Dovetails - a bit of history

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rafezetter

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I was lucky enough to spend some time in the USA recently and visit the Metropolitan Museum of New York, "The Met".

Walking around the Egyptian exhibits I spotted something quite interesting - 2 wooden boxes that had been buried with a Pharaoh - what caught my eye was the corner joints.

Dovetails. The boxes were dated circa 1459 - 1478 BC, so roughly 3,500 years ago.

Pretty sloppy I have to say :p, but if they were good enough for a Pharoah, I guess those of us who are not so great at them can take heart.

20220121_152628.jpg
 
I bet there are stone-age dovetails somewhere - some sort of tank made with slate slabs perhaps.
DTs could be de-mystified as just a very useful, essential and easy joint - not the amateur woodworkers focus on stupendous woodworking skill backed up by dozens of gadgets.
 
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