Cutting Huge Bench-Size Dovetails

Last year while building a series of Roubo benches I discovered a quick and straightforward method for cutting the large half-lap dovetail that joins the end cap to the front laminate.

Soon after I dropped a line to Megan Fitzpatrick, managing editor at Popular Woodworking Magazine to see if she was interested in the article. My intention was to publish the info right here, but I thought it would be nice if the technique reached a wider audience, so I pitched the idea to Megan first. She agreed to the article and I got busy writing and sawing.

The article appears in this month's Popular Woodworking Magazine.  If you're about to build a bench, or something else with big dovetails, I think its worth reading. The method eliminates, without any compromises, any tedious or skill-demanding chisel work. I've used this technique several times since I first discovered it, and it's worked great every time.