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Pocket hole screws vs old school dowels, 15 year shop habit finally flipped
Been building cabinets since 2009 in my little shop outside Nashville. Always swore by dowels for face frames. My grandpa taught me that way and I never questioned it. Then last spring I took on a big custom pantry job, 12 doors, and my helper kept messing up dowel alignment. We scrapped 3 frames in one afternoon. I got so mad I drove to the hardware store and grabbed a pocket hole jig on a whim. That same week we did all 12 frames in two days, zero waste. The joints are tight, the alignment is perfect, and honestly I cant tell a strength difference once its glued and clamped. I still use dowels for the fancy visible joinery on furniture pieces, but for production cabinet work pocket holes win by a mile. Anyone else make the switch late in their career and feel kinda dumb about it?
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lunashah1mo ago
Every cabinet guy I know who switched never goes back, and you still got dowels when they matter.
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