A Journey in Joinery

Cason t -

Hello! Welcome back to my blog.

Over the past week, I’ve been planning out the dimensions of the board and researching techniques to make it. The squares of the board will be 2×2 inches, covering a 16×16 inch space. With the addition of a border, it will be an 18×18 inch area.

To join the borders of the board together, I’ve settled on two kinds of joints: a miter joint or a dovetail joint. The miter joint is simpler, as it only requires cutting a 45-degree angle on the ends and gluing them together. In contrast, the dovetail joint involves creating notches in the wood ends to fit together like puzzle pieces. I chose these two types because I really like how the dovetail joint looks more interesting and complex than other joints, but the miter joint gives me an alternate route if the dovetail joint proves too difficult.

This week, I will be creating a prototype for the board and testing to see which joint will be used in the final iteration. The actual board will feature a checkered pattern of cedar wood for the white squares and walnut wood for the black squares. I chose cedar and walnut because they are softer woods, making them easier to carve. Additionally, cedar wood is less expensive, allowing for more test runs and better budgeting. The choice of dark wood is open to change, so if I find one that fits the design better, I can swap it out in place of the walnut. However, for the prototype, I will not be using walnut wood to save some money, in case I mess up.

Here are some pictures:

My father's walking stickReference board

The first image is of my father’s walking stick that I referenced in my last post. The second image is of a board I own, serving as a reference to how the design of the board will look. The reference board also uses a miter joint on its border.

Stay tuned to see which joint makes it to the final version of the board and follow along with my woodworking journey!

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Comments:

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    danielle_l
    Good day, Cason! It was fascinating to read about the intricacies of woodworking in this post; I can't wait to see what part of the craft we'll all learn next through reading your blog. I just searched dovetail joints out of curiosity, and they really do look like satisfying puzzle pieces. Where are you going to obtain the wood needed for your board? I'm excited to see the prototype when you test it!
    February 25, 2025 at 1:52 pm - Reply
    nick_a
    Hey Cason, I have to agree that the dovetail joint looks really interesting. I'm excited to see your first prototype when it comes together! Do you have the materials needed to carve the set already?
    February 25, 2025 at 2:51 pm - Reply
    allison_h
    Hi Cason! It was so interesting to learn about all the little details and considerations needed for wood work, especially how each type of wood varies. What tools will you be using to carve the wood?
    February 25, 2025 at 5:18 pm - Reply
    katherine_v
    Hello Cason! The explanations of the two different joints was really cool. I hope you'll be able to do the dovetail joints since you like them, even if they are difficult. Will your prototype be the same size as the final product to ensure everything works to scale? Or is it possible make a smaller prototype to save materials while also seeing if the joints still work?
    February 25, 2025 at 8:18 pm - Reply
    cason_t
    Hello Danielle! I'm glad you agree about the dovetail joint. Right now, I am just getting my wood from Home Depot, but since their quality of wood isn't always the greatest, I may look into other sources.
    February 27, 2025 at 12:02 pm - Reply
    cason_t
    Hey Nick! I have purchased some of the white woods, but I still need to buy the dark ones and the clay. I will purchase all of the wood soon and the clay later down the line. Thank you for the comment.
    February 27, 2025 at 12:06 pm - Reply
    cason_t
    Hi Allison! Some tools that I'll be using to carve wood are a hammer and chisel, a coping saw, some carving knives, and sandpaper. Thank you for the comment.
    February 27, 2025 at 12:10 pm - Reply
    cason_t
    Hello Kathy! The prototype will probably end up being larger than the final product, so I have more room to work with and practice. Although it will use more materials now, I hope it will improve my skills so I can save on materials on my final version. And in terms of size, the scaling should prove pretty simple. I hope that answers your question.
    February 27, 2025 at 12:21 pm - Reply

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