Any good way to trim pocket screw plugs?

[Wade Lippman]

I try to only use them where they won't be seen, but I had to finish a project and found I didn't have enough clamps. (I sold most of them before I moved, and am finishing up a project I started 6 months ago) So I had to resort to pocket screws since they don't need clamps.

of the 100 pockets, at least 32 required plugs. The glue is now drying, and I will have to trim them. How?

I have tried sanding and that takes forever. I have tried sawing them, but that mars the wood and requires heavy sanding. Any ideas?

[Prashun Patel]

There are two ways that work well for me:

A saw to get close, then a block plane to get flush.

Another way is to sandwich an old piece of sandpaper - a ROS disc is perfect - between a 1/4" piece of hardboard and a 1/2" piece of anything. Then clamp it in the Kreg jig and drill a hole through the sandpaper (the 1/4" has to be on the close side to the drill). This will leave you with an angled hole thru the ROS disc that can then be used as a mask around the plugs while you flush cut them. Sanding the 1/32" remaining goes quickly.

[Larry Fox]

There are two ways that work well for me:

A saw to get close, then a block plane to get flush.

Another way is to sandwich an old piece of sandpaper - a ROS disc is perfect - between a 1/4" piece of hardboard and a 1/2" piece of anything. Then clamp it in the Kreg jig and drill a hole through the sandpaper (the 1/4" has to be on the close side to the drill). This will leave you with an angled hole thru the ROS disc that can then be used as a mask around the plugs while you flush cut them. Sanding the 1/32" remaining goes quickly.

If you have one, a chisel plane would make quick work of this task.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I lost track of the number of screw plugs I had to sand down on the white oak porch swing I made last summer.

Similar to what Prashun suggested,taking an old sandpaper disc for my ROS, I placed a vent hole over a plug.....pushed it down until the sandpaper was in contact with the seat slat. Then I used a brand new cheap pull saw I purchased at the local borg and cut the plug off using the sandpaper as a buffer between the saw and the surface I was trying to protect. After cutting them off, sanding went very rapidly.

[Charles Wiggins]

Flush cut saw (http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=32928&cat=1,42884). There are various models out there. I have a cheap one from one of the BORGs. Mine only has one set of teeth, but they have no set on one side. Other models have one set of teeth with no set on either side so you can flip it depending on your clearance. that lack of set allows you to use it right up against the surrounding surface and if you're careful not scratch the surface. You could always use some blue tape as an extra buffer. Then plane or sand the last bit of nubbin that's left down and you're golden.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Charles....that saw I used had no set to the teeth......it worked very well for the purpose I described.

[Carl Beckett]

I have a router base that has a little larger opening than standard - to allow for larger dia bits to be used.

I would wonder if i just adjusted the bit to be a little bit below the base surface (meaning doesnt break the plane) - then just sit the router on top of the work surface with the plug coming up through the base, and slide it around until plug trimmed. Then sand or plane flush.

??

(have never done this - maybe hard to get if close to a corner or something)

[Jim Foster]

I just used a chisel plane and a chisel where possible for about 20 or so regular white oak hole plugs, and it worked like a charm. Big challenge was making sure to keep square and only remove a little material in each pass as you get close to done, so you don't get tear-out in the plug below the finished surface. Matching up the grain as best as possible provided an almost invisible result.

[Ray Newman]

For what it's worth –

I utilize a laminate trimmer with a shop-made “flush trim” base to trim dovetails, plugs, etc.

See the below for a similar jig that I fabricated:

www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip101300ws.html

This looks more like the one that I made, but without the pins.

www.woodworkingplans.tv/do-it-yourself/build-a-flush-trim-jig

I made the jig to accommodate my trim router because it is light weight compared to a full-sized router.

After chucking up the appropriate bit, lower it to just touch the surrounding wood surface. Then back it off, trim the plugs while securely holding the router by the handle, and finish up with a light sanding to bring to plus, etc., level with the surrounding wood surface. Slowly feed the router into the proud plug to trim it.

A Fellow Woodworking sets the bit flush with the surrounding wood surface to trim it flush “in one fell swoop.”

By increasing its size the jig could accommodate a full-sized router, but I imagine that it would be heavy and ungainly.

If the above doe not method does work due to design or other constriction, a very sharp chisel plane will work well.

Or remove the top of a Stanley #90 or the Lee Valley Veritas bull nose plane to use as a chisel plane. The Veritas might wok better as after removing the top, the handle is still attached.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I cut a U shape notch in the lid of a soup can, laid it over the plugs and used a MF tool to rough trim them.
The half moon blade worked best.
Shaved what little was left off with a chisel then finished it by touching it up with a ROS w/a 220 grit disk.



Big challenge was making sure to keep square and only remove a little material in each pass as you get close to done, so you don't get tear-out in the plug below the finished surface
Yep - had a couple of those w/the chisel.
I found that by attacking the plugs from the side & working the chisel back and forth it helped cut down on that.

[Kevin Guarnotta]

What is a MF tool?

[Rich Engelhardt]

Multifunction tool - like the Fein on the TV ads.
I use a cheap Harbor Freight knock off.

[Lee Schierer]

I make my own plugs using a dowel of the same wood and the project and flush cutting saw. Insert the dowel into the hole with some glue on it, allow the glue to set. Put some masking tape on each side of the plug then us your flush cut saw to saw the excess plug off. Once it is sawed off, remove the tape and sand with 220 grit paper.

You can also use a small sharp block plane and trim off most of the excess plug until you get close to the finished surface, then sand what is left. Again use masking tape on each side if you are worried about hitting the finished surface with the plane.

[John Schweikert]

Lots of cool ideas and variations. Everyone has their own methods.

I have done it 3 different ways to see what I like so far:

I have flipped my Makita belt sander over and ran a box worth of plugs on an 80 grit belt to take off about an 1/8" or so, whatever would leave just a little extra. Pretty quick to do a bunch.
I've used a block plane, but that seemed slower per plug.
I also tried 100 grit Abranet disc on my 6' Mirka and ground them down in little time.

So the belt sander before gluing or an agressive sanding after glue has dried, I find those have worked quicker.

[Richard Shaefer]

I have a cheap dozuki saw that I bought from Sears for like $15. It has a few layers of wide masking tape on the sides of the blade just above the teeth. the tape lets you lay the saw flat on the workpiece and still keep the teeth a few thou away from the surface. After I saw off the bulk of the plug, a few swipes with a blcok plane, a quick sweep of a sharp chisel, or a few seconds with a RO sander flushes-up what's left of the plug.

[Gene Waara]

Am I the only one that cuts the end off the plug? I knock the end off, on an angle, using a band saw. The plug then slides flush further into the pocket. A little glue on the back, sand it, and I have never had a problem with them lifting out of the pocket.


Just wondering.....

[John Hollaway]

Similarly to one or two others, but not the same, I join two small pieces of hardwood with a pocket screw as a jig. Then, simply insert the plug into said pocked hole and hold it against my stationary horizontal belt sander a few seconds until almost flush. Remove plug from sanding jig and install in project pocket hole. A light sanding with the ROS and you're done. Sometimes, if many are needed, I'll create a two or three-hole jig. I also will prepare perhaps 50 at a time to benefit from economies of scale. Best of luck.

[Todd Brewer]

Am I the only one that cuts the end off the plug? I knock the end off, on an angle, using a band saw. The plug then slides flush further into the pocket. A little glue on the back, sand it, and I have never had a problem with them lifting out of the pocket.


Just wondering.....

I'm new to the pocket screw world. Jury still out for me. But this is exactly how I thought it was done. Seems like it would be very simple, a little sanding and done. Glad to hear someone has tried it and it works. Surprised so many leave it long then trim. Seems you loose the advantage of pocket screws (quickness) if you have to fuss with sawing and sanding while trying not to mar the surface. Then again I won't use them where they are seen, but in a pinch like the OP, it may be unavoidable.