The Irony of Technology - by Brent Hull - The Blueprint
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The Irony of Technology<br>As Technology Increases We Suck More at Craft
Brent Hull<br>Jul 24, 2026
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One of the great ironies in building is that as our technology improves, our skill and craftsmanship diminish. I wrote about this in my book, Building a Timeless House in an Instant Age. Realize that the greatest architecture and the longest-surviving buildings were built during an era of low technology. The Parthenon in Greece, the Colosseum in Rome, and the great cathedrals of Europe were all built without AutoCAD, without SketchUp, and without power tools. Sadly, the buildings we are constructing today with our robust technology don’t last very long.
I see this irony of technology in homebuilding happening right before my eyes. If we look at what has happened to cabinet making, you’ll understand my concern. Historically, making cabinets was very similar to making a piece of furniture. Made from solid wood, a craftsman would draw up a design, make a cut list for all his parts, handcraft his pieces, and then build the cabinets using hand-cut joinery with great attention to detail.<br>Thanks for reading The Blueprint! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
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Today, in most cabinet shops, the plans are drawn up in a software package on a screen. The computer program then creates a cut list of parts and sends it to a CNC router. An operator loads sheets of plywood onto a table, and the router cuts out all the pieces. Finally, an assembler puts the parts into boxes. What used to be design and craft has become simple assembly. There are no hand-cut joints. The maker’s hand work is gone. The life and beauty of cabinetry have been reduced to cheap boxes or disposable millwork.<br>I could spend the whole article on this, but an ad from a trade magazine a number of years back captures my frustration with technology taking over craft. Not only are the values of a lazy man getting rich skewed, but the craft of building is commoditized down to a timeframe, in this case, 11 minutes. Mind you, I own a mill shop, and we are also looking for efficiency and want to make doors and windows fast. What we need is to balance craft with technology. Technology does not and should not replace craft; instead, it should complement it and make it better.
We call the cabinets made in this manner “production” cabinets. Cabinet shops that build this way are a dime a dozen. They all use the same software, they have the same machines, and they design cabinets in the exact same manner. This means they rely on a standard library of parts, which is why all these cabinets look identical. They compete on price and time, and I know from experience that when times get lean, it is not a fun business.<br>I have made a few videos on cabinets, and I’m always looking to the past for inspiration. One video featured a bookcase I saw in the UK, a Robert Adam home, and I urge you to note the architectural details and proportions used to build and craft those cabinets.
Compound the cabinet dilemma with all the other parts and pieces made by machine, and it begins to explain why all our homes look alike. The windows are machine-made, the doors are faux-wood pieces glued in a mold, and the stairs are an assembly of pre-made parts. The magic of homebuilding happens when things are handcrafted and handmade. It also happens when we disengage from the machine making repetitive parts and instead pursue good designs from the past.<br>One of the wonders of the ancient world is the Parthenon, the Greek temple on the Acropolis in Athens. When scholars began to study the immense work it took to create this temple, it changed the way people thought about Greece as a culture. The carvings in the pediment were not just carved on the front, but on the back as well. The carved frieze astounded craftsmen with how much depth could be communicated in such shallow relief.
The same is true with Gothic cathedrals in Europe. There are carvings and details that will never be seen that were intricately worked out by a craftsman. The human component in building is vital for beauty. If we just rely on machines, our work becomes lifeless. The touch of the human hand in building is part of the magic.<br>Looking to the past is a great habit because it forces us to break molds. It forces us to look at a new way of building, and it causes us to solve problems. This is a good habit because it encourages us to build better. Technology will only continue to improve and advance, which means our craft as a society will be challenged. We have to push ourselves for more and better. Making the same boxes over and over is not the answer. Rage against the machine!
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Discussion about this post<br>CommentsRestacks
Robert Moulton-Ely
1h
Look no further than cabinet drawers....