Domino cabinet joints

[briancc]

Why would pocket screws ever be used in frameless cabinet construction with tongue and groove joints clamped after glueup?
The joints would never come apart. Is it just for speed of assembly to avoid clamps? I'm just a hobbyist, not doing this for a living so speed is not a critical factor for me.

 

[tjbnwi]

I don't build frameless cabinets only face frame so I don't have a procedure worked out for them but most of the ones I've seen use a panel on the ends that matches the doors and would cover up the screws either pocket hole or straight. Single items are always difficult that's why Norm Abrams always made one to figure it out and then made the one on the show. It's always a good idea when you figure out how to do something write it down so that when you do it again, much later, you can refresh tour memory. I have not always done that and had to relearn things I had already figured out but forgot about. I didn't mean to say build two of everything just to do trials of new procedures on scraps instead of the final product. I wish I had followed this advise on some of my mistakes.

I posted these photos in my previous post. I do not do an overlay end panel, the finished end panel is fabricated to match the doors. This is how I build all of my cabinets with finished end panels. I doing 2 right now that have 6" wide x 12" deep rollouts with 34.5" x 36" finished end panels for an island.

The cabinet with the Bow Clamps is a little over 7' long, shared center stiles, continuous rails inside end stile to inside end stile.

Tom

 

[tjbnwi]

Why would pocket screws ever be used in frameless cabinet construction with tongue and groove joints clamped after glueup?
The joints would never come apart. Is it just for speed of assembly to avoid clamps? I'm just a hobbyist, not doing this for a living so speed is not a critical factor for me.

If you can put pocket screws in the top of the top panel that draw the side panels tight if saves a few minutes (again I have a Foreman and can bore 3 holes in seconds) and clamps. Freeing up the clamps allows you to use them on the visible areas where you don't want pocket screws.

Tom

 

[briancc]

Got it. Makes sense.

 

[fshanno]

I would have to cut the tongues and grooves in my plywood case parts with a handheld router cause the plywood I get is rarely flat enough to cut tongues and grooves on my router table. 

The Domino has to be faster than a hand held router.

 

[roblg3]

I use dominos mostly as an alignment tool.  it speeds up assembly and I use the pocket screw as the clamps as Tom stated because let's face it. having 20 or more 30"+ K bodies laying around not only takes up HUGE space, it's damn expensive!  For me a domino helps strengthen a joint sure, but it save time sanding, finishing etc...because the alignment is really...REALLY good if you use solid technique with the machine, it's always right there.  While I find it's easier to manuever a 500, the 700 is a bit harder to work with thinner materials, it lets me hold the hell out of the thing and I plunge with my hip both hands on the domino and it's just about perfect!

 

[sancho57]

Unless the sides are exposed , I put 2 dominos in each joint then use 2 screw to screw the sides together through the sides. It's way easy and fast, I have a pice of wood I use as a jig which I can use to mark 3/8 for the screws. Use screws with nips on the heads so they will self counter sink.
Very fast and makes a unbelievably strong joint. For the exposed  side s I'd simple use 3 dominos  on the one cabinet..

 

[semenza]

Yes, pocket screws = no clamps for the box assembly.

Seth

 

[John H]

Why would pocket screws ever be used in frameless cabinet construction with tongue and groove joints clamped after glueup?
The joints would never come apart. Is it just for speed of assembly to avoid clamps? I'm just a hobbyist, not doing this for a living so speed is not a critical factor for me.

In face frame construction - pocket screws are stronger than dominos

 

[Nick C]

For cabinets I use dominoes for alignment, and pocket screws to hold the pieces together. I don't bother with glue.

 

[JimD]

I would only use pocket screws where they cannot be seen - like on the top of an upper cabinet.  I made a whole kitchen once using shallow dados for alignment and through screws.  Where they would have been visible they were in recessed holes plugged with plugs I cut out of wood that was a pretty good color match.  You could find the screws but you had to look closely.  Most people never saw them.  The cabinets had no face frame but were plenty strong.  They were built of 3/4 plywood. 

These days I'd use pocket screws on the top and through screws in the sides.  Base cabinets can be pocket screws top and bottom.  Pocket screws don't split the plywood and are very quick and easy.  An alternative to the through screw would be dominos or a dado (glued and clamped).  In many cases through screws won't show because the cabinet goes against another cabinet.