There arepocket screws and particle board, when to not use Pocket Hole Screws.
Is it true that woodworkers are some of the most set-in- their-way people you will ever meet?I am talking about you if you are a professional woodworker.You should be warned if you are a beginner.We are going to discuss when not to use pocket hole screws.
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There are affiliate links in this post.I make a small commission from sales that result from these links, at no additional cost to you.You can read my full statement here.
Asking a simple question from a group of woodworkers will get you dozens of opinions and is likely to end in a heated debate.If you don't believe me, ask a question on a woodworking board or forum and wait for the tide to roll in.
I am exaggerating a bit.We are passionate about our way of doing things and tend to poo- poo anything that isn't up to our standards.I have tried to stay open-minded about things that are new or different because I grew up being taught by and sometimes disagreeing with my grandfather on woodworking techniques.
I am not snobbish about making something the easy way because I love teaching others to create their own pieces.Most people don't have the experience to build something.People want to make something quickly and cheaply.
My topic for this post is when to use pocket hole screws.Many woodworkers do not like using pocket hole screws for woodworking.They restrict the use to a few mundane tasks when they do.
The mainstay of the beginner woodworker is pocket hole screws.I have embraced the ease and simplicity that they bring to most projects.If you browse through my archives, you will find a lot of things I have built with my K5 and R3 jigs.*
There are times when I am against their use and when it is not appropriate to recommend them.Let's talk about when to use pocket hole screws.
You should not use pocket holes in places where they will be visible.If you don't care about the aesthetic of the piece, or if you are using plugs and will be painting it, there is only one exception to this.
My biggest pet peeve is this one.I cringe when I see people doing this on the web.I am talking about those farmhouse tables that use pocket hole screws to assemble the table top.
pocket hole screws can be used for table builds.I have a console table that was built with pocket hole screws.You should be aware of the results and build accordingly.You should never use that method for a dining table top.
Let me tell you that you may want to move on if you see someone building a dining table with pocket hole screws.If you're offended that I knocked your build-up, please let me explain it to you first.
The wood moves.When it moves, it does so mostly across the grain or width of a board.If you try to stop it from moving, you will cause damage to the wood.Best construction methods will work with wood movement, not against it.
It is possible to build a tabletop using pocket hole screws, but it will eventually separate and be prone to splits and cracks.You are creating more work for yourself by doing it that way.
Glue is the best way to connect solid wood boards into a solid piece.Just glue.Don't be afraid to rely on glue alone, it is as strong as the wood itself.As the seasons change, glue will allow that wood to expand and contract.
The wood will be bound across the grain by pocket hole screws.Take a picture of a dry sponge.What happens if you pinch a section together with your fingers and then hold the sponge beneath the water?The area beneath your finger will not be affected by the expansion of the sponge.
As you get closer to where you are pinching the sponge, it will expand fully in the area that is farthest away from your fingers.When the farmhouse tables start to move, this is what happens.
I caution you on this, but that would be better.The majority of the time, this is done as an alternative.When you add glue and screw it, you are ready to move on to the next step.
The boards can shift out of alignment if the screws are not held in place.If you are going to glue everything in place, why not use the glue-up method?
I don't like pocket hole screws being used on the breadboards.It is not something that you put on your counter to slice bread.There are two pieces of wood at the end of a table.
In addition to the people using pocket hole screws to assemble a table, I often see people attaching breadboards to those tables as well.They set out to build a table that they want to duplicate, but they don't know the purpose of each part of the table.
There is a reason breadboards are placed on a table, it is to allow the exposed ends of the table to move.You should not use pocket hole screws to attach a breadboard to a table.
This is the reason why so many farmhouse tables have cracks.The Woodwhisper had an article about wood movement that I think is helpful for beginners.You may want to check that out as well.
The best way to attach a breadboard is with tenon and mortise joints.I know that may be out of range for some people.A farmhouse table doesn't have to have a breadboard.Maybe this is a good time to learn how to do something new and expand your abilities, if you plan to attach one.
Pocket holes should not be used for attaching the table to the apron.This prevents the movement of the wood.There are a number of ways to get your attachment done correctly.
I used figure 8 for my kitchen island.The figure 8 is in its grooves as the wood moves in different directions.In my post on building honeycomb shelves, you can see that they work as hidden hangers.
If figure 8 isn't your style, then you could use tabletop clips.You will have to create a grooves in the apron to allow these to sit.You can make your own connectors.Make them in a way that allows the table to move.
The rails and stiles should be assembled with tenon and grooves.The doors and drawer fronts are what I am talking about.While this isn't an issue like the tabletops are, it still screams amateur, and I have seen a lot of projects showing doors with pocket holes.
There is nothing wrong with being an amateur.We start at that point.If you built your doors with pocket hole screws, don't worry.If you are happy with the outcome, leave them there.
For your next project, you can always up your game and get professional quality doors.I will show you how to build a cabinet door.I know you are saying to yourself that you don't have the skills to do that.You can make those tenon and grooves with no tools.
My Christmas easel is an example.The purpose of my construction method was to show others how to create joints, even if they don't have power tools.If you want to apply the same concepts to your next set of cabinet doors, take a look at that post.
If you are new to working with particle boards, it can be an incredible PITA.All of my tips and tricks for building with these have been posted.For an in-depth explanation on how to get the most of these materials, I recommend that you read that.
I am aware that some of you have already used pocket hole screws and didn't suffer any ill effects.Why is it an issue?
While you can get away with using pocket holes for some projects, anything that will receive day-to-day use is likely to come apart.Special screws are required for the construction of Melamine and particle board.If you have ever purchased furniture that is assembled at home, you will know that the pieces use cam locks and dowel pins for their construction.
They don't make it that way because it is easier, and they do not do it because of its cheaper price.Ikea would have switched over a long time ago if you could use pocket hole screws.They don't do it that way because they know it would not hold up.
When building something with pocket hole screws, consider the grain, because I can't cover every possibility in this post.It is possible that you will restrict movement if you cross the grain of solid wood with a pocket hole.
Since most pocket holes are placed at the end of a board or plywood, we don't have to worry about movement with pocket hole screws.If you are going against the grain, you should evaluate your piece to see if restricting the movement is an issue.
I hope that you are not offended by my post, if you have used pocket hole screws in one of the ways that I say you shouldn't.I don't live off controversy.Nothing here is meant to stop anyone else from doing their job.
I don't want to malign any other woodworker.There are different ways to build with wood.My way is not always the best way.I offer what I know from my years of experience.I hope you can take something away from this post.
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Rachel has more than 20 years of experience in renovations, carpentry, and interior design and 10 years in graphic and web design.She uses her experience and knowledge to start her own digital media publishing company where she shares her knowledge across three different websites.
I didn't comment on any of the posts, but I had to with this one.Thanks for writing a helpful and respectful post!The way in which the forum was written was very disappointing for me as a beginner.I want to learn how to do things the right way, but not everyone can grow up being taught by an expert or taking years of expensive classes to perfect their craft.In order to develop our own curriculum, many of us work hard to teach ourselves, trying to filter through the tons of misinformation out there.This post is spot-on and teaches rather than scolds, based on everything I have learned to date.I appreciated the time you took to share it.
I am so happy that you decided to leave a comment.I am happy that you found my post helpful, I understand exactly what you are saying.
I agree!This was a great article.I am learning more and more from experts online.I built a farmhouse table top using pocket holes and was sad when it developed a crack and 2 splits within a few weeks.I appreciate the information now that I know why.This time, I will rebuild it the correct way.Thank you!
Mrs. Open Mind, I appreciated your analysis of using pocket screws.I don't use pocket screws very often.I found out from your post that I had committed two offenses on a previous project.
Five years ago, I built a skinny partition using two pine doors and 4S pine.The doors filled most of the opening, but the panels were needed to complete the partition.The uprights are trimmed to 4 inches.The panels were seat in quarter round.The uprights were attached to the panels with pocket screws.At the time, my rational was to make it obvious.The partition can be removed without a heavy object.That is for me.Unless you're from the school of HGTV design, you shouldn't see it.The second offense was to place screws with the grain.The partition is six feet from an exterior door, so it gets blasts of hot, cold, high and low humidity every day.The panels are hidden by the quarter round.The panel has not been checked.I don't know if the partition will last 100 years.
The challenge and fun of DYI design and fabrication is figuring out how to get desired results with available materials and tools.A pocket screw jig is a low cost and less space consuming than a large piece of powered equipment.I need to think about the pocket screw jig in the future.I know if the results will work in the long term when I cross the line.
I really like your recap!I think the pocket hole jig is a great idea and I recommend everyone have one.It sounds like you put some thought into your partition, but I can't picture it in my head.Any separation would be hidden by trim.I would love to see it.We can have a more productive chat if you email it to me.?
Thank you for the article.I attach my craft items to their bases with pocket holes.I make snowmen and santas in the fall and winter.I am glad I read your article because I had considered making a table but decided against it.The use of pocket holes to the ends of wood will be adjusted.
Thank you so much for the information.I am cringing at the thought of the things I have built for people as gifts from plans that used pocket hole screws on the tops and door fronts.Lesson learned and time to learn more.
There are projects where pocket holes are not appropriate.Plugs can be a great design element.I am building my kitchen cabinets with pocket holes and maple plywood.The doors were purchased at Home Depot.It's cheaper and they fill the holes completely.I use my Multi-Tool to cut them.The panels were sprayed with Emerald Urethane and it looked great.The holes don't show.The key to a golden job is to build a work table that is 100% square, keep it clean, and use a table saw sled.
It sounds like your kitchen is going to explode!Love the paint.I switched over a year ago from using their ProClassic.Well done on the project!
Do you like Emerald Urethane over Proclassic hybrid, Acrylic, or Oil base?I only use Ben Moore Advance or the ProC for decks and floors.There is a hybrid for cabinets.I like the smell of the ProC hybrid, and usually choose the Advance.What is the advantage of the material?
I can only speak for myself, but I like the feeling of it.The durability is something I like.I am a big fan of the Proclassic.I allow my cabinets to be sure for about 4 weeks before they go in, so I can't say how well they will perform if mistreated.
In what sense?As a guide for alignment, dowels are used.They are fine for use in the above examples because they don't perform the same way as pocket hole screws.I wouldn't use them for breadboards, but other than that, keep the movement in mind.
I recently built a table top using glue and biscuits and added cross beams, thanks for the article, it was very useful.The metal legs had a cross beam.
This is one thing that can cause cracks.There are many others.I can only guess, but how is the table attached to the base?Cracks can be caused by anything that bonds the movement.Was the wood cured or fresh?As it dries it will shrink and pull away from the joints.What is the environment like for the piece?Is it high humidity?How was the bottom finished?If left raw and moved from a low humidity environment to high, an unfinished bottom will take up more water than the top.There are so many things that could be the issue.You can email me more details if you want.?
If you could email me, I would explain more about the pictures.
You can find an email form under the Resources tab.You can send images to me here.I removed your email address from your comment to prevent it from being lifted by a bot.I don't want you to be at risk because they frequently get addresses from the internet.?
I agree with you on the use of pocket holes.What do you think about biscuits?I used only biscuits for my daughter's display cabinet.There were no metal fastenings.I wanted to see if I could do it.
When I need assistance with alignment, I like to use biscuits.They are great for that, but I don't think they add much strength to a glue-up.Some people swear and some people don't.It's another thing for woodworkers to have heated discussions.?
I am new to carpentry and am confused as to when to use pocket screws or regular screws.
Pocket hole screws are designed to be used inside a pocket hole.Most regular screws should never be used in a pocket hole.There are many types of regular screws.Each has a place in construction, but would be too in-depth to discuss in the comments.Let me be clear about the strength of the glue.Glue will always be stronger than the wood when doing glue-ups on table tops.It will perform better than screws.End to face grain would not be as sound as it could be.We use pocket holes, tenons, lap joints, and other things because of this.Those types of connections.Good luck with your carpentry, and keep asking the right questions.
Don't use pocket screws if you read your article.I have used all 3 of them.I don't use the screws anymore.Anxious to read more.Thank you!
Did I make a big mistake when I read this again?I used pocket hole screws to join the long edges of the pine.Pre-primed.Maybe the finger joints will help reduce future wood movement?
The bay window is large.At 30 degree angles, the bay window turns each corner around the wall, so we had to install pairs of 16's.We used three or four pocket holes on the back side of the board to hold the pieces together while we installed them.Trying to get the angle correct with two loose pieces was more difficult than installing an angle set like this.brad nails were used on the outside edges of the reveal to fix the casings.Are we in trouble in the future?Thanks!
It depends on the humidity in your home and how acclimatized the casing was before it was installed.You are probably going to be fine.If you start to notice cracking within the wood or along the fingers, you will want to take the casing down and remove the screws to give you some relief.Leave it for a full year if you only notice the separation.You should be able to caulk the seams with a flexible caulk.In the future, you can use construction glue to hold the pieces in place.This will allow you to make slight adjustments to the fit and will not cause stress in the wood.
Wow!Nice job on that one.I agree with you that I use pocket hole screws a lot.There are different opinions on this one.I have learned a lot.Thanks for sharing this with us.
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