Can we talk about how I used to hand-cut dovetails for every drawer?

I spent years cutting dovetails by hand for kitchen cabinets. Every single drawer joint took me 45 minutes with a chisel and saw. Then I got a job in Denver where the client wanted 30 drawers done in a week. I grabbed a router and jig from a buddy and finished in 3 days. Now I only hand-cut for furniture pieces where the customer pays extra. Anyone else switch to power tools and never look back?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_morgan7521d ago

30 drawers in a week with hand tools? That's absolute madness, I would've quit on the spot. Switching to a router jig for that volume isn't cheating, it's survival. Hand cutting is a luxury most clients won't pay for and most bodies can't handle.

jesse_cooper20d ago

The real trick is learning the jig well enough that the dovetails still look custom once you ditch the guide bushings and freehand the pins.