Rant: Went to the AWFS show in Vegas and everyone was gushing over CNC routers like they're the only way to make cabinets now

I get the appeal of CNC. Faster, repeatable, all that. But I walked through half the show floor and every booth was just pushing another router setup. Nobody talking about hand joinery or custom one-off work. I do high end kitchens in Dallas and my clients pay for hand detailed stuff not machine cut parts. Am I the only one who thinks the rush to automate everything is killing the craft? Anyone else still doing mostly hand work?

3 comments

3 Comments

calebc401mo ago

Get a laser engraver and a doweling jig setup to bridge the gap, lets you add hand-cut dovetails or inlays while still using the CNC for the boring box parts clients never see.

moore.beth1mo ago

Try doing your rough cuts and jointing on the CNC first but keep a 1/16th inch of waste, then flatten and true everything up with handplanes before you do the final inlay passes. A couple thousandths difference between boards adds up fast when you're stacking alignment jigs on top of each other.

phoenix_bailey1mo ago

Gotta ask about the doweling jig specifically though - are you jointing boards edge-to-edge before you run them through the CNC or after? I tried doing it after once and the whole panel warped just enough that my alignment pins were off by like 1/32nd, completely screwed the inlay spacing on a walnut jewelry box. Ended up re-cutting all 12 pieces on a Saturday.