Wood Magazine 182 by Bill Krier

Author:Bill Krier
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Wood, Home and hobby woodworker
Publisher: Meredith Corporation
Published: 2008-03-25T04:00:00+00:00

cost jig, the investment in tools for either method is comparable.

About the contenders

Besides teaching classes in cabinet construction, Jeff also completed a one-week class in joinery that covered hand-cut dovetails at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking (marcadams. com} in Franklin, Indiana* In the two years since then, Jeff has become proficient at crafting these joints. Pat has experience with many dovetail jigs and is adept at their setup and adjustments.

The outcome

As shown in the time line, Pat was the winner, completing all three drawers in 40 minutes, Half of his time was used to measure the sample joint, set up the jig and router, and make test cuts. The other half was used to rout the tail and pin boards and assemble the drawers,

Jeff was able to complete just one drawer in 97 minutes. His total time for pin layout for all three drawers, and tail layout for one drawer, was 15 minutes. The remaining time he spent sawing, chiseling, and fine-tuning the joints to assemble the drawer. "I knew that I was in trouble when 1 heard Pat start to machine all of the pin boards while I was just chiseling away at the first two boards for the first drawer/' Jeff notes.

Post-match analysis

Although the joints produced by both methods look great, it took Jeff about twice as long to hand-cut and fit the joints for one drawer than it did for Pat to machine-cut and assemble all three drawers. Adding a projected time of 85 minutes for each of the remaining drawers, it would have taken Jeff 4Vt hours to complete the task,

Pat and Jeff agree that when you have a lot of joints to make, such as for kitchen-cabinet drawers, opt for the timesaving machine-cut process. If you have only one or two drawers to build, go with the hand-cut method unless you're able to quickly set up and adjust your jig and router. (The hand-cut method also creates less fine dust and noise.) For an heirloom project that deserves a handcrafted look, characterized by fine scribe marks for the lengths of the pins and tails, the choice is obvious—reach for your hand tools. ♦

Written by Owen Duval I Photographs: Eric Salmon

Better Homes and Gardens®

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