Unpopular opinion: pocket hole jigs are making people worse at woodworking | Diy Builders - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Unpopular opinion: pocket hole jigs are making people worse at woodworking
I saw a stat on a woodworking forum that surprised me: pocket hole joinery kits outsold doweling jigs about 9 to 1 over the past year. That got me thinking about a friend's garage build in Boise where he used pockets on everything, and the face frames started pulling apart after one winter. The screws hold fine at first, but there's barely any glue surface and the wood moves. I still use my Kreg jig for shop cabinets and quick stuff, so I'm not knocking the tool itself. It just bugs me that nobody sells a beginner on learning a proper joint first. Are pocket holes the first thing you reach for on a real piece of furniture, or do you save them for the rough work?