Counted 127 dovetails on a single drawer box and it made me think

I was building a big jewelry cabinet with small drawers, each one needed hand cut joinery. When I finished the last one and added them up, the total hit 127. That's a lot of time spent on one part. Do you think hand cut dovetails are worth the extra hours for a high end piece, or is a good machine joint just as good for most jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

sethm742mo ago

Absolutely worth it, that hand cut detail is what makes a piece Special. I once spent a whole weekend on a single drawer front just for that perfect look.

jordanl822mo ago

Honestly, that sounds like a huge amount of work for something that gets hidden in a drawer box. Sethm74 can have his perfect weekend drawer front, but most clients just want a piece that works and looks good closed. A well-made machine dovetail is plenty strong and looks clean. The extra hours for hand cutting could be spent on design or finishing touches people actually see.

the_andrew1mo ago

How do you even keep your focus sharp for that many joints? I'd start getting sloppy around number fifty. For a jewelry cabinet where someone opens every small drawer, those hand cut details become part of the daily experience, not just hidden work.