Pocket Holes Joinery - Best Use Cases?

[Bugsysiegals]

I received a Kreg Foreman as a gift and I imagine it could be helpful, in combination with Domino's, for fastening large cabinet panels during glue up, but am wondering what other projects pocket hole joinery would be useful for?

FWIW - After making a complete mess routing some drawer boxes, I've decided to build a router table dust collection box.  Because of the way it fastens to the underside of the table, I couldn't glue it together with Domino's or else I'd never be able to remove it so I built it with pocket hole screws.  I'm not sure what projects would require making something that you may need to take apart later but it seems they do well for these applications.

 

[DynaGlide]

It comes in real handy for cabinetry. Face frames, applied end panels, anywhere you'll never see them. Some people do drawers with them that are going to receive applied fronts.

 

[Rick Herrick]

I use them for all cabinet carcasses.  I put a domino on each edge, and then pocket holes in the middle.  Since pocket holed panels tend to move, the dominos keep it lined up while driving the pocket holes.  Also every drawer I make is done with pocket holes.  I had been using them for doors but I have started doing the Shaker doors as per Sedge's Domino Door video.

 

[Jeff Zanin]

I don't have the Foreman but have used pocket holes in combination with dominoes for some cabinets (Sysports) that I built.

The dominos prevented the parts from sliding around and the pocket holes provided pressure to draw the parts together.

For subsequent builds of the same style cabinet I acquired Bessey K clamps and using these I was able to skip the pocket holes so saving a step in preparing the panels, which was a bit awkward using the K3 jig.

 

[Packard]

I use pocket holes for faceframes. 

For faceframe cabinets where the sides are always covered anyhow, I use through fasteners (confirmats) to build the carcass.  I've also used through dowels and through confirmats. 

The confirmats offer the structure of a dowel, plus the holding power of a screw.  They are not cheap, and dowels install just as quickly, so on a base cabinet I will use three confirmats, and several dowels to assemble the sides to the back screw strips and bottoms.

The pocket hole screws offer little in terms of racking strength, though that is less of a factor with cabinets where the wall becomes part of the structure.  For the same time, effort and money I prefer the confirmats and dowels.

 

[woodferret]

I use Kreg for exterior 2x4 utility builds like garden trellis's, shelves, grow tables, etc.  I tend to leaves the holes unplugged and haven't had any issues (just make sure they're not facing directly up, is all).  Being able to deconstruct things is useful for maintenance and recycling.

A Foreman might be harder to use for this purpose as most holes end up on butt-ends of long spans.  I use the R3 mostly here.

 

[Stan Tillinghast]

For faceframe cabinets where the sides are always covered anyhow, I use through fasteners (confirmats) to build the carcass.  I've also used through dowels and through confirmats. 

The confirmats offer the structure of a dowel, plus the holding power of a screw.  They are not cheap, and dowels install just as quickly, so on a base cabinet I will use three confirmats, and several dowels to assemble the sides to the back screw strips and bottoms.

The pocket hole screws offer little in terms of racking strength, though that is less of a factor with cabinets where the wall becomes part of the structure.  For the same time, effort and money I prefer the confirmats and dowels.

I recently finished altering an IKEA Sektion cabinet for a garage pantry; I had to cut a notch in both sides  at the lower back, then build a "front" and "top" to close up the cabinet. I bought the Confirmat drill bit and used the Confirmat screws . On reading about the Confirmat as a fastener, it appears to be extremely strong, and works well in MDF. It was certainly very fast to work with, and not at all finicky as to location, as long as the panels were held in place with K-clamps.

This opened my eyes to the potential for using them in cabinetry as you do. The knockdown potential is just a plus.

 

[Bugsysiegals]

The KF seemed nice at the time but I never intend to build face frame cabinets, have a small pocket hole jig, and plenty of parallel clamps, I’m considering to return it and buying something I’d get more use out of like the VAC Sys or a MFK 700 for trimming edge banding, drawer box dado’s, domino shaker style doors, rebates, etc.

Thanks for sharing everybody ... I hope to see some other use to justify keeping it but it seems it would sit in the corner taking up space more than getting used.

 

[Rick Herrick]

If doing pocket holes is not a big deal to you, heck yeah, take it back.  Both the VacSys and MFK700 are great tools that I would bet you would use much more.