c/cabinetmakers

Hot take: I stuck with my old hand-cut dovetails for years before trying a jig.

The jig got them done in 20 minutes flat, but the hand-cut ones from my first shop in Spokane just feel different. Anyone else have a method they know is slower but can't give up?

Rant: A simple drawer slide install turned into a two-day project

I was putting in some undermount slides on a built-in last week, and the cabinet side walls were just a hair out of square. I figured I'd shim them and be done in an hour. The shims kept slipping, the holes wouldn't line up, and I had to re-drill the mounting plates three separate times. What should have been a quick job ended up taking me almost sixteen hours over two days. Has anyone else had a simple hardware install go sideways because of a tiny framing issue?

Just had a cabinet door hinge fail on a finished install, client was not happy.

Choosing between pocket screws and dowels for a big built-in

Had a client in Boise who wanted a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, and I debated using pocket screws for speed or dowels for strength. Went with dowels and spent an extra day on it, but the thing feels rock solid now. Anyone have a rule of thumb for when you switch from one method to the other?

My old boss said to never use pocket holes on face frames, but I just finished a kitchen where they saved the day.

I used to hand-cut every single dovetail for my drawers, but after a custom kitchen job in Portland required 42 drawers in 3 weeks, I finally broke down and bought a jig.

Now I spend half the time on joinery and can actually focus on the finish work, but part of me still feels like I sold out a little bit, you know?

I just finished my 200th drawer box and the number made me stop and think

I was cleaning up the shop yesterday and counted all the drawer boxes I've built this year. I hit 200 exactly. That's a lot of dovetails and drawer slides. It made me realize how much of our work is hidden inside the cabinets, but it has to be perfect. I spend more time on those boxes than on some of the fancy door fronts. Does anyone else track a simple, repetitive part of the job like that? It's weird how a big number on something small can show you where your time really goes.

I always thought those magnetic drawer catches were a cheap gimmick, but installing a set on a built-in for a client in Phoenix changed my view.

Warning about that new 'fast-dry' finish from the big box store

I used it on a maple vanity top for a client in Tacoma, and after three months the finish clouded up and felt sticky. The old stuff from the same brand never did that, so I think they changed the formula to make it dry faster. Has anyone else had this problem with their newer cans?

Tried to use my old belt sander on a maple countertop and it looked like a bad haircut

I was in a rush to finish a job in Portland and thought I could just knock down some glue squeeze-out with my 3-inch belt sander. It grabbed the grain and left a deep, wavy gouge about 6 inches long that looked totally crazy lol. I learned that maple needs a way lighter touch and a proper orbital sander for final passes. Anyone have a good fix for a deep sanding mark without having to take off a ton of material?

My go-to drawer slide jig snapped on me this morning

The 3/4 inch plywood arm just gave out after about five years of use. What's a more durable material I should use for the replacement?

PSA: A client in Boulder asked me to build a cabinet with no visible fasteners at all

He was very clear, saying 'I don't want to see a single screw or nail, not even a pin.' I ended up using a complex system of sliding dovetails and hidden dados, which added about 15 hours to the build. Has anyone else had a request that pushed your joinery skills to the limit?

Hot take: That 'reclaimed' barn wood from the auction last month is more trouble than it's worth.

Spent a whole week pulling nails and metal fragments out of every board, and my planer knives are shot. Anyone have a good supplier for clean, dry stock around the Midwest?

A client in Seattle asked me to leave a small flaw in their new kitchen island

I was finishing up a walnut island last week, and the homeowner pointed to a tiny, natural knot in the wood. She said she wanted it left as is, not filled, because it showed the wood had a real story. I've always been trained to make things perfect and seamless, you know? But her comment made me think about how we value 'flawless' over 'character' sometimes. Has anyone else had a client ask for something like that?

Serious question, why do so many shops skip the step of sealing end grain before applying stain?

I was staining a maple face frame last month and the ends soaked up way too much color, making the joints look blotchy. A quick coat of sanding sealer on the cross cuts before staining fixes it completely. How do you all handle this?

Heads up about that new 'fast-dry' wood glue everyone's trying

I saw three separate jobs in the last two weeks where doors started to separate because the glue joint failed. The stuff sets up quick, but the bond isn't holding up to seasonal movement like the old yellow glue. Has anyone else had a piece come back because of this?

I used to think pocket hole joinery was just for quick fixes

My buddy in Phoenix showed me a built-in he made with pocket screws and biscuits, and after 2 years it's still solid with no gaps. He convinced me to try it on a small cabinet project last month, and the alignment was perfect with way less setup time. Anyone have a favorite jig brand for bigger case work?

PSA: My $400 digital angle gauge was a total game changer for installs

I used to fight with my old magnetic level and a speed square for every single cabinet setup, especially on floors that were not flat. Bought a Wixey digital gauge last year and it cut my install time on a big kitchen job in half because I could get perfect reveals and shim points in seconds. Anyone have a different brand they like better for this kind of work?

A client asked me to build a cabinet without any visible fasteners

I was talking to a client in their kitchen last week, and they pointed at their old cabinets and said, 'I hate seeing all those screw heads, it looks cheap.' They wanted a new piece with no metal showing at all. I've always used pocket screws and plugs, but this made me stop and think about how much we rely on hidden hardware. I spent two days figuring out how to use only dowels and glue for the whole frame. Has anyone else had a client push them to ditch screws completely for a cleaner look?

That week we had to build a 12-foot walnut conference table in a damp garage

The humidity was crazy, around 80 percent, and the client in Asheville wanted it done in four days. We had to clamp everything twice as long and I spent a whole afternoon just re-planing the breadboard ends that kept cupping. Anyone else ever pull off a big solid wood piece in a space with zero climate control?

Shoutout to the older guy at the lumber yard who told me to try a card scraper on my curly maple

Update: That time I trusted a 'quick fix' wood filler on a walnut vanity

Had a client in Springfield who wanted a small repair on a solid walnut vanity top, and I grabbed a tube of 'Fast Set' epoxy filler instead of doing a proper Dutchman patch. The color match looked okay for about a week, but then the whole plug shrank and cracked, leaving a huge eyesore. Cost me $300 in materials and a full day to redo it the right way. Anyone have a filler they actually trust for fine furniture, or is it always better to just inlay a patch?

PSA: Stop using pocket screws for your main face frame joints

I keep seeing guys at the shop and online using pocket screws to join their face frame corners, and it drives me nuts. Sure, they're fast, but they rely on that tiny screw biting into end grain, which is the weakest hold you can get. I had a client's kitchen island frame start to open up after just a year because the builder used pocket screws everywhere. A proper mortise and tenon, or even a good dowel joint, takes a bit longer but it's for life. In my experience, that extra 20 minutes per frame saves you a callback and a repair job down the road. It's a corner you just shouldn't cut. Has anyone else had a pocket screw joint fail on a big piece?

Showerthought: I thought pocket screws were a cheap shortcut for way too long

For a solid five years, I refused to use them on any real project, thinking they were just for quick fixes. Then I had to build a set of built-in bookshelves for a client in a tight spot where clamps were useless. I tried a Kreg jig on a test piece, and the joint held up to a 200-pound pull test without a creak. I still use traditional joinery for show pieces, but now I see the pocket screw has its place. Has anyone else had a tool they swore against that ended up saving a job?

Hot take: I spent $200 on a fancy new router bit set and barely used it.

I bought a big set of profile bits for a big kitchen job last fall, thinking I'd need them for custom trim. The job changed, and I ended up using a simple round-over for 90% of the work. Those bits have been sitting in their case for almost a year now. I should have just bought the one bit I knew I needed. Anyone else buy a tool for a specific project that just collects dust?