Thread: Pocketholes in 16mm melamine?

Another question I have. Should I use confirmat screws to screw it all together instead of pocket holes?

I strongly suggest not using pocket hole in particle board, just use the confirmat screws as you normally would

Pocket holes are for solid wood, and even then you need to be careful of the timber you're using. Pocket holes in any kind of engineered board is begging for cracking and splitting problems.

first off don't use those kreg system thingies.

Second and most important. What are you putting in the cabinets? Particle board, when standard construction methods are used, is pretty good for average kitchen loads but shop loads... How much weight you plan to load them up with will dictate material and method of construction.

Like everyone else says; don’t use pocket hole joinery.

Unless you have a need to take them apart again in the future why use confirmat screws, or any screws for that matter? Dowels or biscuits (real ones made from beech, not that pine crap made by Bix) have been used by European kitchen cabinet makers for decades; if you design the joints so all the loads are in a shear plane they are plenty strong.

In answer to the fixing I definitely would not use pocket holes use screws to hold the thing together.

[QUOTE=The Spin Doctor;2321808]first off don't use those kreg system thingies.

Second and most important. What are you putting in the cabinets? Particle board, when standard construction methods are used, is pretty good for average kitchen loads but shop loads... How much weight you plan to load them up with will dictate material and method of construction.[/QUOTE

That is an excellent point. It would be tempting to put heavy things on top of them. Should I be using plywood instead?

At the risk of repeating what many have already said, please do not use pocket holes on particleboard or MDF.

A critical characteristic of particleboard is Internal Bond, along with Modulus of Rupture (there are others, but these are relevant to your question). The internal bond strength is not good enough to satisfactorily hold pocket screws. A cabinet made that way is likely to disassemble itself in service.

Even confirmat screws are iffy, depending on the load. Loose tenons, dowels or biscuits are a better approach. Occasionally I'll use a mix of loose tenons and screws, where the strength comes from the tenons and the screws act as clamps to hold things together until the glue goes off.

Case for Pocket holes:
- You're in need of something quick
- You plan on pulling it apart at some point
- You don't have many clamps
- You lack skills to use alternate methods
- You're not planning to move whatever you're building any time soon

If you answered no to any of the above, i'd use alternate methods. The biggest challenge with building with confirmats only is drilling the holes plumb, this is where pocket hole come into a league of their own.

The biggest issue with pocket holes is their ability to withstand racking forces, if you incorporate alternate building processes that addresses this, pocket holes can be utilised. But as many others have pointed out, there are better building methods for stronger cabinets. Whether you need this additional strength is dependent on your design, personal requirements etc.

For example my mitre station is made entirely out of reclaimed office work/ikea office desks held together mostly with brad nails, it was constructed over a weekend some 9 years ago and its still in operation. It'll get replaced at some point in the future, but at this stage apart from some mild racking it works fine. Pocket holes would have done a much better job, but at the time i needed a station but didn't want to dedicate time/resources to something that was a low priority.

Originally Posted by tonzeyd

For example my mitre station is made entirely out of reclaimed office work/ikea office desks

Solid timber or MDF/particle board? And how thick? Doesn't help much without this important information.

The only pocket holed build I did was using Robertson (square Drive) screws in 19mm plywood in an old cabinet ages ago .It was still holding up when we gave the cabinet away.

Originally Posted by aldav

Solid timber or MDF/particle board? And how thick? Doesn't help much without this important information.

Particle board, didn't realise ikea/officeworks did anything in solid timber...

most of the boards are <3/4" thick the main top close to 30mm.

I used 18 mm melamine rather than 16 mm for the cabinet carcasses in my workshop because the extra 2 mm makes them much more tolerant of errant driven screws.

Also advise against pocket holes; they are for real wood. I just used 65 mm chipboard screws, but pre drilled even though they are self tapping. No screws within 50 mm of a corner.

you could hang your cabinets in French cleats?

Contrary to what everyone else has said, I used pocket holes to put together the 16mm melamine cabinets in my shop. I also used melamine glue on all joins. I used 6mm mdf as the backing (glued and brad nailed). They are holding together just fine. They feel solid. They are mounted on wheels and I constantly move them around a fair bit.

I've been using them for about a year now, so still relatively new. Time may tell a different story.