Found out the hard way that pocket hole screws have a correct side to go in

I spent 3 hours last Tuesday fighting with 2x4s that kept splitting on a utility bench build, until my neighbor walked over and pointed out I had the screws facing the wrong direction. Has anyone else had a simple mistake like this mess up a whole afternoon?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth_williams1mo ago

Oh man, the "pocket hole screw facing the wrong direction" thing got me too. I was building a simple shelf and kept wondering why my boards were cracking until I watched a YouTube video that showed the flat side of the screw head has to sit flush against the pocket. I felt like an idiot for wasting a whole Saturday afternoon on that. Your mileage may vary, but I've learned to double check the screw orientation before I even start drilling now.

angelaellis1mo ago

Honestly I've built dozens of things with pocket holes and never once checked which way the screw was facing and never had a single crack.