G
6

Stop using pocket screws on face frames and calling it fine joinery

I walked into a shop last month in Nashville and saw a face frame held together with nothing but pocket screws on every joint... gaps everywhere. What happened to at least using a dowel or a biscuit to keep things square? I spent 3 hours fixing that frame because nothing was flush when it came time to mount doors. Has anyone else noticed this trend of skipping basic alignment steps just to save 15 minutes?
1 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
1 Comment
grant.jade
grant.jade1mo ago
...so my buddy down in Birmingham took one look at what the guy called "fine cabinetry" and just started laughing. It was all pocket screws and construction adhesive, no glue on the tenons, gaps you could park a truck in. He said the whole frame twisted when he tried to square it up, like a wet noodle. Took him twice as long to fix it as it would've taken to just build it right the first time with some loose tenons or even a decent dowel joint. I don't get how skipping a step like that saves anything in the long run.
3