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Rant: Stop using pocket screws for face frames that need to last
I keep seeing guys on here and in shops using pocket screws for everything, especially face frames. I get it, theyre fast and easy. But Ive been building cabinets for 12 years now and Ive gone back to fixing too many jobs where the joints started separating after 3 or 4 years. Pocket screws just dont hold up to the expansion and contraction in a kitchen that gets hot and humid, like the one I fixed last month in a house near the lake. The face frames were all loose and wobbly because the screws pulled out of the MDF. I use dowels and glue now for all my face frames. It takes a little longer but Ive never had one come back. Has anyone else noticed this issue with pocket screws on real jobs?
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palmer.henry1mo ago
12 years and still learning the hard way sounds about right for me.
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dianab681mo ago
12 years? That's a whole mortgage term of learning lessons the tough way.
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