Using Dominos with pocket screws

[MavDog]

I find the Domino to be very useful and use on just about every project I build.  It has definitely increased my quality and speed in which things can be built.  Most of the time I glue both sides of the Domino along with the mating edges of the materials and clamp them together.  I am currently working on some projects that I can use pocket screws because they will be hidden.  The pocket screws will also make the assembly much easier instead of having to use a ton of clamps.  For those of you that use Dominos and pocket screws do you glue the Dominos along with the mating surfaces or leave the Dominos dry?  Up until now I have always glued them but I have a rather involved glue-up of several pieces that need to be done all at once so the time saved not gluing the dominos would be a big help.  I don't want to compromise the strength of the unit though. 

 

[oil trader]

I've always glued them, though I can't tell you if it's good practice or a bad one. 

I can tell you this, however - You should still use the pocket screw clamp to ensure proper alignment and to reduce the drifting of your two pieces.  I made the mistake of assuming the dominoes would keep the pieces properly aligned while I screwed the pocket holes in, and they don't.

 

[Paul G]

I'm using up my inventory of biscuits with pocket screwing (mainly for alignment) and always glue both the biscuit and surface. I turn to slower setting glue when there's a lot of it happening at once. I haven't made any sort of strength test comparing with or without gluing the biscuit but I just glue it since it's there and I can. I too will still use some clamps depending on how critical the fit needs to be, without clamps I can still get a tiny bit of shift depending especially on how close the pocket is to the biscuit, closer the better by my experience.

 

[MavDog]

I do clamp whether it be pocket hole clamps or other style clamps before I screw them together so that the joints are tight and aligned correctly.  It is nice just worrying about clamping the joint you are screwing together at the time instead of trying to figure out how to clamp the hole unit together.

I know there is nothing wrong with gluing everything just wondering if it is necessary and adds any benefit when using pocket screws.  I will definitely stick with gluing everything when not using pocket screws. 

I know it is super strong when I glue everything since a recent unit I built for a craft person was setup overnight and a freak micro-burst happened.  [scared]  Stuff was everywhere on the road.  The shelves were thrown about and even ended up getting run over by a car.  Other than some scratches and rough areas the 1.5" edging I had on the plywood shelves didn't even crack in a single spot.  They were assembled with just dominos and glue.  Some sanding and a fresh coat of finish and you couldn't tell what they had went through.  [laughing]

 

[semenza]

I haven't  had a problem with the screws causing a shift when using Dominos. That's one of the reasons I use the combination. I could definitely  see that biscuits might tend to shift since they don't have the tight fit of a Domino.

Seth

 

[MavDog]

I clamp to make sure the joints are tight before screwing. I have not had a problem with pieces moving. Seth do you glue the Dominos?

 

[flair woodworks]

Paul-Marcel convinced me to put glue on the Dominos and in the slots when strength is a concern.

 

[semenza]

I clamp to make sure the joints are tight before screwing. I have not had a problem with pieces moving. Seth do you glue the Dominos?

Yes, most of the time. I figure it can't hurt. I don't get real picky about it unless I know the Domino is integral to the strength  (needed)  for the particular situation.