Just realized I've been cutting all my drawer fronts wrong for the past six months because I was ignoring the grain direction on the plywood.

I was fitting a drawer for a client in Tacoma and noticed the front looked wavy after finishing, which tipped me off when I saw the grain lines running perpendicular to the drawer pull.

3 comments

3 Comments

jesse_white192mo ago

Grain direction is a killer on plywood projects. I started marking a big arrow on the back of every sheet before cutting. It saves me from making that same mistake again.

reeseanderson2mo ago

Oh man, that's a total game changer. I've ruined more than one piece by cutting against the grain because I forgot which way it ran. Your arrow trick is going straight into my shop routine.

wrenh7926d agoTop Commenter

Jesse_white19's arrow trick is probably the only reason my coffee table didn't end up looking like a pizza box. I mean, who knew wood could be so dramatic about which way you cut it. At this point I'm half tempted to just tattoo arrows on my own arms so I don't forget. But seriously, that habit of marking the back has saved me from at least three scrap bin trips this month.