PSA: Stop using pocket screws for your main face frame joints

I keep seeing guys at the shop and online using pocket screws to join their face frame corners, and it drives me nuts. Sure, they're fast, but they rely on that tiny screw biting into end grain, which is the weakest hold you can get. I had a client's kitchen island frame start to open up after just a year because the builder used pocket screws everywhere. A proper mortise and tenon, or even a good dowel joint, takes a bit longer but it's for life. In my experience, that extra 20 minutes per frame saves you a callback and a repair job down the road. It's a corner you just shouldn't cut. Has anyone else had a pocket screw joint fail on a big piece?

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3 Comments

park.wyatt5mo ago

Ever seen one fail on a painted frame?

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nathanwalker5mo ago

Honestly, I've seen plenty hold up just fine.

4

kair654mo ago

Idk @park.wyatt, have you actually seen a pocket screw joint hold up long term on a painted frame where there's no glue to back it up? That's the thing that gets me, most guys just send the screw in and call it done. But on a wide stile with paint, the wood can shrink just enough over time to show that gap right at the screw location. Maybe it's just me but I'd rather spend a few extra minutes and never have to worry about that call back.

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