Unpopular opinion: People overcomplicate face frame joinery

Been to a few shops in St. Louis this month and saw guys using pocket screws for everything even when pinned tenons would be cleaner. I get that pocket screws are fast but they leave those holes you gotta plug and they don't hold up as well on doors. Same thing with guys skipping the glueup on miter joints because they think the biscuit is enough. Why spend all that time on finish work if the frame is gonna split in 2 years? Anybody else notice shops leaning too hard on shortcuts that cost you later?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_singh871mo ago

Ngl I used to be all about pocket screws for speed but after fixing a few blown out door frames from a shop that over relied on them I switched to pinned tenons for anything that gets daily use. The time you save upfront just gets eaten up later fixing splits and loose joints. It clicked for me when a cabinet I built for my own kitchen felt solid years later while the one with pocket screws started sagging in month 6.

sammurray1mo ago

Totally agree with @reese_singh87 on this one. It's like how people buy cheap tools to save money then spend twice as much replacing them when they break. Same thing with these shortcuts in framing. You see it everywhere now with people rushing through stuff that should take time. I've seen guys use glue alone on face frames and act surprised when they pop apart after a season of heating and cooling. The whole idea of building something right the first time is getting lost in the need to get it done faster. If you're gonna spend the money on nice wood, why not spend the extra hour to make sure it stays together?