I'm not a huge resolutions person but around the first of the year I made a commitment to myself, and to my friends on Instagram, to cut a set of dovetails everyday in 2015. I added the hashtag "dailydovetail" and it seems a few folks around the Instagram community got on board with me. Dovetails are kind of considered the signature of an accomplished wood worker. I'd used them in the past but it was always a little unnerving when it came time. My results were hit and miss when I hand cut dovetails and it's a shop skill I've always admired and wanted.
My kids call my little practice sets "puzzles" and they kind of are. A "tail"(or several) is cut in one board, or workpiece, and mating socket(s) is cut to receive it. The "puzzle pieces" should go together tightly and, with the addition of glue, should last a lifetime, if not more. It's an exercise in patience, tool sharpening, and discipline. Sometimes I find myself waiting until after everyone's in bed to fire out a set before I turn in, or some mornings it's the first thing I do. I can honestly say that after about six weeks of daily dovetails I'm gaining confidence. My eye and sawing arm are working together and the "puzzles" are coming together more consistently. I'm incorporating dovetails anywhere I can, because I not only trust the joint, I enjoy cutting it.
I've got a long way to go. Lots of room for improvement and each day I try to stretch myself a little. A year seems like a really long time to do anything everyday but if the last six weeks are any indication, I think it'll be worth it.
