Hit 1000 drawers built in my shop this week. Never expected that number.

I started keeping a tally on the wall board just for fun about 3 years ago and I hit an even 1000 this Wednesday. Most of them are dovetailed drawer boxes for kitchen and bath remodels around town. Has anyone else kept a running count on something in their shop and surprised yourself?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth_hart6823h ago

Right, because we're all out here building fine art furniture instead of plywood drawer boxes for people who slam them shut with dirty dishes inside. My board doesn't know the difference between a sloppy half-blind and a museum piece, it just tracks how many times I've wanted to throw my chisel across the room. Stone.jesse probably has a tally of how many times he's gotten sawdust in his coffee, which is a way more honest count of a woodworker's life.

gavin_kim31d ago

Kept a tally on dovetails for a couple years myself, never thought I'd hit that many.

stone.jesse1d ago

I hear you on keeping a tally, but I gotta respectfully disagree that the numbers tell the whole story. In my experience, counting dovetails just gives you a sense of volume, not quality or consistency. I've seen guys churn out a hundred dovetails in a week that look rough compared to someone who takes their time on a dozen. The count can make you feel good, sure, but it doesn't measure how tight those joints fit or how clean the pins and tails line up. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I'd rather have a small pile of perfect dovetails than a mountain of sloppy ones any day.