Why does nobody talk about pocket hole jigs failing on hard maple

I was building a desk frame last Sunday with some hard maple from a local lumber yard and my Kreg jig just snapped two screws clean off inside the wood. Turns out the threads stripped because I didn't pre-drill for the harder wood, and now I have to clamp and re-drill the whole joint. Has anyone else run into this issue with dense hardwoods, or do you just avoid them for pocket holes entirely?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jason10d ago

So you're blaming the jig for not reading the wood's hardness chart for you? Maybe if you'd test your setup on a scrap piece first like everyone says, you wouldn't be surprised that maple fights back.

wren30110d ago

Man, that reminds me of the time I tried pocket holes in walnut and the bit just smoked.