Alright, let me tell you about this Dale Wainwright thing I tried out recently. Heard the name floating around, think it was in some woodworking group online. Someone mentioned his specific way of doing, uh, let’s call them ‘shelf brackets’. Looked sturdy in the pictures, and kinda different. So, I thought, why not? Always up for trying something new in the workshop.
Getting Started
First step was figuring out what Dale’s method actually was. Found a couple of blurry diagrams, looked like some kind of interlocking joint, maybe a variation of a bridle joint but with an angle? Hard to tell exactly. No clear video, just descriptions. Anyway, grabbed some scrap pine I had lying around. Didn’t want to waste good wood if this turned out to be a disaster.
Got my saw, chisels, marking gauge ready. Standard stuff. Spent a good hour just trying to transfer the idea from the fuzzy pictures onto the wood. Lots of measuring and re-measuring. Felt like I was guessing more than half the time.
The Actual Work (and the Problems)
Okay, cutting time. Started with the main upright piece. The angled cuts were tricky. My handsaw skills aren’t perfect, and keeping that angle consistent? Tougher than it looked. First attempt, the angles were way off. Wouldn’t fit together at all.
Then came the chiseling part. This was supposed to be the interlocking bit. Needed to clear out waste wood precisely.
- Chisel slipped once, took out a chunk I needed. Had to scrap that piece.
- Another time, I didn’t go deep enough. The other piece wouldn’t seat properly.
- It felt really fiddly. Like, one wrong move and the whole joint was ruined.
Honestly, I started getting frustrated. This ‘Dale Wainwright’ method, whatever it was supposed to be, felt overly complicated for a simple shelf bracket. Maybe his diagrams were clearer, or maybe he used some specialized jig I didn’t have. Or maybe I’m just not that good! Took a break, had some coffee.
Making it Work (Sort Of)
Came back with a different mindset. Okay, forget replicating it exactly. How can I get the spirit of this thing working with my skills and tools? I decided to simplify the angles a bit. Made them closer to 90 degrees where possible, easier to cut accurately. For the interlocking part, instead of the complex shape, I went for a simpler notch-out on both pieces. More like a reinforced butt joint, really.
This went much better. The cuts were cleaner, the chiseling was straightforward. It wasn’t the fancy thing I saw in the diagrams, but it felt solid. Glued them up, clamped them tight, let them sit overnight.
End Result and Thoughts
So, the next day, I checked the brackets. They were solid! Looked decent too, in a chunky, handmade way. Not exactly the ‘Dale Wainwright’ style, I guess, but they function. They’ll hold a shelf, no problem.
What did I learn? Well, sometimes these methods you see online aren’t as practical as they seem. Maybe they work for the person demonstrating, with their specific setup. But for the average guy in his garage? Might be more trouble than it’s worth. It was good practice for my measuring and cutting, I suppose. But I think for my next set of brackets, I’ll probably stick to simpler, proven methods. Less headache, faster results. This Dale Wainwright approach? Interesting idea, but just didn’t click for me in practice.
