Old timer at the lumberyard called me out on my joinery
I was standing at the counter at Windsor Plywood in Denver last Tuesday, grabbing some oak for a dining table job. This guy, must have been 70, saw me checking my list and asked what I was building. I told him about my plan for through-tenons on the legs and he just laughed. He said 'son, you're making furniture for people who don't even know what a tenon is. None of them are gonna flip that table over to admire your work.' It hit me hard because he was right. I spend hours on joints that get hidden under a tablecloth or buried in a baseboard. He told me to focus on the surfaces people actually touch and see, like the top and the edges. Now I'm rethinking how I allocate my time on every project. Any of you guys ever had someone make you question your whole approach to a build?