Hand-cut dovetails vs router jig, I finally switched sides after 20 years

I mean, I learned on hand-cut dovetails in the 90s and always swore by them. Last year I took on a kitchen job in Portland with 14 drawers and the deadline was tight, so I borrowed a Leigh jig from a buddy. I figured it would feel like cheating, but honestly the fit was perfect and I knocked out all the drawer joints in a day and a half instead of a week. I still do hand-cut for the fancy furniture pieces, but for production work I think I'm sticking with the jig now. Anyone else made the jump and regretted it or went back?

2 comments

2 Comments

lane.eric9d ago

Man, same here. Used to talk down on jigs something fierce, figured it wasn't real woodworking. Then a buddy made me try his on a set of shop cabinets and the joints were so clean I just sat there staring at them. I still keep a dovetail saw around for the nice pieces, but for a big job with a deadline, yeah, the jig wins every time now. It's just math and patience versus a whole lot of fussing.

brian_rivera599d ago

That’s the same thing I see with everything now, from cooking to cars, people hold onto the old way until time forces them to pick the faster tool. Once you see what a jig can do, the hand-cut stuff becomes a weekend hobby, not a job.