I love pocket screws

[dennis thompson]

I'm a beginner who is trying to build Norms Tall Pine Clock. Norms builds it with many biscuits & glue & that's how I started. I was having trouble aligning the biscuits, to say nothing of glue all over the place ,when it dawned on me....Pocket Screws. I used pocket screws for much of the waist & Bonnet. the advantages were : the ability to line up sides more accurately & ,most importantly ,the ability to take parts apart ,I didn't use any glue,when I made a mistake (of which there were many, I took the bonnet apart 3 times to correct mistakes). Sometimes I wondered if I was "cheating" but then I saw an article by Glen Huey who showed the use of pocket screws in some 18th century furniture. Long live pocket screws!
Dennis
PS I would have said I'm a hobbiest but based on a recent thread I can't remember if I'm a hobbiest or a hobbyist

[frank shic]

pocket screws are great as long as you can conceal them. have you ever seen danny proulx's book on pocket hole screw projects? i think they look awful even after using the wood fillers.

[Matt Meiser]

The more I use them the more I like them. My only complaint is that the angle can cause the pieces to shift slightly as you drive the screw. The trick usually is to clamp the pieces as tight as possible, then a little more. Every time I use them I get a little better.

My aunt had custom kitchen cabinets built by a what is supposed to be a fairly high-end cabinet shop in the St. Louis area last year. They used cabinet screws for everything and in several places they are visible. For example, they used them to attach the drawer faces and the pockets are visible on the drawer sides. Kind of a shame since they used the Blumotion undermount slides so there's nothing else visible on the sides of the boxes. In the cabinets where the end panel is visible, for example next to the sink and fridge, they are visible on the inside of the cabinets. I would have been rather disappointed if that was my kitchen. They did do a really nice job though when I looked at things like fit and finish. I'm wondering if this is standard practice?

[Joe Chritz]

Matt, it is probably standard practice for them.

Generally anything that can be seen from any normal location shouldn't have a pocket. If you have to stick you head inside the cabinet to see them I would say that is OK. If they are visible while standing in front of it then that is a problem.

For the OP, I don't know what the problem was with aligning biscuits. They are often used an an aid in alignment and once you figure out the fence (on mine the gauge is to the center of the cutter) they are a piece of cake to use. Even so I tend to use pocket screws everywhere I can.

It isn't cheating if it works as good as another method.

Joe

[Jim Kountz]

I dont really consider our any of our modern methods cheating. Its a result of our advances in technology and I firmly believe that if the woodworkers in the 18th century had these tools they absolutely would have made use of them. Production to a cabinet shop in 1780 was the same as it is today, turn out the best quality product in the least amount of time. Although some manufactures take that to the extreme and turn out junk, you get my point!!

[Karl Brogger]

I dont really consider our any of our modern methods cheating. Its a result of our advances in technology and I firmly believe that if the woodworkers in the 18th century had these tools they absolutely would have made use of them. Production to a cabinet shop in 1780 was the same as it is today, turn out the best quality product in the least amount of time. Although some manufactures take that to the extreme and turn out junk, you get my point!!

That's kinda the way I look at it too, but alot of it is because of modern glues. While mortise + tenon maybe good joinery, the extra glueing area isn't required any longer. Same with dovetails, from a purely functionality standpoint there isn't a reason. But they do look good.:D There will always be purists out there.

[Dewey Torres]

Well for the record.... I love them too!

I carefully select the projects they go on (there won't be any on my Morris Chair) but they are fast and strong, which is their best advantage.

[David DeCristoforo]

"... the extra glueing area isn't required any longer..."

It's not just the gluing area that is at issue. The "old guys" only had hide glue to work with. And they knew good and well that it was only a matter of time before that glue failed. A reliable mechanical connection was essential because without it, when the glue failed the piece would simply fall apart. Dovetailed drawers might get loose but they would still work. A chair built with mortice and tenon joinery might wobble but you could still sit in it.

[Karl Brogger]

True, it is a mechanical joint as well.