My client's grandma told me her 1950s kitchen cabinets were built with just a hand saw and a dream.

Luna Thomas · 2026-03-26T16:15:05.967+00:00

She said they used pine from a local mill in Boise and the doors are still square after 70 years, which makes me rethink my whole 'need the perfect tool for every cut' mentality, so what's the oldest set of cabinets you've worked on that still held up?

hayes.tara5mo ago

Honestly that's survivor bias talking, most hand cut stuff from back then was junk and got thrown out. We only see the rare good ones that lasted, so it's a bad example. Good tools make good work way more often for regular people.

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sage2865mo ago

Just a hand saw and a dream" is probably why my last ikea build looked like a nightmare.

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olivia_webb4mo ago

Buddy of mine refinished a set from 1889 that still fit tighter than his new ones.

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