That time a retired cabinetmaker showed me why my drawer boxes were failing

I was installing some kitchen cabinets for a client last month in Portland, and an old timer who was ripping out the old kitchen stopped to watch me. He pointed at my drawer boxes and said, "Son, you're using dovetails on plywood and that's just wasting your time." Then he showed me how he uses a simple lock miter joint with glue and pin nails, and it's been way stronger on my last 3 projects. Has anyone else had an old school guy totally change your approach like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela_harris1mo agoMost Upvoted

That old timer's advice is gold. Had a retired machinist stop by my shop once and call my dados "fancy overkill" for shop cabinets. He showed me a shiplap butt joint with glue and 18 gauge nails that held up better than any rabbet I ever cut. Switched over for everything except face frames and never looked back. These guys have been doing this since before pocket screws existed and they know what actually works in the real world. Sometimes the simple, ugly joint is the strongest one.

jessica1301mo ago

That article in Fine Woodworking said the same thing about @the_linda's beaver joints.

the_linda1mo ago

Same old cabinetmaker told me my dovetails were pretty but useless. Then he showed me how to cut a lock miter with a table saw and a prayer. My first attempt looked like it was cut by a blind beaver but I'll be darned if it didn't hold better than my fancy ones ever did.