The great drawer slide spacer debate at the Milwaukee job site

I keep seeing guys use a random scrap of 1/2 inch plywood as a spacer when installing undermount slides. It's always a different, warped piece, so the drawer gaps are all over the place. I finally asked one guy why, and he said, 'It's close enough.' I had to show him my set of machined aluminum spacers from Rockler to prove how much faster and cleaner it is. What's the weirdest 'close enough' shortcut you've seen someone else take on a job?

2 comments

2 Comments

willow_king44m ago

The eye won't catch it" is the most dangerous phrase in the trade. That kind of thinking just trains clients to accept bad work.

xenan643h ago

My last boss insisted on using a bent framing square to check cabinet installs for plumb. It was off by a solid quarter inch on the long leg, so every single upper cabinet in that whole kitchen leaned. His exact words were "the eye won't catch it." Drove me up a wall. I finally bought my own stabila level and kept it in my personal bag. Some people just have zero pride in straight lines.