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After building my kid's bed, I'm done with pocket screws for good
Ngl, they saved time but the joints started squeaking in months. Now I only use dados and rabbets for any load bearing frame.
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robinson.quinn7mo ago
My buddy Steve built a bookshelf last year using pocket screws everywhere. It felt solid at first, but after like six months, every time you touched it, it sounded like a haunted house. He ended up taking it all apart and redoing the joints with dados and rabbets. Said it was a huge pain, but now the thing is dead quiet and doesn't wobble even a bit. Really changed how he builds anything that needs to carry a load.
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palmer.jordan7mo ago
Have you considered that maybe the wood dried out and shifted after Steve built it? I've got shelves held together with pocket screws that have been rock solid for ages. It sounds like the problem could be more about how the screws were placed or the wood itself changing. Dados are strong, but they take a lot more time and tools for what might be a small gain. Isn't it possible that with better planning, pocket screws would have been just fine?
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dakota3797mo ago
That "haunted house" sound is so real. I made a coffee table with pocket screws, and for months it was fine. Then one day it just gave up and got all wobbly. I had to take the whole thing apart in shame.
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