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+-- Thread: Pocket Screws Aren't All That Bad (/showthread.php?tid=7365838)
Pocket Screws Aren't All That Bad - AHill - 11-04-2021
Found this today. Stumpy Nubs isn't exactly a novice woodworker, and this video provides a pretty fair discourse on when pocket screws can provide a benefits to otherwise more traditional joinery.
RE: Pocket Screws Aren't All That Bad - Cooler - 11-04-2021
I use mostly dowels for cabinets, but I will also use pocket screws when precise registration is problematic (or just requires too much calculation).
There is a place for pocket screws, but mostly I use them for face frames. I think pocket screws and face frames are nearly universal nowadays.
I also use a biscuit joiner. And recently I built a cabinet from solid lumber and just nails and glue. That was an experiment. I had recently just dismantled a site built bathroom vanity that was exclusively butt joints and nails (no glue). It was over 70 years old and all the joints were still intact.
I wanted to see what the assembly would be like for a small cabinet using nails and glue. It was a wall-mounted medicine cabinet about 24" wide, 30" tall, and 6" deep. Once assembled it felt very robust. It is on the wall so it gains some structure there too.
RE: Pocket Screws Aren't All That Bad - JohnnyEgo - 11-04-2021
When I first discovered them a couple decades ago, they seemed like a game changer that allowed me to get things done. I've moved on to other methods I like better, but I still have a few of my oldest pieces of furniture that are pocket screw and face frame construction and are still going strong.
RE: Pocket Screws Aren't All That Bad - fredhargis - 11-05-2021
I like pocket for a number of things, and use them regularly. I've added some of the outdoor screws and a jig the the inventory as well. I didn't watch Stumpy, but I do find pocket screws to be a useful addition to the shop.
RE: Pocket Screws Aren't All That Bad - Cooler - 11-05-2021
I use my pocket screw jig infrequently, but it still finds some steady use.
I might dust off my biscuit joiner which I have not used in years. I think it would do well for fastening face frames to cabinets.
I have morphed to doweling. With the right dowel jigs, they can be easy and fast to work with.
I also have a deadlock. It works well, but it is tedious to use. As I recall it calls for 10 drilled holes per joiner.
RE: Pocket Screws Aren't All That Bad - AHill - 11-05-2021
Most of the carcases of my shop furniture use pocket screws. Quick, accurate, and strong. I've even used pocket screws for drawer boxes for utility drawers. I won't use them on heirloom furniture I build. As several of you have already mentioned, there's a place for them.
RE: Pocket Screws Aren't All That Bad - kurt18947 - 11-05-2021
(11-05-2021, 09:18 AM)Cooler Wrote: I use my pocket screw jig infrequently, but it still finds some steady use.The problem I had using a biscuit joiner for face frames is that when balancing the fence on the edge of the face frame, it was easy to plunge the biscuit joiner not quite square to the face frame. I jointed a 2 X 4 so it was nice and square and clamped that to the face frame or carcass. Now the biscuit joiner's fence had more to rest on and it was easier to keep square to the face frame. If the biscuit isn't perpendicular to the cabinet and face frame the frame can be offset a tiny amount from the carcass. Not much but enough to be noticeable.
I might dust off my biscuit joiner which I have not used in years. I think it would do well for fastening face frames to cabinets.
I have morphed to doweling. With the right dowel jigs, they can be easy and fast to work with.
I also have a deadlock. It works well, but it is tedious to use. As I recall it calls for 10 drilled holes per joiner.
RE: Pocket Screws Aren't All That Bad - R Clark - 11-05-2021
(11-05-2021, 10:38 AM)AHill Wrote: Most of the carcases of my shop furniture use pocket screws. Quick, accurate, and strong. I've even used pocket screws for drawer boxes for utility drawers. I won't use them on heirloom furniture I build. As several of you have already mentioned, there's a place for them.
Same at my shop. I'll use them for shop furniture or utility projects where appearance is not a factor.