c/cabinetmakers

Learned the hard way why you don't skip sanding between coats of lacquer

Built a nice walnut nightstand for a client in Austin last month. I was in a hurry so I only did a light scuff on the first coat before spraying the second. Looked fine wet but after it dried, I got these weird orange peel spots that wouldn't buff out. Had to strip it all down and start over. Cost me an extra 8 hours and half a can of lacquer. Anyone else ever try to cut corners on prep and regret it?

1 comments

the_wendy•7h ago

PSA: Forgot to account for grain direction on a bookcase build last month

I was making a simple plywood bookcase for a client in Seattle and the face frame veneer started peeling up at the joints after just 2 weeks. Turns out I ran the grain vertical on the sides but horizontal on the shelves causing major expansion issues. Anyone else have a fix for avoiding this besides just using solid wood?

1 comments

nathan100•1d ago

Frameless cabinets with exposed particle board edges are a disaster waiting to happen

I was at a job site last Tuesday fixing a kitchen a guy had built just 6 months ago, and every single drawer box edge was swelling up like a sponge. He'd used standard melamine without banding the cut edges (you know, the cheap shortcut). I've seen this at least 4 times this year alone. Are you guys actually edge-banding every exposed panel end, or are some of you still skipping it?

2 comments

nathan100•2d ago

Old timer told me to skip the pocket hole jig for face frames

Guy named Jerry with 40 years in the trade said pocket holes on face frames will sag eventually on heavy doors. I ignored him and built a set of kitchen cabinets with them anyway, and 6 months later the door alignment started shifting on the bigger pairs. Has anyone else had this happen or was Jerry just old school and wrong?

2 comments

riverdavis•6d ago

Can we talk about the way new guys hinge doors like they're afraid of the jig

I keep seeing hinges set 3/8 inch off the edge instead of the standard 1/4 inch and then the door rubs on the face frame, has anyone else had to fix this for a new hire?

2 comments

max_hernandez27•7d ago

Twenty years of cutting dados and I just found out I was squaring them wrong

I was watching this old Finnish cabinetmaker's video out of boredom last week, and he flipped his square around to check the reference edge. I've been using the same framing square since 2003 and never once thought to flip it. Has anyone else had a basic habit blown open by a random YouTube rabbit hole?

c/cabinetmakers

Learned the hard way why you don't skip sanding between coats of lacquer

PSA: Forgot to account for grain direction on a bookcase build last month

Frameless cabinets with exposed particle board edges are a disaster waiting to happen

Old timer told me to skip the pocket hole jig for face frames

Can we talk about the way new guys hinge doors like they're afraid of the jig

Twenty years of cutting dados and I just found out I was squaring them wrong

Spent $400 on a new track saw and it just collects dust now

That time a master carpenter set me straight on drawer slides in 5 minutes

Why does nobody talk about clamping cauls for panel glue-ups

Visited a shop in Nashville that changed how I do drawer slides

Found out I've been wasting money on plywood for years

Old timer told me to never use particle board for shelving, I learned why the hard way

Caught an old timer using a spokeshave on drawer fronts

The one trick I learned for shimming out-of-square cabinets

Customer told me my dovetails were 'too tight' and I was shocked

Spent 4 hours today trying to dial in a perfect reveal on a shaker door because my new dial calipers were off by 0.015 inch.

Can we talk about how different my sandpaper pile looks after switching to a random brand?

Shop talk with a framer changed how I think about dust collection

Tried pre-finishing panels before assembly - total game changer

Spent 6 hours fighting a stuck miter gauge track

Please double check your tape measures before you cut

Hit 1000 cabinet doors built this week and had to stop and think about it

Realized I was sanding with the grain wrong for like 2 years

My domino just exploded during a glue-up in my shop last Thursday

Debate: is pre-finishing cabinets really worth the extra hassle?