Rant: I thought pocket hole joinery was just for quick fixes, but it changed my whole shop flow

For years I looked down on pocket holes as a cheap shortcut, something for fast furniture builds, not real cabinets. I was a mortise and tenon or domino guy, period. Then I got a huge rush job for a kitchen remodel in Springfield, a full set of painted maple cabinets due in under two weeks. My usual methods would have killed me. A buddy lent me his Kreg jig and basically forced me to try it on the face frames. I built the entire set of frames in three days, and after glue and clamps, those joints were rock solid. The speed was unreal, and after paint, you can't tell a thing. It totally flipped my view on what a 'proper' joint is for certain jobs. Has anyone else had a tool or method they hated that became a go-to for specific cases?

3 comments

3 Comments

white.nathan1mo ago

Wait, you built all the face frames in just three days? Honestly that sounds impossible with how I work. Tbh I'd need to see that to believe it, but I guess the proof is in the finished cabinets.

nathan_shah1mo ago

It's all about the setup and having a dedicated space for just that task. When you batch all the cuts and have your jigs dialed in, the assembly goes way faster than people expect. My first few kitchens took forever because I was stopping to measure every single piece. Now it's more like running a production line for a couple long days. The finished cabinets do show the work, but the process itself is what got trimmed down.

wells.karen1mo ago

People often doubt what they haven't seen done.