Hit 200 custom drawer boxes in a row without a single blowout. Didn't think that was possible.

Been building cabinets over 12 years now. Always had the occasional tearout on drawer box joints. Maybe 1 in 30 or so. Nothing major, just a chip here and there. Switched to a sharper blade and changed my feed direction on the router table. 200 boxes later, zero blowouts. Kinda blew my own mind. Anyone else track stuff like that or just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

leow907d ago

Have you considered that tracking stuff like this might actually help you spot tool wear patterns way before they cause problems? I used to just deal with random tearout until I started counting like you, then realized my router bit was going dull around the same time every batch. Your 200 box streak is telling you that your current setup is dialed in but also setting a baseline so when you hit number 150 and see a chip you'll know something changed. That's way more useful than just shrugging off one in 30 as normal. Does knowing your exact failure rate help you plan blade changes better?

emery_taylor7d ago

Gotta be honest, I'm not sure this is something worth tracking that close. One little chip in 30 boxes is pretty standard stuff for any shop running production. Nobody is going to see a tiny tearout on the inside of a drawer box joint anyway... it's a drawer box, not a showpiece. Feels like you're making a big deal out of something that just happens when you're working with wood. The sharper blade and feed change probably helped but 200 boxes isn't really a huge number to brag about.