Project - Quick Bookshelf with Pocket-Hole Screws

One easy way of quickly putting together shelves, kitchen cabinets and so on is with the use of pocket-hole screws. Unlike butt joints held together by screws, pocket-hole screws do not go into end grain and are therefore much stronger.  A screw going into end grain as in a butt joint is inherently weak whereas the angled screw in a pocket-hole goes into long grain which is strong and holds well.

Typical Butt Joint: The Screw goes into end grain

A Pocket-Hole Joint: The Screw goes into the long grain and is therefore stronger.

Pocket-hole screw joints are in fact extremely strong and can take quite a weight. They might not be as long lasting as conventional wood joints but unless severely stressed they look like they will last for years and years. The greatest advantage of pocket-hole screw joints is the speed and ease with which they can be put together.

Kreg Jig

Pocket-hole screw joinery has been popularized in recent times by the American company, Kreg Tool Company, which makes the well-known Kreg Pocket-hole jig (see their website at http://www.kregtools.com for more details). Woodsmith magazine also has a pdf file on the use of pocket-hole jigs that can downloaded from http://www.woodsmithshop.com/download/508/pocket-hole-joinery.pdf .

The Basic version of the Kreg Pocket-hole Jig

This easy to use jig that comes in many packages is extremely easy to use and has led to a proliferation of articles and videos on pocket-hole joinery.

The Kreg jig in action

I have one of their simpler versions of this jig and use it when I have to put things together quickly such as storage shelves, boxes and recently a plywood base for my benchtop table saw. The pocket-hole screws make fairly strong joints. However, these joints cannot be compared to traditional dovetail or box joints which are far stronger.

Kreg Screw Types

A Shop made pocket-hole jig (source: http://pinoyhandyman.com/showthread.php?p=25368)

The only problem with the Kreg pocket-hole jig is that it requires a specific type of screw (square head) for best results. These screws are not available in India and the best substitutes are Philips head screws with pan or washer heads  (see post on screws at http://indiandiy.blogspot.in/2012/03/types-of-screws.html).

Pocket-hole joinery was not invented by Kreg Tool Company and a number of companies offer their own versions of the jig. A simple pocket-hole jig can be made at home by the hobbyist. There are plans for these available in the Internet including one at http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-plans/routing/pocket-hole-routing-jig/.

Quick Shelves

Shelves in their housing

I decided to give pocket-hole screw joinery a try when building a desperately needed shelf for several large books that had been gathering dust and mould in an old cardboard box in our store room. As usual I needed to make a bookcase quickly and discard the mouldy container.

My choice of material was rubber wood board purchased from a local timber shop. The boards were not of very good quality; they bowed and would later cause problems while staining. At any rate, I was not too concerned as I intended to make this bookcase for temporary use and later make a more permanent one with a proper base and top.

Pocket-hole screws driven into the top

For slapping together something quickly, I presumed pocket-hole joinery would be best. And indeed it was quick work. The top and bottom came together rather well with pocket-hole screws and the two shelves went into their housings and the 6mm plywood slid in comfortably into the slots routed on the sides at the back.

With the back and shelves in position and a Shellac finish

The quality of the rubber wood boards, as I mentioned, were poor and the stain blotched quite a bit. To even out things, I coloured the wood with a bit of dye (brown and red) and then applied a Shellac finish. It looked tolerable but not great. I then planed the front edges of the bookcase to flatten them and take off the stain.

Face frame put together with pocket-hole screws

The face frame put together with pocket-hole screws came together in no time and I attached it to the bookcase front with glue and pocket-hole screws at the top and bottom. When the face frame dried I found it had shifted slightly at an angle; it was proud by about one thirty second of an inch on the top right hand side and bottom left hand while it was down by the same amount on the other sides. Problem was that the top and bottom pieces had bowed slightly but unevenly. Had a hard time planning it down with a block plane and at any case could not do anything about the slight gaps that remained. It was not visible at the bottom though.

Pieces for the top

For the top, I cut three pieces of rubber wood boards, then mitred them and attached them with screws on the top. The tiny gap between the face frame on one side and the top was not perceptible but I suppose it would have been best hidden by a moulding.

The bookshelf completed with the top added on. It currently rests on a temporary base of two batons; I plan to build a proper cabinet base for it with drawers.

The bookshelf completed with the top added on. It currently rests on a temporary base of two batons; I plan to build a proper cabinet base for it with drawers. For the time being, the bookcase will rest on two pieces of wood. I plan to make a three feet tall cabinet for the base. But that is another project.

Final Remarks

The bookshelf is complete; it is sturdy and looks nice with stain and polish applied. Yet, I cannot wish away a niggling feeling that traditional joinery would perhaps have been preferable. It is not that there is anything wrong with pocket-hole joinery - it is strong, probably enduring and easy - but somehow it did not give me the same amount of satisfaction that putting together something in the old fashioned way does. But that's an entirely personal thing and I do recognise the utility of a system that can deliver quickly and reliably. Pocket-hole joinery clearly has a great future. It is just that I would prefer to do things another way.

Indranil Banerjie
30 September 2013