Rant: I spent 10 years chiseling dovetails backwards

I always cut my pins first on dovetails like I was taught, but last week a 70 year old cabinetmaker walked by my jobsite in Denver and asked why I was making it harder on myself. He showed me how cutting the tails first gives you way more control over the fit, especially on hard maple. Has anyone else had an old timer blow up something you thought was gospel?

2 comments

2 Comments

hollyg591mo ago

...and that’s exactly how it goes with most things in life, really. You learn the “right way” from someone early on and you just run with it for years without ever stopping to ask if there’s a better way. I’ve seen it with everything from loading a dishwasher to tying your shoes. Some little trick that saves ten minutes a day adds up fast. Good on that old guy for speaking up, most people just let you keep doing it the hard way and secretly judge you.

hayden_butler271mo ago

Wait, did you read that thing about the "Grandma Rule" for hanging towels? I saw it somewhere, it's basically the same idea hollyg59 - someone's grandma shows you one way and you just never think to question it lmao.