Can we talk about pocket hole joints on face frames?

I see so many guys online swearing pocket holes are fine for face frames, and I gotta disagree after what happened in my shop last spring. I was building out a kitchen for a client in Portland, maybe 25 cabinets total, and I used pocket screws on the face frame like everyone said. Thing is, after 6 months I got a call that two of the doors were sticking and the frame had shifted just enough to throw everything off. I went back to look and saw the joints had moved maybe 1/16th of an inch, nothing huge, but enough to mess up the reveal. Now I only use mortise and tenon or dowels on face frames, even if it takes longer. Pocket holes are great for shop jigs or quick stuff, but for anything that sits in someone's house for years, I just don't trust them. Anyone else run into shifting issues with pocket screws after a season change?

2 comments

2 Comments

finleyk8723d ago

Catch the wood movement across seasons and pocket holes can't handle it the way a glued dowel or tenon will. I switched to dominoes for face frames after the same thing happened to me and haven't had a callback since.

lane.drew23d ago

Yeah totally, that's exactly what I found too. I had a dresser I built with pocket holes and after a dry winter the whole face frame started pulling apart at the joints. Idk maybe it's just the wood moving more than I expected, but it was a mess. Switched to dominoes after that and @finleyk87 you're right, no callbacks since. It's just way more solid, the glue actually does its job when the joint is tight.