I think I'm a pocket hole snob.

Don’t weaken Jeremy! I won’t use them either (even though I KNOW how much easier it would be).

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

I feel the same way. One good use is screwing on face frames to cabinets while the glue is drying. Once the glue is dried, the pocket screws are useless, but they are nice until that happens.

When I’m putting a jig together to complete a process for a piece, I’ll pocket hole away.

And, I occasionally used them to pull a joint tight like the mirror frame I posted a few years ago.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/16619

Recently I got the small one from Kreg to use on 1/2” stock, but haven’t had a use for it yet.

But if a piece will be under a lot of stress and they are placed in an area that doesn’t show, I say why not?
As long as they aren’t the primary joint attachment.

And, they’ll never replace mortise & tenon and dovetails in my book.

-- Eric

I use pocket hole screws everywhere. Face Frames, Cabinet carcasses, Book Cases, Shelving, Holding the cat in place while the wife trims it’s nails…..

-- Improvise.... Adapt...... Overcome!

I’m a fan of pocket hole screws….for some things. All my shop cabinets are pocket hold screw joinery and so is my router table. They’re also excellent for putting some quick and sturdy shelving together.

-- Dave, Colonie, NY

I went through about 600 screws build my kitchen cabinets. But you can’t see a one. They will never replace other types of joinery but they sure have there place.

I used to use them a lot as a primary joinery method
in cabinet jobs. I would use them again if I had space
for a pneumatic assembly clamp table, but the alignment
and splitting problems of drilled (Kreg format) pocket
holes kind of soured me on them.

They totally save time in a lot of applications though and
are plenty strong. I’ll give you that.

The Kreg pocket hole jig is the reason I got into woodworking. I made my first project with it. I probably wouldn’t use it for much but shop stuff now, but I love it for having piqued my interest in woodworking.

I am happy that i invested in the whole pocket hole thing, don’t look at it like something to replace mortise and tenon or dovetails, even though in some instances they can. but look at it as a replacement for regular screws. i know woodworkers that don’t have a doweling machine, and just screw chipboard or mdf cabinets together by putting regular screws in the panel end grain. in that case my cabinets are way more solid with the srcews going the other way and pulling on the panel face. I don’t use em allot, and still use traditional or domino joinery mostly. But when i do use them it is because it’s the best and most solid option available for that particular task.
In my eyes they do have a spot in quality oriented workshops!

I assemble furniture at a big box store, pocket holes are used a lot !
There are places they are usable.
For my own work I would rather NOT use them.
I take the time for traditional joinery.

-- "My mission in life - make everyone smile !"

I use em and luv em. They have come in real handy with repairing cabinets in some of the houses/apartments that I have refurbished.

I use mine a lot. The old alloy model. I just can’t seem to find the cat holding attachment. Did I miss something?
Bill

-- bill@magraphics.us

Great for jigs, shop furniture and, cabinet face frames, as mentioned above.
Agree that they are no substitute for mortise and tenons, dovetails or box joints.
But for speed, they are great.

-- Gene 'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

Just think of them as threaded steel dowels of an angle variety and it doesn’t sound quite so bad. :)

-- "The way to make a small fortune in woodworking- start with a large one"

Jeremy, I’ve read a lot of your blogs and you seem to be a very busy person. Building fixtures and secondary items needed to complete many wood working jobs is a necessary evil. Some things you just have to do. But ruling out a tool because you want to some how remain a purist is BS. Any proven wood joinery method is good if it meets or exceeds your design needs. And I agree with your final statment that maybe there is a place in the shop for pocket hole jigs.

-- Bob Kenosha Wi.