My uncle, who's been building cabinets since the 80s, said I was overthinking my drawer boxes

I was stressing about getting perfect 1/16 inch gaps on all sides for a set of kitchen drawers. He came by the shop, looked at my setup, and just said 'Kid, the client opens it, stuff goes in, stuff comes out. They don't have a feeler gauge.' It hit different because he's right. I was burning maybe 2 extra hours per cabinet for a detail nobody but me would ever notice. Now I aim for a clean 1/8 inch and call it good. Has anyone else had a veteran just cut through the noise like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai_park1mo ago

Stuff goes in, stuff comes out" is how you get a reputation for sloppy work. Those extra two hours are what separate a real craftsperson from a weekend DIYer. Clients might not have a feeler gauge, but they can sure feel a drawer that rubs or sticks because the gap wasn't right.

jesser791mo ago

Ever think about how that extra care actually saves you time later? If a drawer sticks, you're not just getting a call back, you're driving out there, taking it apart, and fixing it on site. Those two hours in the shop prevent a whole afternoon of unpaid rework and an unhappy client telling their friends. The real cost of rushing isn't just a bad review, it's your own free time getting eaten up.

riverreed1mo ago

Honestly... how often do drawers actually stick? Feels like we're making up problems that don't exist.