A seamstress at the fabric store fixed my drawer alignment habit

Went to pick up some upholstery fabric for a banquette and ended up talking to the lady cutting it. She said I was squaring up my drawer fronts like I was stitching a hem, all pinning down one side then the other. She told me to set the face on, tap the reveal gauge, and shim the back edge once before tightening. Tried it on a 6 drawer dresser this week. Took half the time I normally burn fighting the same cabinet over and over. Anyone else get tips from outside the trade that just work better than what the old guys showed you?

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robin_foster123d ago

Did you catch that trick where she said to shim the back edge just once before tightening? That part got me, cause I always fought with leveling the front face first. I read somewhere that Japanese woodworkers do the same sort of thing, they set the face by feel and then lock the back down last, but never heard it put so plain. The seamstress angle makes sense though, she’s used to setting one edge true before committing to the other. I tried it on a bathroom vanity, and it clicked. Makes you wonder how many good methods are hiding in totally different trades, right?