Sin City Woodworkers, a Vegas valley social and networking group committed to serious (and not so serious!) woodworking discussions, meet on the third Wednesday of each month to share everything from techniques and ideas to information about local suppliers and much more. Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 21 at 7:00 where machined dovetails will be the topic of the night. Lupe Nielsen will bring her Leigh Dovetail jig to the shop, showing us how to cut this complex joint.
The dovetail joint is one on the most widely used joints in woodworking, traditionally used in drawers and casework. There are a number of ways to cut a dovetail, and while using hand tools is popular, many hobbyists and professional shops rely on dovetail jigs to hasten the process. Typically, lower end dovetail jigs don’t offer adjustable pin spacing, but the Cadillac of all jigs - The Leigh Dovetail jig will be the focus of this meeting, with Lupe simplifying this complex technique for our group.
Leigh Dovetail jigs are universally recognized as the best on the market, and the Leigh D4R Pro is the most versatile and user-friendly dovetail joinery jig available. Lupe modified her older D4 with an upgrade kit to give it D4R capabilities, and she’ll be sharing some tips as she creates flawless joinery. They jig can create perfect joinery of all kinds — through dovetails, half-blind dovetails, sliding dovetails and box joints (finger joints). In just minutes, rout equally or variably spaced through and half-blind dovetails, not possible with template jigs.
Feel free to bring a project to present at Show and Tell, and as always - you’re welcome to bring a friend! Speaking of Show and Tell, we're tying the dovetail presentation together with Lupe's latest creation - her massive and gorgeous live edge Walnut desk, with angled dovetailed drawers, a waterfall edge and a fantastic cabinet pedestal. If you thought her Maloof rockers were amazing, wait until you see this piece! Andrew Moore of Reclaimed Secrets recently taught a "Working with Live Edge Slabs" class at the school, where Lupe created this masterpiece. (It's for sale, BTW....)
FInally, this is the last month we’ll be collecting dues for our 2017 season, and like every year - dues are completely voluntary. We’ll never twist your arm for the $20 it takes to call yourself a bona fide Sin City Woodworker, but it sure helps us defray the costs of running our group year round. And the best part - any monies left over go right back into the pockets of our members, so please consider joining our ranks this year.
This meeting will be held at Studio: Wood It Is!, 2267 West Gowan, unit 106 in North Las Vegas. As always, the public is welcome to attend the meeting, so members - please feel free to bring a guest along. But remember that there are a limited number of chairs in the woodshop. Attendees might want to bring a folding chair if they wish to sit during the meeting. If you have questions or need directions, call the studio at 702- 631-1870.
