Best screw length(s) for pocket holes?

5/16/21, 7:55 PM #1

TomD
Member
Offline
5,037 posts

Registered: 12/25/23

Best screw length(s) for pocket holes?

TomD

I have never had any use for pocket holes, but I have an application now, and am planing on making a jig similar to the Castle 110. I have an electric die grinder I hope to use, as I never use it for it's intended use.

Is there one screw length that is particularly versatile? I find on the odd occasion when I use my biscuit joiner that the size I use almost exclusively is the 20. I wonder if there is one or two sizes of screw that are most useful, it would simplify everything. Mostly I would see myself joining 3/4" stock to other 3/4" stock, either edge to edge, or edge to face.

Re: Best screw length(s) for pocket holes?

5/16/21, 8:26 PM #2

David Yoho
Member
Offline
2,135 posts

Registered: 1/5/04

Re: Best screw length(s) for pocket holes?

David Yoho

The two sizes I find I use most are 1 1/4" and 1 1/2".

- - -

I live in Mechanicsville, VA (not far from Richmond) and I've been building furniture and cabinetry for well over 20 years now. It all started with my frustration of not being able to cut a straight line with a hand saw. About this same time, a guy named Norm appeared on my local PBS station. The more I watched, the more I learned. I also started thinking, "Hey, I can do that"! And so, I began with small projects and soon found myself moving up to increasingly advanced work. Word of mouth started the ball rolling and before I knew it, I was building all kinds of things for people. While this is not what I do to pay the bills, it has provided me with a means of equipping my shop over the years. The main downside to all of this is when my wife looks at a finished project and says, "I want one of those" and I know I don't have the time to make that happen right then. I take advantage of any slack time between commissions to work on things we want and this seems to keep her "on my side". She even surprised me one day with a new Tormek sharpening system. Sometimes it pays to leave that tool catalog lying around open! For me, woodworking is a type of therapy. I can go out to the shop and totally forget about the world outside. There have been days when I get out there early and before I know it, it's dark outside and I have no idea where the time went! I also enjoy challenging my skills and learning new things. Most of the time, since the majority of my work tends to be custom pieces, I'm working on projects I�ve never built before. While this takes me longer than if I were doing production work, I find it more appealing because there's always something new to learn. I haven't had any formal training in woodworking. My teachers have been experience, the many books and magazines I've read, WoodCentral, and of course, a guy named Norm.

Re: Best screw length(s) for pocket holes?

5/16/21, 8:49 PM #3

TomD
Member
Offline
5,037 posts

Registered: 12/25/23

Re: DIY Castle 100/110

TomD

Thanks David. I just noticed the machine uses only one size of screw. It adjusts by setting back the pocket, which should be be easy to incorporate. Part of the reason being that the low angle pocket means that if the web is increased, it won't cause the screw to protrude above panels surface, at least as soon as a regular 15 degree set screws would. I guess I will need to fiddle with the layout to find out what works before I design it.

I also think the 100 may be simpler to build. Really a mix with a cam clamp. Probably go with a 6 degree angle if it looks as though that will work better using standard screws.

Re: Best screw length(s) for pocket holes?

5/16/21, 10:54 PM #4

Barry Irby
Member
Offline
13,125 posts

Registered: 1/27/05

Re: DIY Castle 100/110

Barry Irby

I have an old Kreg jig that must be thirty years old. Don't use it often but when I do I use 1 1/4" screws about 90 percent of the time. I buy both the ones for soft wood and hardwood. I find the screws to be very useful just as screws. My jig has no easy adjustments so I keep a few 1" screws and 2" ones on hand. I won a newer jig but have not taken it out of the box.

Best screw length(s) for pocket holes?

Posts