Finished my 15th bookshelf this weekend and it finally clicked

I've been building custom bookshelves in my garage late at night for about two years now. For the longest time I was dead set on using pocket holes for every joint because that's how I learned and it felt fast. But a few months back I read a forum post from a cabinet maker in Ohio who swears by dado and rabbet joints for shelf stability. I brushed it off as old school thinking until I hit my 15th build last Saturday. When I set the shelf on my workbench and gave it a shake test, I could feel the difference in rigidity immediately. No more wobble, no racking side to side. That number 15 made me stop and realize I had been avoiding a better method for no good reason. Has anyone else hit a project count where you suddenly questioned your old habits?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_park621d ago

That bit about "pocket holes still have their place" really resonated with me because I feel like I'm always defending my habits too. I definitely get the time savings argument, but there's something about feeling that solid connection on a shelf that makes me rethink shortcuts. It's like once you hit that point where the extra effort pays off, it's hard to go back without feeling like you're cheating yourself.

river35121d ago

Pocket holes still have their place though. For face frames and quick assemblies they save so much time that the marginal strength gain isn't worth switching. Depends on what you're building, really.