Dropped $340 on a dovetail jig before I learned to cut them by hand

I bought a Porter Cable dovetail jig about 2 years ago thinking it would speed up drawer boxes. Turns out I burned through 6 practice boards and still couldn't get the fit right, the thing sat in my shop for 4 months while I used it as a doorstop. A guy named Ray at my lumber yard in Boise showed me how to mark and saw them by hand in about 20 minutes and now I actually enjoy the process. Has anyone else bought a jig they regret, or is it just me?

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the_jennifer9h ago

My wife still gives me crap about the biscuit joiner I bought in 2019 for a bookshelf project. Used it twice, hated the sloppy joints, and it's been sitting on the bottom shelf of my bench ever since. Last month my 12 year old needed to glue up a skateboard ramp and guess what, he just used wood screws and it's holding fine. Sometimes the simple way just works better and the fancy tool is a waste.

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