shop cabinet construction...dado, pocket screw, or biscuits...whats best??

[George Farra]

Hi Everyone

My next project is all about my workshop. Much needed storage cabinets, mitersaw workstation, & router table. The MS and RT configurations will rely on cabinet style foundations to provide add'l storage in my little workshop.

In the past I've always used dado contruction, but I'm wondering if biscuits or pocket screws are just as durable to abuse and shop stress while being simpler to construct. Thoughts??

TIA

George

[Glen Blanchard]

I moved into my new shop 14 months ago and my first chore was to gain storage by building cabinets. I built 8 wall cabinet sections and and about 17 base cabinet sections. All built with glue and pocket screws.

[Jamie Buxton]

They all can be made to work, and it comes down to what you like. Me, my current box-building joinery is glue, with biscuits to position the panels during glue-up. That's about the fastest scheme for me. The back is stapled on after finish is applied.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'll be the 3rd man out....I use dados, glue and screws.

It really depends on what you want to do and how long you want to take to do it.

I have the other two but prefer this method.

[George Farra]

I guess my goal is ease & speed in constructing them, but i want them to last. The quicker I get things reorganized the faster I can get back to my project list :)

[Bruce Wrenn]

I'm from the Danny Proulx camp. Butt screw them through the sides. I use assembly screws that I buy from Wurth. If I were pocket screwing, I would add a couple biscutts (for alignment) to speed up things.

[Matt Winterowd]

I'm with Bruce (and Danny Proulx). Shop cabinets are are all 3/4 MDF with butt joints. I actually glue and screw with confirmat screws. They're rock solid, no concerns whatsoever about strength.

[Cary Falk]

I put my garage cabinets together with dados and a nail gun.

[paul cottingham]

Shop stuff is all glued and pocket screwed.

[Richard McComas]

Another + for butt joints and the appropriate screw for the material used. For MDF and melamine I use confirmat screws. For plywood I use assembly screws.

I tact the box together with a brad nailer and then install the screws. Any misalignment of the box parts can easily tapped into place just before installing the screws.

[Rick Potter]

Dado's and screws through the side, I just use the gold screws from HD, and have used particle board on some cabinets that are 20 years old, with no problem at all....full of drawers and tools. Later cabinets are plywood with gold screws, and dado's. 3 years old...no problems. On the plywood ones, I did use pocket screws to hold the face frame on.

I just paint 'em white. The look decent, but certainly not furniture quality. Of course I have been known to staple, drill or screw into them whenever needed.

Rick Potter

[Peter Quinn]

I have some of each somewhere in my shop and they are all up to the task. I have one hybrid almost kinda sort of roubo style bench cum out feed table with under bench storage that has all three methods in it plus M&T frames, ind it could stop a fork truck. I think which ever you choose is up to the task as long as it's done well, they all should last at least as long as we do.

[frank shic]

staple/pin nail and screw with either assembly screws or confirmats.

[Bill Trouard]

I used all three options you asked about on a 1 cabinet today. so I guess I look at it as what is the best option for what I'm trying to accomplish visually and strength wise

[Phil Thien]

They all can be made to work, and it comes down to what you like. Me, my current box-building joinery is glue, with biscuits to position the panels during glue-up. That's about the fastest scheme for me. The back is stapled on after finish is applied.

This is the same method I use, although I sometimes stable the back on before finishing. Depends on the finish I'm using.

[Larry Frank]

I just finished the cabinets in my shop and built them with pocket screws in 3/4" plywood. The backs were 1/2" ply in a dado with glue and staples. I have built them with dado, screws from the outside and biscuits at various times. I would say that any or all would work and depends on what you like and what is easiest for you. With pocket screws, you have to make certain to hold the pieces tight and in place when putting in the screws. With biscuits, you have to make certain to get the pocket properly located. The cheapest is probably assembly screws from the outside and works just fine.

[dennis thompson]

I just built some cabinets for my shop & used pocket screws because:
-they are fast
-they are easy
-they are strong
-most importantly, when I make a mistake (& I make plenty) I can take it apart & fix it
Dennis

[Jim Becker]

The answer to your title question is...."yes". And of those methods will produce nice results for cabinet carcasses. Pick the one you are most comfortable with and go for it. Relative to "durability", it's the glue that does most of the work. I tend to keep carcasses as simple as possible. For my tack trunks, I use butt joints, glued and screwed because it's fast, works well for the thinner 1/2" material I work with and hidden by the overlay trim work that is part of my design. For regular cabinetry, if it's 1/2" material, I do the same as the tack trunks. If it's 3/4" (18mm) sheet stock, I use pocket screws sometimes, but butt joints with glue and screws is still faster for me because I am moving the material less. I only use biscuits for alignment of face frames and don't even glue them most of the time.

[Greg Portland]

I guess my goal is ease & speed in constructing them, but i want them to last. The quicker I get things reorganized the faster I can get back to my project list :)Grizzly or Ikea cabinets are cheap (cheaper than I could buy the raw materials) and come with decent hardware. You'd be done in a day including install. I went with Grizzly melamine cabinets in my shop and have no complaints. If speed is really an issue then IMO this is the best option.

[Steve Griffin]

I'm in the Dado Camp. They locate things in space and save time at the assembly table. They are far stronger than butt joints, especially if glued and screwed. (My shop cabinets take far more abuse than any kitchen, so the last thing I want is a weaker method of construction)

A big part of a question like this is your tooling. I'm set up with a sliding table and can quickly put in 1/8" dados. Sure beats horsing around trying to line up partitions to a pencil line. Add the time to put in pocket holes and there is no way Dados are slower.

-Steve

[frank shic]

ikea cabinets are an incredible value for the price. they even have a computer utility you can use to design your room and that they can download later to make sure there aren't any errors. you'd be hard pressed to match their hardware (soft closing hinges and the tandemboxes) at retail prices.

[David Hostetler]

What's best is subjective. What is strongest? Dovetails. Are you actually going to dovetail your cabinet carcasses though? I highly doubt it. Some guys do. If you are building quick and dirty shop cabinets, and aren't following someone else's plan verbatim, You may want to seriously consider locking rabbets with glue, and a few brads just to make sure...

I guess pocket screws would be okay, not great. I wouldn't use biscuits for anything other than face frames on cabinets. Not enough strength...

[Bob Carreiro]

Gotta go with pocket screws and glue, hands down. Sure datos have their place, but not in the speed department which you were looking for by your follow-up post.

Pocket screws (and glue) offer the most strength for the time spent in project prep and assemby time - no dato calculations/material size adjustments, no layout, no setting-up machinery/cuting, or clamping necessary. Pocket screws do away with all of these and still provide a formatable joint. IMO

Oh, and "Yes," I use datos, almost rarely now, but I use pocket screws regularly and each time I am thankful for their invention!

[Jay Allen]

What's best is subjective. What is strongest? Dovetails. Are you actually going to dovetail your cabinet carcasses though?

Cabinet carcass no, but I do use them for drawer boxes. They have through dovetails with applied fronts, full 3/4" thick sides and 1/2" ply bottoms. The ones I have right now are made from cottonwood.
In general I follow the others who screw straight through the sides, but I would pocket screw the ones that have an exposed end.

[Roger Pozzi]

Mine are 3/4" construction grade plywood and glued with pocket screws. Works very well.
But, I did buy the 90 degree corner clamp and that really makes things go fast and accurate.

[Jerome Hanby]

I've got that clamp on my Amazon wish list. Someday soon I'm going to pull the trigger for a pair.


Mine are 3/4" construction grade plywood and glued with pocket screws. Works very well.
But, I did buy the 90 degree corner clamp and that really makes things go fast and accurate.

[Brian Tymchak]

I built the case of my hanging cabinets using pocket screws only. I had planned on glue and pocket screws but being the first time I had used them, I was curious as to how strong they would be on their own. I put one joint together, saw how strong it was, and decided the glue was unnecessary and would add time to the building process. Their still hanging there on the wall after 4 years. I did dado and run screws into the ends of a couple of internal shelves, which tied the whole case together into a very rigid structure.

[John Nesmith]

Most recently, biscuits, glue and a few screws. But I have also used dadoes and glue, and I have used pocket screws. All work fine for this application.

[Rick Potter]

Roger and Jerome,

What 90 degree corner clamp are you referring to?

Rick Potter

[Jerome Hanby]

The one from Kreg... Amazon link (http://www.amazon.com/Kreg-KHC-90DCC-90-degree-Corner-Clamp/dp/B001DCEN4I/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2ONKPFXHLNKAH&colid=2B6W5VTQ1CT18)

[Rick Potter]

Jerome,

Thanks, never saw that one before.

Rick P

[Jerome Hanby]

Think I saw it in one of the Kreg videos. Looked pretty handy although some of the Amazon reviewers thought otherwise...


Jerome,

Thanks, never saw that one before.

Rick P

[Roger Pozzi]

Roger and Jerome,

What 90 degree corner clamp are you referring to?

Rick Potter

I was actually referring to this :http://www.amazon.com/Kreg-KHC-RAC-Right-Angle-Clamp/dp/B001DCE79O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313062229&sr=8-1

[David Hostetler]

Cabinet carcass no, but I do use them for drawer boxes. They have through dovetails with applied fronts, full 3/4" thick sides and 1/2" ply bottoms. The ones I have right now are made from cottonwood.
In general I follow the others who screw straight through the sides, but I would pocket screw the ones that have an exposed end.

Just out of curiosity, why would you not want to dovetail cabinet carcasses? Other than the amount of work entailed that is... There are countless examples out there of dovetailed boxes, and let's face it, cabinet carcasses are just boxes...

[Jerome Hanby]

That's the clamp that came with my kit and my first add-on was another one just like it! I end up with three pocket holes for a joint most of the time. I drill all three, clamp the outside two and put the middle screw in, then pop one clamp and do it's screw then the other clamp and its screw. Never any slip or creep!


I was actually referring to this :http://www.amazon.com/Kreg-KHC-RAC-Right-Angle-Clamp/dp/B001DCE79O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313062229&sr=8-1