Shoutout to the guy who told me to stop using pocket holes for everything

I had a 65 year old cabinetmaker in Tulsa tell me last fall that pocket holes are fine for face frames but garbage for case joints. Tried through dovetails on an oak cabinet build and the thing still feels solid after 3 months of heavy use. Anyone else made the switch away from pocket screws?

2 comments

2 Comments

rayc8315h ago

Got a big Kreg jig collection sitting in a drawer now after a similar wakeup call. I was building a heavy duty workbench and used pocket holes for the stretchers. After about six months the joints started getting loose and wobbly, drove me nuts. Switched over to sliding dovetails with some ash and that bench is rock solid even with me leaning on it all day. The thing is, pocket screws are great for quick stuff like cabinet backs or temporary fixtures but for anything that takes real weight or abuse they just don't hold up. You gotta match the joinery to the load, not just to what's fastest. Glad your oak cabinet is holding strong, thats the real test.

wyatt_fox6814h ago

Garbage for case joints" is basically my new motto whenever I see a Kreg jig now.