Drawers

[Sean Troy]

Are dovetails or Pocket screws better for putting together drawer boxes?

[Roger Jensen]

Are dovetails or Pocket screws better for putting together drawer boxes?

Depends what you mean by 'better'. If it is a drawer in your shop for holding tools and misc junk, then pocket screws are fine, if it is an heirloom piece of furniture you want to pass down to your kids, I'd use dovetails.

I doubt there is much difference in strength for every day use, but I suspect the dovetails would be slightly stronger.

Roger

[Greg Portland]

Screws have been used on old quality furniture so there is nothing inherently wrong with them. However, drawer construction tends to use 1/2" material which gives the screws less wood to grasp. Also, pocket screw joints do not handle racking forces that well. The dovetails are going to be more durable but they will take you significantly more time to implement. You may want to consider box joints for the backs of the drawers and dovetails for the front (box joints can be made quickly with shop-made jigs).

For my shop cabinets I used pocket screws for carcass construction and box joints for the drawers. Now I use Dominos for everything unless I want the look of a certain type of joinery.

[Roger Jensen]

You can also do dados in the back. As Greg indicates, there is less stress on the back so you don't need a super strong joint.

I do dovetails on the front and back, only because it is easier for me to keep the same jig setup. However, I'm just a hobbiest - high volume shops would probably do it differently.

Roger

[Matt Meiser]

Define "better."

Pocket screws make a great drawer very fast but you need a false front and they'll be visible on the back of the drawer. I personally think they are fine for cabinetry or utility furniture (for example I used them on my entertainment center) and have made a lot of them this way.

Dovetails also make a great drawer but take longer. Maybe only a little longer if you are doing 1/2 blind dovetails with a router. Even non-woodworkers will recognize them as "quality" drawers. For a piece of "fine" furniture I think this is a better way to go of the two options you mentioned. I've also used through-domino drawers for things I've made that I'd put in this category.

[glenn bradley]

As others have stated I would use each as "better" in a given instance. PH drawers are quick and easy and mechanically sound. DT drawers are nice to look at if appropriate for the piece and for those "perception is reality" folks, they are perceived as an indication of quality. No good answer for your question as stated.

P.s. I prefer drawer lock joints for looks and function.

[Sean Troy]

I should have mentioned I was referring to furniture. My thought was DT would look better but was not sure of the strength. My question was answered very well on things I didn't think about like racking. thanks all. Sean