johnelliott
Established Member
I do quite a few kitchen cabinets. I only used birch ply now, I hate the smell and dust of MDF, and have never considered letting any chipboard near my tools
Anyway, I used to use biscuit joints, but fouind they were not accurate enough. Thought I would get a Kreg jig and try pocket screws. Took a little while to get used to it, but now I know how to get the best out of it I use it all the time. I all depends on the material you are using. Quality stuff like birch ply takes screws well, so pocket hole joints are very strong.
I learned that the best way to join two cabinet parts together is to clamp them up tight in all directions before inserting the screw. Before fully tightening I use my position adjuster (AKA Stanley Steelmaster hammer) to get everything lined up perfectly. Then, tighten up, in with the screws and on to the next joint. No need to wait for glue to dry. Its no wonder pocket screws are widely used by USA kitchen makers (who use a lot of ply for carcases)
John
Anyway, I used to use biscuit joints, but fouind they were not accurate enough. Thought I would get a Kreg jig and try pocket screws. Took a little while to get used to it, but now I know how to get the best out of it I use it all the time. I all depends on the material you are using. Quality stuff like birch ply takes screws well, so pocket hole joints are very strong.
I learned that the best way to join two cabinet parts together is to clamp them up tight in all directions before inserting the screw. Before fully tightening I use my position adjuster (AKA Stanley Steelmaster hammer) to get everything lined up perfectly. Then, tighten up, in with the screws and on to the next joint. No need to wait for glue to dry. Its no wonder pocket screws are widely used by USA kitchen makers (who use a lot of ply for carcases)
John