Pocket Hole Joinery for Kitchen

[nt900]

I have recently bought a Kreg Pocket Hole Pro kit. I also have to finish a kitchen build. So I thought I might try pocket hole joinery on the kitchen.

I have already made up the melamine carcases, so it's time for the doors and bench top.

My thoughts:<O</O

- pocket hole joinery for the doors stiles and rails joints.<O</O

- in addition to gluing, pocket hole joinery for the bench tops. Not that I have tried it yet, but it seems the pocket hole joinery technique is an excellent way to remove the need for clamping the bench top as the screws do all the clamping during assembly.

Then with both the bench top and the doors, I can immediately begin finishing and fitting without having to wait for the glue to set, as all the screws take the place of clamps and are permanently embedded in the joints.<O

The only down side I can see is the pocket hols being visible on the back side of the doors.<O

By the way, the bench tops are jarrah, and the doors etc, messmate.


Any thoughts?

[Dean]

Very possible with the doors, but as you say, the pocket holes will show. Of course you can use pocket hole plugs to either make them less visible (using same wood as rail/stiles) or accentuate them using a different species for the plugs.

[boban]

I have the Kreg as well and find it works well. I think the only thing you need to be careful of is the tendency for the screw to move the piece you are screwing into because of the angle. I get my best results by clamping tightly then screwing

Although I do use glue, I'm not sure that it does that much, given that at least with the doors, you are dealing with end grain.

I am now experimenting with West System epoxy. Boy this stuff holds well.

[Iain]

All of my kitchen, well most anyway, is done with pocket hole joinery and it holds well.
Another option to hide the holes is to have the door frames that will have the screw hole slightly thinner than the mating piece then apply a thin strip of the same material to cover.
I have yet to make my doors and I am not worried about the screw holes as most people will look at the outside, I hope.
I also made spice shelves around the window to hold about 50 spice jars (Moccona and 5 Brothers Pasta Sauce bottles) and I drilled from the top, when the jars are in palce you simply do not see them.

[nt900]

Iain,

Did you screw and glue, or screw only the cupboard doors?<O

Looked at your pics, any pics of the finished project? I like to see finished projects, God knows I hardly see any of my own finished projects.

[Iain]

I like to see finished projects, God knows I hardly see any of my own finished projects

Maybe we are related, not finished yet, can't rush these things

[nt900]

Melamine cabinets completed (months ago).
Messmate kitchen doors and panels now in progress.
Jarrah benchtops....... maybe in the next month.

By the way, I am using Messmate plugs to cover the screw holes. I have just finished gluing them in. Tomorrow morning I plane them down and see how they look.