My uncle, who's been a finish carpenter for 40 years, just called my dovetails 'factory perfect' and it kinda pissed me off

I was showing him a walnut jewelry box I made, feeling pretty proud of the hand-cut joints. He looked at them, nodded, and said, 'Looks like a machine did it.' I mean, I know he meant it as a compliment, but it made me realize I've been chasing this idea of flawless, repeatable precision that maybe kills the soul of the piece. Now I'm thinking about leaving a tiny bit of saw kerf visible on purpose next time. Does anyone else struggle with this push for perfect over character?

3 comments

3 Comments

hayden_johnson1mo ago

Wait, I get where you're coming from, but I actually love when my handwork looks machine clean. For me, the soul is in knowing I did it, not in showing the struggle. If I can make a dovetail that sharp by hand, that's the whole point to me.

the_rose13d ago

Human proof" feels like a made up thing to me. If you need to see a plane mark to know a person made a table, what does that say about the rest of it? A perfect dovetail is proof of skill, not a lack of soul. People just like different things and call it deep.

sam_rivera1mo ago

My old shop teacher told me to leave one small, clear mark of the hand on every piece. I started leaving a single plane stroke unfilled on the underside of tables, and it completely changed how I feel about my work. That tiny bit of human proof matters more than perfect lines.