Sunday, January 28, 2018
Just screw it
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| Even Nancy Reagan knew better than to use pocket screws to make “heirloom” or “fine furniture” projects. |
As I alluded to last month, I’ve been in sort of a funk lately and have lacked the motivation to do pretty much everything.
I’d blame it on the recent frigid weather that’s blanketed the Northeast, but even if temperatures had
been above single digits, I still don’t think I’d be doing much more than I’m doing now. Curling up under the covers and watching YouTube woodworking videos.
Aside from being entertaining, they’re usually pretty informative and I usually pick up a tip or two to try out in my own projects when the weather gets warmer.
Not this year, though. Lately I’ve been growling at screen and yelling at my woodworking buddies like an old man shaking his fist at the neighborhood kids telling them to stay off his lawn.
So what have these woodworkers and makers done to bring out my inner curmudgeon?
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I have the Kreg pocket screw jig and have used it on many a project.
But it should not be used to replace other joinery methods on certain
projects because while it is quicker to make, it's a weaker joint. |
Pocket Screws.
I’m not against their use. Like any other tool or technique, they have their time and place. I've even used them from time-to-time. So why have they now raised my ire?
Because many of the makers I follow online are using them way too much as shortcuts.
Look, I get it.
For some of them, building projects and putting out weekly videos is how they earn their
livings. Time is, after all, money and using pocket screws to assemble a project certainly speeds things up.
But I still think it’s a cheat.
Pocket hole joinery, as it is called, is a pretty weak joint. Just ask Matthias Wandel, an engineer by
training and a genius woodworker who makes his own power tools often out of scrap wood and other
“found” objects. He’s famously railed against their use, and even produced a video or two comparing
their strength against other joinery types.
Even the simpler dado and rabbet joint, which are essentially notches or channels cut into the center or edge of a board, are stronger than one put together with pocket screws. They also don’t really take that much longer to make, hence my ire.
I’m not saying they should never be used for a project. They are fine for things that need to be slapped together fast, like storage shelves, boxes or bins for a garage, shed or basement. But for those
“heirloom” or “fine furniture” projects they should be avoided.
Typically, you are going to put a lot of time and effort into making these pieces special, so why cut
corners, especially if it won’t save you that much time and it weakens the strength of the project?
Yes, pocket hole screws can be a good option for things like face and dust frames which are not
structural, and yes they are useful for those with limited tools. But they should never be used as a “goto” joint, and if they are used it should always be explained there is a better way to do that joint.
Like it or not, YouTube makers are educators, and they should be teaching those who want to take up
the craft the proper way of doing things, instead of just basically saying “Screw it!”
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