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?

2 comments

2 Comments

park.wyatt16d ago

Ever seen one fail on a painted frame?

nathanwalker15d ago

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