-1

Rant: Stop pushing pocket hole joinery for every damn project

I was at a workshop in Portland last fall and this guy insisted on using pocket holes for a dining table. Ngl, I think it looks cheap and the wood movement will crack it within a year. Has anyone else seen pocket holes fail on big furniture builds?

2 comments

2 Comments

james53310d ago

Last summer I built a farmhouse table with pocket holes and kreg jig screws, thought I was being smart. Eight months later the top had a hairline crack right along the joint line, humidity changes did it in. Switched to mortise and tenon for the next one and it's been solid through two seasons now. You're right, pocket holes just don't have the strength for big stuff that moves.

kevin_hernandez8310d ago

Eight months is actually pretty good, I'm impressed it held that long. I've seen pocket hole tables split open like a cheap hot dog bun in just a few weeks. The whole "just use glue and screws" crowd acts like wood doesn't move at all. Mortise and tenon is the way to go for anything bigger than a nightstand. Did you have to fix any wobble in the legs before you rebuilt it with the proper joints?