i make almost exclusively face frame inset cabinets, and have for years - i've made a lot of face frames.... traditionally, i domino my face frames together (with 4mm dominos), and that yields great results, but it's slow and tedious, and clamping takes time. recently, i thought i would speed up my process by switching to pocket screws. i have a good flat-surface clamping setup (with the Kreg tracks and heavy clamps), and a good pocket hole machine.
yet, no matter how accurate my setup, and how much i work, in hardwoods, i get terrible results. things wander, parts split.... undoubtedly the results are better in softer woods, but still nowhere near the quality i get when i domino and clamp.
can somebody please convince me that my process and techniques are the issues, and not the fundamentals of pocket hole joinery in hardwood? how do others do this? i love the idea of it, but despite my setup and quality tooling, i still can't reliably get great joints via pocket screws.
thanks for any guidance.
--- dz