JFink

This is a terrific idea, thanks for sharing.

This is very cool, and very elegant.

Dave, your post reminds me that I wanted to ask whether SU is compatible with those digital "pens" some designers use in lieu of a common mouse. I suppose you would need to lift and tap the pen to start a line and that sort of thing, but it seems like it might be an intuitive way to use the system. Do you know if this is an option for this program when using a PC?

I'm far from being "done learning", MotorT. I continue to challenge what I know and how I do it. I can and have cut dovetails by hand, too. I just prefer to use a jig because it's quick, clean, and most of the time I'm not too concerned with not being able to create super-thin dovetail pins.

I'm simply saying that if the argument is about anything other than aesthetics--the true craftsmanship of woodworking for instance--then why not cut tenons, box/finger joints, rabbets, and dados by hand as well? Why not throw away the router and invest in molding planes? Why not sell the jointer and buy a set of jointing planes?

I just think it seems hypocritical to draw a line in the sand about dovetails, but then defend power tools and other jigs as perfectly acceptable "efficient" options.

I realize this is a slight departure from the main point of your post, but unless we are talking strictly about aesthetics, I see NO reason to pass up on the use of a dovetail jig. I'm a carpenter by trade, but consider myself to be at least a recreational woodworker. For me, beginning a jewelry box or some other casework with a nice clean set of jig-routed dovetails (I use the Keller system) gives me the confidence to try my hand at other more daunting upgrades on the project - wooden hinges, spinners, or maybe an inlay. Hand-cutting the dovetails right off the bat often leaves me feeling frustrated with my skill level, killing the momentum of the project.

Frankly, I think the lofty admiration of the almighty hand-cut dovetail is perpetuated by woodworking elitists, and it's added to drawers not for the strength it offers customers, but for the self-congratulatory pat on the back of the guy who spent umpteen hours hunched over the bench.

If purity and vanity are the the name of the game, then I suppose I should sell my jointer, thickness planer, and cordless drill, too?

See you at lunch, buddy :)
Your pal from Fine Homebuilding,
Justin