Chris Becksvoort, the dovetail master at work
Just another dovetail video? Not really, when you can watch Christian Becksvoort dovetail a drawer packed into a 7-minute edit
A couple of months ago I found myself in Maine with a day to kill. The perks of my job are endless, but the fact that I often wind up in Maine with time to kill is one of my favorites. In planning ahead, I reached out to contributing editor Chris Becksvoort and asked if I could point a camera at him for a couple of hours while he worked in his shop. I didn’t really have anything in mind other than capturing the modern master of Shaker furniture at work.
These days, we are too often wrapped up in trying to capture every nuance of woodworking, and in doing so lose sight of the pace of the work being done and the attitude with which it is done. I can tell you with absolute certainty, Chris doesn’t mess around in the shop. There is work to be done and there are bills to be paid by doing it. In Chris’s shop, dovetails aren’t something to be fretted over or treated as a preciousness act, like us mere mortals tend to do. They are simply the next step of the build and they need to get done. Yet they’re perfect. I mean it—perfect.
Chris has written lots of articles for us about his dovetail methods—and they’re phenomenal. This video probably encompasses them all, but unfortunately there is no secret sauce to be had here. This is the work of a man who has cut thousands and thousands of dovetails. There is no hesitation in his work, no question as to what tool comes next, and certainly no wavering in the motions he uses. Deliberate is the only way I can describe the way Chris works. It is a sight to behold.
In this short video I tried to capture that attitude. I tried to capture what it’s like to watch a master work for a couple of hours. It’s not a how-to, or a step-by-step tutorial, but I think there are an incredible number of lessons to be learned.
Music: Lazy Monday by Dan Baird and Homemade Sin
Written by: Dan Baird, Warner Hodges, and Terry Anderson
More on FineWoodworking.com
- The Classic Shaker Style – Discover the difference between the masterful and the near-miss
- Don’t Fear the Hand-Cut Dovetail (Part 1) – For the first time, a modern master reveals every step of his system
- My Favorite Dovetail Tricks – Five ways to increase accuracy and reduce the time it takes to execute this hand-cut joint
Comments
Nicely done, Ben. I've seen other professional woodworkers in action, and they don't waste time. Time is money. As Lonnie Bird once told me (and our class), "When I need to sharpen a tool, I do it quickly and efficiently. I don't get paid to sharpen tools. I get paid to make furniture." When I see slow, way-to-deliberate woodworkers, I know they make a living some other way.
No, no, no... it can't be a video of Chris without Cowboy Junkies playing in the background. "Black-eyed Man" or something. LOL
Excellent video that captures the speed and efficiency of a master at work.
How about reducing the volume of the music (or not using it) so we get the sound of the work along with the visuals? Great to see the whole thing moving along without hesitation
Belt-sander and a drawer jig... now that's brilliant. No mucking around, just get the job done efficiently and ready for finish in one step.
I have to agree with ruby50, why do all videos here and on YouTube elsewhere, need to have annoying music.
It would have been a more enjoyable video, by hearing the saw or chisel, go into the wood.
What a treat it is to watch Chris. His craftsmanship is inspiring to all of us. Regarding the music.... just turn your volume down if it bothers you. The value in the video is not the music, it is watching Chris share his skills.
Welp, that was awesome. And now I need a belt sander :-D
Thanks Ben a crew great video. I have to admit I love watching Chris he is a true master. I have his video’s and his technique in the video is the same in real life. While I agree to disagree with some folks about the music I still enjoyed the entire video. Ben you have become a big asset FWW since joining thank you for you have done to make the over all magazine better.
Have met Chris multiple times at the Lie-Nielsen open house events and at Fine Woodworking Live in Southbridge, MA, a very difficult person to engage in a conversation with but when it comes to showcasing his woodworking he definitely lets his admirable skills talk for him.
Old Guys Rule !! The music is perfect for this easy going video. The basic rythm mirrors the master craftsmans movements. N.W M. No wasted movements. It's obvious he has done this joint a few thousand times. I did enjoy this NO FRILs demonstration and his eyeball techniques. I've been a professinal WW since 1972 and could easily relate towhat I saw. Nice video!
Great work Ben. More impromptu short clips featuring the Masters of the Craft would be welcome. Baird's music is a perfect match.
Wonderful video for all time!
Becksvoort is surely a master of efficiency—and beautiful work.
These videos are what keep me coming back to FWW.
Making a video record of these masters is an important role for any woodworking publication. Let's see more!
BTW, I liked the music.
Refreshing to see dovetails cut right (tails first)! And I was tracking up until the belt sander... (buy a plane please). And what is it with the need for speed? Fine woodworking is about the process, not the production rate... (but it sells a lot of jigs, fixtures and power tools). Finally, I agree with others... (drop the music please).
Wonderful. I think I learnt more in that 7 minutes than I have in the hours of how-to dovetail videos previously watched. So great to see the pace, the certainty, the absence of hesitation. This is how a master works, and I intend to emulate it util I get it right. And definitely time to update my belt sander!
Ben, what a great video. I'm going to have to give you some more slack.
It is an absolute pleasure watching a master of his craft at work!
Cool to see him expose the tight spots with graphite at 3:55. Reminds me of what my Dentist does to ensure a good fit.
Took a two-week class from Chris at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship (back in 1999 or 2000). Watching this video brings back a ton of memories that forged or influenced almost every aspect of how I do dovetails. Critical that each of us develop our own methods, adopting what makes sense for us. I didn't like using a belt sander back then and still don't like it. A hand plane is by far my preference. However, the drawer jig was new to me and I'll be making one this afternoon for completion of a current project. Thanks to FWW for making Chris's lesson(s) available for us to study and refer back to for generations.
Ben, I liked the whole enchilada - music and all. There's this thing called a volume control on your computer for all you naysayers who don't like the background tunes. Ben, you and Chris did a really nice job with this one. The closing photos of Chris' best friend and the flowers on the road are a nice closure as well. I'm stoked now, so thanks.
Love the video including the music. Great to see a simple process executed with skill and a little panache. Great tip on the drawer jig too.
annoying music. why not Mozart when Chris is featured.
A true professional. A surgeon's hand. I love watching a master at work. Thank-you for posting!!
That was an all-time great FWW video. Great job!
TR2000, Thank you. Even on low volume. I want to view the video like I'm standing next to him. How else would you watch a master. You don't think he's listening to this. repeat, repeat.....
Excellent video, Ben. I've got to watch it over and over now to study all the smooth steps he takes without wasting time. Nice piece of work!
Wait, doesn't anyone else want to comment on the (apparently) custom handle used to get a better grip for tightening those clamps at the 1:05 mark? Killer idea.
Also, not a fan of the music either.
I've watched it over and over. Great video. So many clever ideas. I like the adjustable spacer used to prevent his vise from racking. Shop made and perfect.
Excellent summary of techniques and assists in producing dovetails! I'm curious as to what the actual elapsed time was though of Chris's work on this.
I was there for about two hours, there was yapping involved in that time too. So, maybe an hour and a half of working.
Fantastic video and I love the use of the belt sander. One question, how in the world did he insert the plywood bottom after what appears to be the glue up of the drawer. I always have to remind myself to insert the bottom before glue up!
Jim
It's fairly common practice to cut the back short so you can insert the bottom like that. Check out this great article by Garrett Hack: https://www.finewoodworking.com/2010/06/03/how-to-build-solid-drawer-bottoms
What a treat for you, Ben! And the next step? Practice, practice, practice...thanks for sharing your day with us!
If you're gonna go w/ Dan Baird for music, no other choice but 'keep your hands to yourself.' There's gotta be a pun in there somewhere...
Super Ben! If the videos weren’t so good, it wouldn’t matter. Thanks.
I'm told it's fixed! Check now and let me know.
Thanks for the video, Ben. Another great job. Although I like the music separately, I would prefer just to hear the sounds of the tools and the ambiant sounds of Chris' shop. I have to completely mute the audio to be able to watch the video without being distracted. Any way we could possibly have two versions? One with the music and one without? Just a thought.
Thanks for the kind words and I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
I thought about releasing a version of this video without music, but honestly, for Chris and I, they're one complete unit. When I make a video like this, the edits are driven by the music. Not to mention, the music covers up elements that shouldn't be in there (i.e. a barking dog, me talking to Chris, and many other things).
The video and music are meant to be consumed together. Do I think that everyone is going to like the music? No, but one begot the other. The music wasn't picked with a light touch either. That is the song that started playing in my head once I started watching Chris work. Before I got there, I thought I was going to use a softer, more romantic sounding song. Once the dust started flying in the shop that day, this song was it. Thankfully, Dan is a close friend of mine and allowed me to use the track. (Full disclosure: I recorded the track in another lifetime – or ten years ago – can't remember which, either way, it will always be a special song for me.)
I don't like to think of myself as an "artist" with filming and editing, but for me, it is an artistic process, and as such, this was an artistic decision. I agree that sometimes it'd be nice to have a video like this without music, and I'll try and play around more with that idea. I appreciate everyone's understanding, but more importantly, I appreciate everyone watching the videos, sharing, and commenting. Without that, I can't be "artsy" every now and then.
Awesome, it’s working for me now on 6s iOS11 Safari. Thank you for the fix!
Ben: Can you confirm that Christian is using not a magical dovetail saw (which are very hard to come by) but an ordinary Lie
-Nielsen standard (or is it thin plate) dovetail saw?
Absolutely brilliant - - the master at work, the concept, the videography, and the edit. Thank you!
Ben, awesome job loved this video and I felt the music kept me engaged without my mind wandering. Hope to see more like this in the future. I learn so much just from watching these old-timers work. When I was still learning the art of finish carpentry some of the best guys would stop working when you walked in the room. I guess to keep the "tricks of the trade" to themselves.
Music is superfluous unnecessary annoying. Any type of music will offend someone, and this crappy country offends everyone with taste. We do not pay for entertainment. We pay for information. Keep this crap up and I am unsubscribing.
Ben,
This is a great video. I think the music fits nicely with the pace of work and edit. However, I am of such a nature that the music in a short video would never upset me so much that I'd feel the need to comment angrily about it. Perhaps I am not sensitive enough.
chris makes me want to sideline my leigh jig and give handmades a try ONE MORE TIME. as for the music, my vote is NO MUSIC. the mike pekovich kumiko video is my absolute favorite - apart from the wonderful work - because it's silent. i get it that some videos work with music, but watching chris becksvoort cut these dovetails elicits almost a sense of reverence that the music negates. but that's just me and i can easily hit the mute button, which i do. please, more videos of just watching a person work. they work on multiple levels.
Between this video and the three articles from Mr Becksvoort, I tried and (mostly) succeeded first time in hand cut half blind dovetails for a custom sized replacement drawer for a table that a colleague at work needed.
They weren't perfect, but the tips on how to fill gaps allowed me to make something that did exactly what was required.
(Have also now ground a chisel to a fish tail, and cut some saddle squares from aluminium profile to help layout.)
Sure the dovetail bit is awesome... but can we take a minute to admire the card catalog cabinet. #diebydeweydecimal nice work, y'all.
Chris' wife was librarian. He's got way more card catalogs than that!
Like a pep talk before the big game!
It is amazing to me that with such an excellent video to watch so may people are arguing over the music edit. Just hit the mute and play your own music (or not) and let the rest of us discuss a wonderful experience.
I love to parse through the video on the second or third watch to catch the details (as some others point out), for instance: It looks like he is using a slicing gauge to mark the pieces (not a pin gauge), and it has a eye screw in the end to hang it up by. He uses a great trick for marking out even dovetail spacing using the ruler at an angle, but then rather than reach for a square to extend the marks, he uses the old carpenter's "thumb & pencil" gauge to extend the lines (quicker). The width of the pins is set by the chisel he will use to chop them. I had to look hard to identify the Lie Nielsen dovetail saw by its handle (we only see it briefly). Is he using a shop-made handle to tighten his hold-downs or is that something available for purchase somewhere? While he's working he stores his chisels in his dog-holes, cool idea - they can't roll out of there and fall on the floor! He's chopping out about a 1/8-inch chip at a time so he will finish the chop-outs in about 6 iterations - efficient. Most of the time spent in each chop is devoted to aligning the chisel just right - makes sense. If you look at the angle of the chisel, it is clear that he undercuts his dovetails to eliminate wasted time going back and fettling the bottoms of the cuts. At least on this drawer, he chose to make blind dovetails rather than add a second face board to the drawer later, probably quicker (and nicer). He mounts the face board at a 45 angle in the vise so he can see both sides of the cut layout, and his saw is level to the floor - maybe a better stance? I couldn't see clearly but it looks like he has a third chisel, a fishtail, to clean the corners of the blind sockets - where did that come from?
When fitting the pins he uses the "follow the smudge" method discussed by Matt Wajda in his video on making the North Bennet Toolbox - nice! When fit it is clear that the tails are recessed in to the drawer face by about 1/32" which will be removed by the sander. For sanding the sides, it looks like he has a planing stop that runs the full length of the end of his bench which locks the pieces in place - cool jig! A belt sender with fine grit to remove layout and hold-down marks is clearly faster than a hand plane, but also more dangerous in the wrong hands - I would waste a lot of scrap before I trusted myself with this technique.
He apparently keeps a bin of pre-made pulls with long pins that are sized in length to individual drawer fronts. But, are they glued in place or just friction fit with the wooden clamp? I guess I would put some glue in the hole just in case (suspenders and a belt).
Now, let me run through that again...
You get me. I get you.
This an amazing video of a true master at work. I also realized why I have avoided doing dove tails for almost 40 years; I have been approaching the process of the work all wrong! Thanks Ben, and I happen to have liked the musical selection as it seems to amplify the pace and ease of Chris's work. Regards, Mike Strange
Simply wonderful video -- and so true to the way Chris teaches all of us to do the work. I am sorry to say I'm in the group who found the music to be a bothersome distraction, so I muted it -- which was too bad, as I would have liked to hear the music of Chris's saw and chisels.
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