I finally ditched pocket screws for dowels on face frames

Been building face frames with pocket screws for like 5 years. Tried dowels last month on a kitchen job in Nashville just to see what the fuss was about. No joke the alignment is way better and I don't have to fill those little holes anymore. Took me an extra 20 minutes per cabinet but the finish looks cleaner. Anyone else made the switch and stuck with it?

3 comments

3 Comments

max_torres446d ago

Read somewhere a pro cabinetmaker swears by domino joiners now.

elliot_gibson276d ago

Domino joiners are great but they are NOT a shortcut for actual skill. A pro cabinetmaker using them probably still spends HOURS on setup and test cuts before touching real material. My question is this: does that cabinetmaker still use traditional joinery like dovetails or mortise and tenon for the visible parts? Because slapping dominos on every joint is fast but it can look cheap if you don't hide them right. I saw a piece once where the domino slots were slightly off and it ruined the whole look. The real trick is knowing when to use the machine and when to stick with hand tools.

spencer9816d ago

Whoa wait, you saw a piece where the domino slots were slightly off and it ruined the whole look? That's wild, I didn't realize even a small mistake with those things could mess up the whole piece that bad. I guess you're right though, if the alignment is even a hair off it'd stick out like a sore thumb.