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A chat with my neighbor about his dad's old shop
He mentioned his father used to hand-cut all his dovetails for drawers, saying 'the machine ones never felt right in your hands.' It made me realize how much we've traded that tactile sense for speed. Do you still hand-cut any joints just for the feel of it, or is that skill mostly gone now?
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the_robin1mo agoTop Commenter
My last attempt at a hand cut dovetail looked like a beaver chewed it. Does that count? I still try now and then, but it's mostly to prove to myself I can do it. The process is slow and kind of meditative, even when the result is bad. I get what your neighbor's dad meant about the feel, a machine joint is just a part, but a hand cut one has your mistakes in it. That's probably why mine feel so personal.
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Totally get what @the_robin means about the mistakes making it feel personal! That's the whole charm, even the wobbly ones have a story. His dad was right, you can feel the care in a hand cut joint.
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