Since I'm here, what about pocket hole joinery?

[MM]

I only discovered it the other day and I was astonished to find how much there is on the web about it, with numerous jigs available. I'm thinking of getting the Kreg mini kit for around £32 just to try it out. Looks pretty neat from the video! The additional screws are a rip-off, though.

MM

[Roger Mills]

I bought one of these a couple of years ago and have been very pleased with it.

that the Kreg mini kit doesn't have any clamps, whereas this one does. The instructions with it weren't very good (if there were any at all - I can't remember) but I downloaded some for the much more expensive Trend jig, which could easily be applied to it.

[See the Pocket Hole Jig link on ]

[MM]

Thanks, Roger.

MM

[fred]

We used to use them about 15 years ago, before Kreg appeared on the scene. The problem we found was that the joint needed to be securely cramped before tightening as the components tend to squirm when tightening up the connection.

As a way of making a joint a bit agricultural to my way of thinking.

Still have loads of the screws ;-(

Paul Mc Cann

[MM]

What's so special about the screws that they can charge an arm and a leg for them, I wonder? They're just screws, aren't they? I, too, did wonder about joint rigidity. This gadget should keep the joint tight while screwing in the screws:

now I'm carrying on in the usual way: I drill 8mm holes from the outside through the leg and into the stile, fix the joint with wood glued fluted dowels, then after it's dried, fill the redundant hole with a glued-in offcut of plain dowel and sanded flush. I also glued and screwed corner blocks to the inside four corners of the small side table I'm making to keep the thing square. Pretty cheap solution. I've used the method for years.

MM

[dennis]

AFAIK they don't have any countersinking so they don't split the wood when you tighten them. I don't have any handy but I expect the shank to be sized to fit the hole too.

Do you use two screws per joint?

> For now I'm carrying on in the usual way: I drill 8mm holes from the

[Matty F]

What's wrong with a biscuit cutter? The cutters are cheap now, and useful for other tasks like making slots in anything, and cutting the bottom off doors while in situ.

[MM]

Crikey! It's a bit of a jump going from a mini Kreg to biscuit joints!

MM

Tip of the day: Save green or blue plastic milk carton caps and use for small amounts of PVA wood glue. Simply throw away the cap when finished with.