Measure twice, check orientation, then cut.

While building kitchen Mk.2 I made a cutting error that cost me time and money to fix.

Late in the day and two inches short.

The vertical divider panels have tenons on three sides. If I were a better engineer, the tenons on the top and bottom side would be centered and this wouldn’t have been a problem, but I’m not.

I laid out the front tenons when the divider panels were a single sheet of plywood so they would all be at exactly the same height. The unintended consequence of this was that the tenons were marked as parallel lines across the full width of the panel.

As I was cutting, I test fitted each tenon onto the four holes it could go into. I was absolutely chuffed that the tenons all fit into the mortise holes. So chuffed, I got the panels turned around when cutting them. I neglected to look at the entirety of the bottom panel when I was test fitting.

Much better

So please, learn from my mistake. Try to keep front and back straight.

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Author: rexplex

With a bachelors degree in history, I turn wrenches for a living. I’m most at peace when I hear the wind in the trees or the gurgle of a brook. I’m a believer in the Renaissance Man, as epitomized by DaVinci engineer, artist, soldier, statesman. As Heinlein said, “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

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