contrary to most advise about bench height (knuckle height etc.). I'm used to one at a more traditional height, so I'm probably going to stick with that, but it is interesting. It has to be noted, of course, that James' subscribers probably mostly are hobbyists.

[@robertinn5308]

Great technique and inspiring. Tell those people going up and down the stairs to just lay off while filming the video and that they just about ruined the experience if not for the great information. What could be so important on the second floor in Colonial Williamsburg!

[@bighands69]

It is a working shop.

[@nmssis]

wooow...woooooooow Now I'm even more afraid to do any woodworking.

[@johnrancourt7076]

Ah, how do you mitre the lip?

[@WoodAndShop]

Hmm, what do you mean by "the lip"?

[@brandonfesser1893]

Is that a period pencil? :P

[@LRJS1794]

Brandon Fesser yeah

[@HentaiiKunEnglishFreeHentai]

OMG! He looks like Geppetto from Pinocchio without the beard

[@ness-ee]

Nice, but where’s the bit where you cut the mitre?!! That’s all I wanted to see

[@przybyla420]

A miter jack would help a lot. I’ve also seen a video where a Japanese furniture maker uses a mitered block as a cutting guide. I don’t think it makes sense to try that by eye, even working to a knife line, but I’ve never made one of these joints, a regular dovetail is enough trouble as it is, presently.

[@idontthinkso666]

I know! Me too! He just states “and I’ll cut the miter with a chisel...” and completely skips that part. That’s the one thing I really wanted to see!

[@1pcfred]

This is one pain in the ass joint to cut. But the results do speak for themselves.

[@barkebaat]

Kaare Loftheim ... if that's not a Norwegian name I don't know what is :-)

[@Liazon098]

Good video but that audio killed my poor headphone eardrums.

[@solidsnake9332]

I wouldve stayed up for the 45 minutes ( :(

[@nev123123123]

Must be hard on the back

[@barefoofDr]

There is nothing Secret about a mitered dovetail. I've put whole cases togeather this way.

[@pablo24scotland]

dont like the idea at all , Dovetail join should be visible and stands out as its one of the most beautiful joint has been ever made!

[@WoodAndShop]

+pablo24scotland I agree! But back in colonial times it was considered very provincial, so that's why the cabinetmakers hid the dovetails at times.

[@pablo24scotland]

+Wood and Shop ok I understand now thanks for explanation :)

[@WoodAndShop]

+Wood and Shop Yup, I'll never hide my dovetails! Are you from Scotland? I used to live there for a couple years.

[@pablo24scotland]

+Wood and Shop I am the same in that one...would never hide my dovetails. I am actually from Western Poland but I live in Scotland...livEd in Scotland for 11 years now in Aberdeenshire area. Where about in Scotland have you lived? P.S it was actually in Scotland I fall in love in hand woodworking for the first time:)

[@WoodAndShop]

+pablo24scotland Hey Pablo, I lived in Motherwell (Glasgow), then Dunfermline, then Inverness, then Huntly/Banff (near you), then Dalkeith (Edinburgh), then Pollock (Glasgow). I loved the area! Where in Aberdeenshire do you live? Yeah, Scotland is full of amazing tools from what I've heard. How did you get into hand tools in Scotland?

[@jonhohensee3258]

Seems a shame to hide nice dovetails.

[@WoodAndShop]

Yeah, it does! But the fancy English thought they were provincial.

[@bighands69]

@Jon Hohensee In fine furniture making it is improper to show the joints exposed.

[@jonhohensee3258]

@@bighands69 - YOU'RE improper.

[@bighands69]

@@jonhohensee3258 I am only telling you the tradition. New age people like us do not understand it.

[@jonhohensee3258]

@@bighands69 - You don't scare me.

[@ObiTrev]

This should have been titled "How To Make Men Out Of Boys"

[@TheRedbeardster]

Beautiful but too time consumptive.