c/cabinetmakers

Stopped by a local shop and they refuse to use plywood backs, just MDF. Thoughts?

Went into a custom cabinet shop outside Columbus on Friday and the owner swore by MDF for all backs, says plywood is a waste of money and time. I've always used 1/4 inch ply for the stability, but he's been doing this for 30 years. Which one's actually better for a typical kitchen that sees some humidity?

Took me 3 years to realize I was loading my dado stack backwards

Last week at a shop in Portland, an old timer watched me set up and just goes 'you know those teeth are facing the wrong way right?' and I felt like such an idiot. Has anyone else had a basic tool trick totally slip past them for way too long?

TIL I was pocket hole screwing my face frames all wrong

I watched a guy at a local shop in Portland last month show me why pre-drilling even with the self-tapping screws matters. He had a scrap piece of maple that split clean down the grain after I just sent a screw in like I always do. His piece? Perfect. No split, no tear out. He told me the tip is to spin the screw in slow and back it out once before final drive. I tried it on a batch of five frames this week and zero splits. Has anyone else had better luck with a specific approach for hardwoods?

Swapped to pocket screws after 15 years of dowels...

I always thought dowels were the only way to get a strong joint on face frames. But after 3 crooked glue-ups on a kitchen job in Denver last month, I tried pocket screws on a practice cabinet and the joinery came out dead flat every time. Anyone else make the switch and never look back?

Had to pick between pocket screws and dowels for kitchen cabinets I'm doing in Portland

I was building 15 shaker style doors for a kitchen remodel and couldn't decide if I should stick with my Kreg jig or pull out the doweling kit. Went with dowels because I wanted a cleaner look without any plugs showing. Took way longer to line everything up and messed up two frames before I got the hang of it. Doors came out solid though. Anyone else switch methods mid project and regret it?

A carpenter pointed out my drawer construction flaw last week

I've been building cabinets for 8 years and always glued my drawer boxes with pocket holes. He asked why I wasn't using dovetails for a $400 job. Had a customer complain about wobble 6 months ago and now I think I know why. Anyone else switch joinery methods mid-career?

Serious question, how long did it take you to realize drawer slides had left and right?

I was building a set of kitchen cabinets for my sister in law last month and spent literally 90 minutes fighting with a soft close under mount slide. Kept jamming up and I couldn't figure out why. After cursing and re measuring three times I finally noticed the little L and R stamped on the metal. Felt like a complete idiot. Has anyone else spent way too long on something that basic?

Shoutout to the guy who recommended using plywood sheets for cabinet backing instead of hardboard

I spent 12 years using thin hardboard that would warp after a season of humidity changes. Switched to 1/4 inch plywood on my last kitchen job and the difference in stability is night and day. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed better results over time?

PSA: Check your face frame joints after 6 months

I built a set of shaker-style cabinets for a client in Madison back in March, and this week I noticed the mitered corners on the face frames had opened up by almost 1/16 inch on three separate doors. The seasonal humidity swing from dry winter to humid summer caused the wood to move more than I expected, even with sealed finishes. Has anyone else seen this happen with poplar frames, or was it maybe my adhesive choice?

Stopped by a custom shop in Nashville last week and saw them using pocket screws on face-frame joinery... yikes.

The week I hit 300 pocket screws in 4 days straight

I had a rush job last month for a custom kitchen in Austin - 24 doors with shaker profiles. I blew through 300 pocket screws in 4 days because the client wanted everything assembled before the counter guys showed up. By day 3 my hand was cramping so bad I could barely grip a clamp. Anyone else ever push through a job like that and regret it the next week?

Hit 500 custom drawer boxes last month and realized my joinery method is way slower than it needs to be

I've been doing half-blind dovetails by hand for years but after counting my output I'm wondering if I should switch to a router jig for production work - has anyone else made that switch and regretted it or been happy with the speed gain?

Appreciation post: The old timer who showed me how to sharpen a chisel with a paper wheel

Met this guy named Hank at a shop in Nashville about 3 years ago. He saw me struggling with a dull chisel and just grabbed it out of my hand, fired up this paper wheel rigged to a bench grinder, and had it razor sharp in like 30 seconds. He said "son, sharpening ain't a chore if you stop fighting the steel." Has anyone else tried one of those paper wheel setups or am I missing something better?

Unpopular opinion: People overcomplicate face frame joinery

Been to a few shops in St. Louis this month and saw guys using pocket screws for everything even when pinned tenons would be cleaner. I get that pocket screws are fast but they leave those holes you gotta plug and they don't hold up as well on doors. Same thing with guys skipping the glueup on miter joints because they think the biscuit is enough. Why spend all that time on finish work if the frame is gonna split in 2 years? Anybody else notice shops leaning too hard on shortcuts that cost you later?

That old tape measure trick for door reveals blew my mind

I was helping a buddy hang some shaker doors last weekend and he showed me this simple thing with a tape measure to get perfect reveals on all sides without any guesswork. Just hook the tape on the edge and add 1/16th for each reveal you want, then mark it directly on the hinge plate. I've been doing cabinet doors for 12 years and somehow never thought of that, it saved me a ton of time on those adjustments. Has anyone else run into some basic trick that made you feel silly for not knowing it sooner?

That $400 vacuum bag system I bought was a complete waste of money

I dropped $400 on a Festool dust extractor bag setup thinking it would save me time on cleanup. Problem was the bags kept tearing at the seam after like 3 uses. I lost probably $80 just on replacement bags before I gave up. The shop I bought it from in Portland said I was using it wrong but I followed the manual exactly. Idk maybe I just got a bad batch but I went back to my old shop vac with a cheap filter. Has anyone else had this issue with those bag systems or did I just get unlucky?

Old timer told me to stop using glue on pocket holes, and I thought he was crazy

I had this guy named Frank at a shop I worked at in Portland about 5 years ago. He kept saying glue in pocket holes just makes a mess and adds no strength if the screw is tight. I ignored him for like 6 months and glued every joint on a big kitchen cabinet set I built. Then I had to take one apart for a repair... the glue didn't save it from splitting anyway. Frank was right, I wasted so much time cleaning glue squeeze out. Has anyone else gotten advice from an older cabinetmaker that you brushed off at first?

Old timer at a supply house told me my joinery was "too tight" and it stuck with me for months

He said I was leaving zero room for glue expansion and showed me a drawer he made 15 years ago that still slides perfect, has anyone else had some random old dude change how they do a basic joint?

Found out that over 60% of custom cabinet shops still use paper templates for complex cutouts.

Read it in a Fine Woodworking survey from last year, blew my mind that so many guys are still doing it the old way when a $200 digitizer would save them hours, anyone else stuck in the paper world?

Wasted $400 on a set of pre-finished doors that warped within two weeks of sitting in my shop

I stacked them flat with stickers like you're supposed to but the manufacturer didn't let them acclimate long enough before shipping and now I'm stuck fighting with the supplier for a refund while my client's timeline falls apart, has anyone else dealt with this from a big box supplier?

Rant: My brand new table saw fence was off by 1/16th and I almost sent it back

Last Wednesday I was ripping some walnut for a client's nightstand and kept getting these slightly off pieces. I checked my blade alignment, checked the fence, and sure enough it was out by about 1/16th over a 4 foot cut. I was ready to call the company and complain about a defective fence, right? But my buddy who's been doing this 20 years stopped by and said to check the rail mounting bolts first. Turns out two of them were just loose from shipping. I tightened them up, re-aligned with a dial indicator, and now it's dead on. Felt like a total rookie for not checking that first. Has anyone else found loose bolts on new gear, or is it just me getting unlucky?

Vent: My domino bit snapped mid-mortise on a $3k cherry table job

I was in my shop last Tuesday routing out mortises for a dining table when the bit caught a knot and sheared off at the collet. Had to scrap the rail and recut it, which set me back 2 hours and taught me to always check for hidden grain defects before plunging in.

Switched from pocket screws to dowels for face frames after 8 years

I used to run pocket screws on everything until a old timer in Nashville pointed out my joints were shifting after a humid summer. Now I use a self-centering dowel jig and the alignment is way better - anyone else made the switch and stuck with it?

Found a stat about maple vs MDF that kinda blew my mind

Tried that new European hinge jig from Lee Valley and had mixed results

I picked up one of those hinge jigs last month after seeing it at a show in Chicago. The thing is nicely made with aluminum parts and a solid case. But when I got it back to my shop in Nashville, I had trouble getting the depth stop to stay put on the first few doors. I ended up with three cabinet doors where the cup was too deep by about 1/32 of an inch. That meant I had to shim the hinges, which is not a good look on custom work. The jig worked fine once I figured out the locking screw needed a specific angle. Has anyone else had trouble with these jigs or did I just get a bad one out of the box?