Turns out my old mentor was right about face frames

My first boss in the trade, a guy named Pete who's been building cabinets since the 70s, always told me to use pocket screws for face frames instead of biscuits. I argued with him for years saying biscuits were faster and just as strong. Last month I built a set of oak frames for a kitchen remodel in Columbus using biscuits on the first two and pocket screws on the rest. After 8 weeks installed, the biscuit joints have a couple hairline cracks where the wood moved. The pocket screw frames are still tight as can be. Anyone else have an old timer's advice that turned out to be true?

3 comments

3 Comments

piper_kim1mo ago

Well slap me with a biscuit and call me late for lunch, I've been making that same mistake for years.

davis.noah1mo ago

Biscuits are great and all but that hairline crack thing sounds more like an issue with your glue or how tight your clamps were (if they even were tight). Pete's a legend but sometimes those old school guys are just stuck in their ways and it takes a few botched projects to see there's more than one right way.

ellis.faith1mo ago

Did you try clamping across the joint rather than just along the seam? That hairline crack usually happens when the biscuit swells and forces the joint apart if the clamps aren't pulling from the right angle. Pete's methods work fine for basic stuff but they don't always translate to precision work.