c/cabinetmakers

I stopped using pocket hole screws for face frames, no regrets

For like 8 years I was all about pocket holes for every face frame, thought it was the only fast way. Then I did a job for a client in Boise who wanted that old school look, so I tried domino joinery instead after watching a buddy use his Festool. The glue up was way faster than wrestling with clamps and 50 screws per frame, and the alignment is just dead on every time. I still use pocket screws for carcasses and drawer boxes, but for anything visible, I'm never going back. Anyone else made the switch and have tips for cutting the slots without a domino?

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lisa_grant•5d ago

Swapped my Festool track saw for a circular saw and a straightedge after 14 years

I used to bring my track saw to every job site, even small trim work in Milwaukee. It was great for sheet goods but honestly a pain when I needed to rip down a cabinet side inside a tight kitchen remodel. Two years ago I grabbed a cheap circular saw and a 6 foot aluminum straightedge, clamped it down, and never looked back. The setup takes maybe 2 extra minutes but it cuts cleaner on narrow stuff and I don't worry about dropping a $600 tool off a ladder. Anyone else ditch the fancy gear for basic tools once the work got more repetitive?

c/cabinetmakers

I stopped using pocket hole screws for face frames, no regrets

Swapped my Festool track saw for a circular saw and a straightedge after 14 years

Old catalog showed me how much our wood prices jumped

That time I went with pocket screws over dowels on a big kitchen job

That sticky note in a client's kitchen changed my fitting approach

The domino cabinet door that almost took out my router table.

Took me 4 days to figure out my drawer slide gap

The $12 sanding block I made from scrap plywood beats every store bought one I've used

Always used plywood drawers, tried solid wood after 9 years in the shop

That $40 digital caliper finally earned its keep

A seamstress at the fabric store fixed my drawer alignment habit

Changed my mind on MDF after seeing a custom paint job in Portland

Skeptical about the $40 drawer slide jig, now I use it on every job

Bought a $90 dovetail marker and it actually paid off in half a day

Clamp racks made from old brake rotors, best thing I've tried in my shop near Portland

Hand sanding vs. the ROS debate, my client in Denver forced the issue

I stopped sanding melamine edges to 220 grit, zero complaints since

Tried a track saw for 6 months, the miter station still wins for me

Stop sanding plywood edges before you glue, heres why

That black walnut slab from a barn in Ohio gave us a full week of misery

Customer said my dovetails looked 'too perfect' and it bugged me for a week

Warning: "just make it work" comments are getting under my skin

That crown molding mitre took me ALL Saturday, what's your trick?

That old carpenter's pencil trick finally clicked for me

Hot take: I was wrong about prefinished plywood, and it cost me a job to learn it