Pocket hole screws snapping halfway in - who's got the fix?

I was building a cabinet frame in my garage last Tuesday and three out of ten pocket hole screws sheared off going into maple. I've tried both oiling the screws and pre-drilling deeper - which way do you guys lean when the wood's this dense? Any tricks to avoid the snap?

2 comments

2 Comments

juliawalker18d ago

Last year I thought waxing the screws was the answer for dense hardwood like maple. But after three projects I changed my mind completely. Kreg's own coarse thread screws in the specific hardwood variety are the only ones that worked for me. I had six snap in one afternoon with maple and switched to the HD version and haven't had a single one break since. Pre drilling with the stepped bit for the shank also helps a lot because the threads don't have to fight the whole length of the hole. I'd try the coarse thread screws first and see if that fixes it before messing with oil or extra drilling.

betty_reed6118d ago

Blew out three screws in red oak last month trying to save time. Went back to pre-drilling and haven't looked back.