Appreciation post: hand-cut dovetails over router jigs any day

I know most guys in the shop swear by their Leigh jig for dovetails, and I get it, speed matters. But last week I had to match a set of drawers on a 1940s hutch restoration in Portland, and the router just couldn't nail the spacing or the look. So I grabbed my dozuki and cut them by hand, took me about 4 hours for six drawers. The client saw the joinery and said it looked like the original work, which never happens with machine cuts. Plus you get that slight variation that tells a story, not a factory repeat. I'm not saying ditch your jig for production work, but for custom pieces where feel matters, hand cutting wins. Has anyone else found an old technique that just works better in specific situations?

3 comments

3 Comments

noahmartin22d ago

That 4 hours for six drawers is pretty telling though. I worked on a similar old piece last year, a blanket chest from the 30s, and trying to match the original pin angle with a jig was a nightmare. Did you have to sharpen your chisels more than once during that job, or were you working with softer wood than the white oak I was dealing with?

ellis.susan22d ago

My chisels got dull so fast I switched to a rasp and file for the last drawer.

the_jennifer22d ago

@noahmartin I feel this so hard (my chisels are basically glorified pry bars now).