16 years of kerfing plywood the hard way

I spent an hour and a half kerfing a curved reception desk in Portland last week and my forearm was killing me. Then the shop foreman walks over and shows me he just scores the back side with a utility knife in 3 passes instead of using the router like I've been doing since 2008. Has anyone else had a moment where you realized you were making a simple job way too complicated?

3 comments

3 Comments

faithj1020d ago

I saw a video where a guy just uses a sharp utility knife and it blows my mind every time.

the_jennifer15d agoMost Upvoted

Right, I used to be all about the router for curved cuts too. Thought it was the only way to get a clean edge. Saw that same utility knife video a few months back and felt like an idiot for all the dust and noise I put myself through. Tried it on some 1/2 inch birch ply for a cabinet face and it cut like butter. Three passes and I was done, no sanding needed.

rowan_hayes20d ago

Same here. @faithj10 that video you mentioned is exactly what changed my mind too. I spent years thinking if it wasn't loud and dusty it wasn't proper work. Router kerfing works fine but it's way overkill for most curved panels. Three passes with a fresh blade and you're done. No cleanup, no dust, no deafening router noise for 20 minutes. Felt kind of dumb standing there with earplugs in watching the foreman finish in five minutes flat. Now I only break out the router if the plywood is 3/4 inch or thicker. Everything else gets the knife treatment.