Am I the only one who thinks pocket screws get way too much credit?

I was building a set of kitchen cabinets for a client in Austin last month and used pocket screws for the face frames like everyone says to. But when I had to adjust a door hinge later, two of those screws stripped out completely. I ended up switching to dowels and glue on the next cabinet and it felt way more solid. Has anyone else run into this issue or am I just using the wrong kind of screws?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthewgonzalez1d ago

Right on, "cheap screws" is probably half the problem honestly.

robert_roberts1d ago

Man, that sucks. Pocket holes are one of those things everyone swears by but I've had the same trouble with them stripping out. Idk if it's the cheap screws or what, but wood movement seems to mess with them over time too. Dowels and glue are old school for a reason, they just lock in way better. Maybe it's just me but I feel like pocket screws are more for quick furniture builds than something that needs to hold up years later.