McFeelys Pocket Hole Joinery

Pockethole Screw Size Selection
Material Thickness	Kreg® Recommended Screw Length	Use Screw Length
1/2 in., 5/8 in.	3/4 in., 1 in. For 1/2 in. Thick Material: Kreg recommends Pan or Fillister Head screws with the Optional Micro-Pocket™ Drill Guide and 1 in. when using the standard Kreg Jig® Drill Guide.	1 in.
3/4 in.	1-1/4 in.	1-1/4 in.
7/8 in. to 1-1/8 in.	1-1/2 in.	1-1/2 in.
1-1/4 in. to 1-3/8 in.		2 in.
1-1/2 in.	2-1/2 in.	2-1/2 in. in.
3-1/2 in.	4 in.	4 in. in.
Thread Type	Material	Kreg® Screws
Fine	"Hard" woods: Cherry, Maple, Oak, Walnut, etc.	Kreg® Coarse Thread Screws
Coarse	"Soft" woods: Pine, Fir, Poplar, Cedar, etc. Why the PocketMax works in both soft and Hard Woods	Kreg® Fine Thread
Super Eight	Man Mades: MDF, OSB, Particle Board.
McFeely's NoCoRode PocketMax Stainless Steel	Exterior Uses (Corrosion Resistant Coated and Stainless Steel)	Kreg® Blue Coat and Corrosion Resistant Coated Stainless Steel

Pockethole Joinery: What you need to know!

Pocket-hole joinery is popular because it is a fast, strong, easily adaptable, and a precise method of assembly. Joints are as strong as mortise-and-tenon joints and can be made in a fraction of the time. Kreg's Award-winning Jigs® use a 3/8 in. counterbore bit with an 11/64 in. pilot to drill a 15° angle into the first piece. With the joint tightly clamped, a special self-drilling pocket-hole screw is placed in the pocket and driven tight to complete the joint. It is a simple joint that almost anyone can do with a few simple steps.

Pockethole Screws work well in traditional cabinetry using 3/4 in. to 1-1/4in. material and allow the user to create miter joints and piece joints quickly and easily without the needs for clamps.

Pocket-hole screws are different from other woodworking screws in that they feature an auger point (Type 17) to prevent raising a chip between the two parts during assembly, ensuring a tight joint. A Fillister or Washer Head with a #2 Square recess and extended unthreaded shank allows the screw to pull both sides tightly together. Pockethole screws with its Optimized Thread Length design crosses the joint on the centerline for strength and the threads do not cross the joint, eliminating the possibility of board jacking.

The Anatomy of a Pockethole and Why It Works

Things to be aware of when making Pockethole Joints

Make your cuts precise

If your joints are 90° or any other angle, make sure that they are clean and accurate. If you do not have accurate cuts it will show in your finished product. Check the accuracy of any saws that you will be using to make your cuts and tune it up if necessary before you start your first cut.

Plan your work, work your plan.

Now that you have your pieces cut and you have laid out your pieces to check joint fit, plan your work. Know where you are going to drill your holes and mark them on the pieces. When determining where to drill your holes, avoid drilling into end grain because it's the weakest holding of the screws. Instead, drill into the side grain to give you maximum holding power. Marking your drilling on the back side of the face and using that to drill your holes will help to prevent accidentally drilling into the best face.

The Correct Pockethole Depth Is Critical

If your pockethole is too shallow, the threads will not full exit the piece you are trying to join (Board Jacking) and the joint will not pull tight without overdriving your screw. If it's to deep, the material left to hold the joint together will not be sufficient for a long-lasting joint. For the strongest joints, set the stop collar according to your jig's instructions. The pilot point should stop 1/8 in. from the work piece's end or edge. Check the Jig Settings each time to avoid drilling to the correct depth for the current project.

Higher Speed = Cleaner Holes

Corded drills generate a faster bit speed than do cordless ones. A dull bit can leave you with excessive tear-out around the pocket. Keeping a second bit on hand so you can change it out when the first begins to dull can give you a better finished product.

Lubricating the Bit Can Smooth the Way

Before drilling, spray the bit with a dry lubricant to reduce drilling friction and prolong sharpness. Repeat after every 20 or so holes.

Clear Chips Often

Drill about halfway and then pull the bit out to clear the chips. Clearing the chips often reduces friction and bit dulling. If you can, hook up a dust/chip collection to keep the work area clean.

Different Thicknesses Need to Be Matched Up

With joints that have boards of two different thicknesses edge–to–edge or end–to–edge, you want to set your jig to drill the pocket–hole depth for the thinner of the two board. If you are joining boards end–to–face or edge–to–face, such as in a table apron to the top, set the depth for the thickness of the board with the pockets, regardless of which is thinner, and then use a shorter screw if necessary.

Glue and Screw

Do a dry fit making sure that you have all the clamps you need, and everything is in place before you start applying any glue. If the final project is going to be outdoors, make sure to use an outdoor glue. Check out our Titebond Glue Comparison Page.

Tech Tip: Plugging and Pocket-Hole

Pocket–hole plugs are cut at an angle so that they sit perfectly flush on the top of the screw head when fully inserted. A small amount of plug will remain above flush and will need to be trimmed off with a hand saw or sanded.

Steps to Plug a Pocket–Hole:

1. Drill home to adequate depth, and drive screw to secure joint. Tip: Set your drill bit approximately 1/8 in. further from the step of the drill to ensure that the screw head will be deep enough for the plug to fully cover the pocket–hole.
2. Glue and place. Place a fair amount of glue into the bottom of the pocket and around the perimeter of the plug. Press into place and wipe away any excess glue.
3. Trim or sand off excess plug. Softwoods can often be made flush with and orbital sander, while hardwoods will most likely require trimming with a flush–cut handsaw before final sanding.

Tech Tip: "Miter" a Strong Corner with Pocket Holes

One of the most common problems woodworkers face is constructing a durable. Tight, beveled joint. Using normal mitering techniques, if the joint is tight, the "wire" edge that results is vulnerable to splintering and chipping in use. The solution is to move the corner away from the joint! Pocket–hole joinery makes this easy, as shown.

Make sure your cuts are all square.

Before doing your cuts, use a square to make sure that your table saw or chop saw is going to produce a square cut. If your cuts are not square, you will have poor joints or gaps in them.

Plan your work and work your plan!

First you should layout your layout before you start drilling any holes. With everything laid out, you can decide the best face to drill your holes. Mark them and add any lies to line up your pieces if they are in the rails will line up with styles. Once everything is laid out, drill your holes and start your assembly. Make sure that your holes are drilled in orientation that the screws will be installed into the face grain, not into the end grain. Screwing in to end grain leads to weak joints.

Sizing up your pieces

If you are joining two pieces of different thicknesses, use the thinner of the two thicknesses. If you are using pocket holes to attach a table apron to the top, use the thickness of the apron, no matter which one is thinner, and use shorter screws.

Choosing the right screw length for optimum hold

Use the chart above to select the right length of screws for your thickness and application. For exterior applications, you should use either Stainless Steel or the Corrosion Coated Screws. Stainless Steel is required when you are within 10 miles of the ocean or near a chlorine pool.

Don't Forget the Glue

While pockethole screws make a good, solid joint, adding glue will help create a stronger joint during any seasonal wood movement.

Use Clamps

Clamping across the joint helps pull it together and hold it in the correct placement while you drive your screws. It is best to use a drill with a clutch instead of an Impact Driver. You can't see in the hole to see when the head is seated. The Impact Driver can drive the screw and break the shoulder of the pockethole.

The Jig and Drill Position

When you drill using a Kreg® Pockethole Jig, the very tip of the Pockethole gets positioned roughly at the center of the material’s thickness. This ensures there is plenty of wood around the hole for maximum strength.

The 15° Drilling Angle Creates an Oval

As you drill, the stepped drill bit enters the wood at a 15° angle. That is what creates the distinctive oval shape. The Pocket-Hole-Jig ensures this angle is consistent, and that the bit is held steady as you work, making the process of drilling an angled hole foolproof.

Double-Duty Drill Bit

If you look "inside" the material again, you can clearly see what happens as you drill the Pockethole. The special stepped drill bit does two things: The smaller tip drills a pilot hole for the screw, while the main part of the bit drills the pocket that the screw fits into.

• Use a corded drill because speed gives you a cleaner bore. Using a cordless drill, the battery is decreasing power as you use it.
• Setting the Stop Collar – This is very important. To get the proper joint and not have the screw go in to deep or not far enough, set the Stop Collar to the correct thickness of the wood. The Pilot (the smallest part of the bit) Point should be greater than 1/8 in. from the edge. That sets the hole to the correct depth for the strongest joint.
• Use a Dry Lubricant - You can use a dry lubricant to assist in keeping the bit shape by reducing friction, keeping your bit sharper longer. It is recommended that you do this about every 20 or so holes.
• Clear the chips that are produced often. Clearing the chips will reduce bit dulling and friction.
• Keep an extra drill bit on hand when (not if) the one you are using becomes dull.

Parts of the Pocket

A cutaway view of the Pockethole shows all the elements, in another way. At the base of the pocket, there’s a flat ledge that the head of the screw will contact. The pilot hole continues almost—but not quite all the way—to the end of the board. It stops short for good reason: To prevent the wood fibers from "blowing out" as the bit would exit the material. That way, there is nothing to interfere with this piece fitting tightly against the mating piece.

Self-Tapping Screws Keep It Simple

The Pockethole makes this type of joint possible, but it’s the Pocket-Hole Screw that pulls it all together. As you drive the screw in, the pocket and pilot hole guide the screw precisely, while the screw’s self-tapping tip drills its own hole into the mating piece. That means you do not have to drill into both pieces, and you will get great holding power without splitting or stripping the wood.

 

Choosing the Right Screws

Choosing the right screw, just like drilling the right size and depth hole makes your joint strong. Coarse–threaded pocket screws provide a hold better in softer woods, such as pine, cedar, and poplar, as well as plywood, using fine–threaded screws for hardwoods. Our Super Eight Threaded PocketMax Screws work well in MDF, OSB, and Particle Board. Choose the length based on the work piece thickness, as shown in the chart to the right.

Can I use Drywall Screws for Pocket–Hole Screws? No, never use drywall screws in the place of pocket-hole screws. "Drywall" screws are designed to penetrate a layer of powdery drywall and a soft, wooden, or thin metal studs. They have threads all the way to the lower side of the Bugle Head (because it looks like the "Bell" of a Bugle) and will not pull the joint tight. In addition, they are hardened and have a thinner shank than pockethole screws that can and will break easily while driving in a non–drywall application. Their Bugle Head can split the bottoms of the pocket shoulders ruining your joint.

 

Thread Design

 

Our PocketMax® screws are modern production screws and have a Deep Thread design. The primary advantage of the Deep Thread design was its wide, deeply spaced thread design. A 15° angle in conjunction with a 30° trailing edge provided a thread surface engagement nearly perpendicular to the screw axis resulting in increased holding power. The sharp thread angle that cut into the material greatly reduced cracking, splitting, and bursting. Its smaller body diameter or minor diameter reduced driving torque while causing the least material distortion. Screws thread design features cutters built right into the thread design. By displacing less material, the Type–17 point thread design offers greater holding power.

Type 17 Point

The Type 17 point is not a thread style but can enhance the performance qualities of most thread styles used in the woodworking industry. A slot or notch is cut out at the point of the screw that acts like an auger or drilling tip. The slot carves away the material thus allowing it to self–drill itself into most types of wood. In many instances it can eliminate the need for a pre–drilled hold to relieve splitting. The Type 17 point is excellent for hardwoods, softwoods, particleboard and especially MDF. Type 17 points are commonly available today in our Deep Thread style and is quickly becoming the fastener of choice for the woodworking professional. There are many advantages to the Type 17 point, but the process used to saw the slot into the shank and threads is slow and the additional expense must be compared to the benefits.

Click here for PocketMax Screw Test Results

Head Style

A Fillister (also called a Flat Top Pan or sometimes a Cheese Head) or Washer Head Screw with a #2 Robertson® Square Recess and extended unthreaded shank enables the screw to draw the two members of the joint tight. The Robertson® recess was first introduced to the USA in 1957. Since then, woodworkers worldwide know the benefits of Square Drive Screws. It has a more positive fit that reduces "cam out" and requires only 4 foot pounds of pressure to keep the bit engaged. Square recess drivers last longer than most other recess driver types, and only 2 driver sizes are required in order to fit the most common Square Drive Screw sizes.

Fillister Head: Is similar to a Pan head but with greater side height. The higher head profile provides a deep recess that makes this head style easier to drive. These screws are known for their high strength, accuracy, quality, and durability. Mainly found in Pocket-Hole Screws. In Pockethole screws, the Head is usually undersized by one size to prevent the head from scraping the walls of the Pockethole. This could cause the screw to not go in straight and create a weak joint.

Washer Head: An oversize washer is formed as part of the head itself, providing a larger bearing area, which is especially useful when fastening soft materials. The flat bearing surface under the head prevents the screw from being countersunk.

Screw Finishes

Dry to the touch lubricant, or "Dry Lube" that offers a reduction in driving torque and a finish that does not interfere with dust collection systems or bleed during the staining process of fine woodworking. More economical than plated parts they are a popular choice with professional woodworkers. They are a brownish color that allows them to blend well into wood.

Clear Zinc The silver appearance of Clear Zinc has been around for many years and remains very popular. It also provides a moderate level of rust protection. Since this is a true electroplating, the zinc coating is pm1 of the surface of the steel and very durable. Other chemicals can be added to the process and the depth of the coating can be controlled.

NoCoRode Plus is one of the more corrosion-resistant plating's we offer. In manufacturer-conducted salt-spray testing, it has exceeded 1,800 hours, making it almost 20 times more corrosion-resistant than standard yellow zinc plating. It works well with most outdoor woods, including ACQ pressure treated wood. Use caution with Redwood, Western Red Cedar or similarly acidic woods − these tend to stain, sometimes even with stainless! And unlike the plating on hot-dipped galvanized screws, NoCoRode Plus doesn’t chip and you won’t find the recesses full of plating material that makes the fasteners useless. Best of all, the plating is tan colored, so it "blends" with many pressure-treated materials.

Blue-Kote™ Screws made by Kreg® feature three anti-corrosion layers, making them the perfect choice for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor projects. Blue-Kote™ Screws provide rust-resistance up to 400% greater than zinc-plated screws and work with pressure-treated material.

Stainless Steel provides the ultimate corrosion resistance for most woodworking projects. Although all products corrode sooner or later, stainless steel continues to provide excellent protection. Since the carbon content of stainless is quite low, oxidation (rusting) is also quite low. However, since the carbon content is low, the steel cannot be heat treated to adequate levels. As a result, the screws are soft and break easily when used in wood applications where high levels of torque strength are required. They are softer than our hardened-steel screws because stainless steel is not generally heat-treatable − the wire must be soft enough to be formed yet hard enough to provide the desired strength. Type 305 stainless steels are nickel-chromium austenitic grades of stainless steel. Type 305 stainless steels are not hardened by heat treatment and are inherently nonmagnetic. They provide very good corrosion resistance and are suitable for use in many corrosive environments. Fasteners made from Type stainless steels are compliant with the 2012 and 2015 IBC and IRC.

The PocketMax Difference

• 60% Less Driving Torque with No Driver Bit Slippage (Easier to drive and eliminates driver bit cam–out)
• 50% Longer Type–17 Cutting Flute Eliminates Splitting (Longer cutting point cuts better and splits less)
• 45% Reduction of Splitting, Cracking & Bursting (Less splitting = more efficient production and less waste)
• 30% Greater Holding Power & Pull–Out Values (Holds and pulls joints tighter together)

1. Cut the first piece at a bevel angle equal to the desired miter angle.	2. Join together, making sure the seam is aligned on the inside edge.	3. Joint away the overhanging edge to "move" corner position.

 

WARNING: Drilling, sawing, sanding, or machining wood products can expose you to wood dust, a substance known to the State of California to cause cancer. Avoid inhaling wood dust or use a dust mask or other safeguards for personal protection. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/wood.