Woodworker's Journal Summer-2008, страница 72

Two Quick, Strong Jig-made Joints

Joints don't have to be Pocket screws and dowe solution when you need

elaborate to be sturdy. ls may be the ideal it done fast and final.

By Chris Marshall

Dowels that span a butt joint like this one add important mechanical strength, and they disappear once the joint is glued and clamped. An inexpensive jig ensures proper alignment and good results.

Hand-cut dovetails, tusk tenons and other "fancy" joints are wonderful options to master for your projects, but let's face it: there are only so many hours on a Saturday afternoon. In some cases, a quick, efficient jig-made joint can bring satisfying conclusion to a project, especially if you've still got some grass to mow or the bass are biting.

That's when pocket screws or dowel joints can really come to the rescue.

Skip the Glue with Pocket Screws

Pocket screw joints are as sturdy as they are easy to make. You use a drilling jig and stepped bit to bore steeply pitched, counterbored holes in one joint member. Then, drive a couple self-tapping screws into these

holes to draw the joint together. The result is a surprisingly strong, reinforced miter or butt joint that requires no glue. Once the screws are driven home, you're finished.

Pocket screws are the fastest way I know of to build face frames, and with a little creativity you can use them for most casework joinery — assembling backs to sides, building shelf panels from narrower stock, attaching edge banding or toe kicks, fastening hang strips ... the list goes on. Pocket screws are also great for other furniture applications, such as joining legs and aprons, sneaking screws into tight spots or closing picture frame miters.

It's easy to get started making pocket hole joints, but you'll need to buy a jig. Pocket hole jig designs vary some, but all of them have steel sleeves to guide the drill bit correctly. Jig kits typically come with the stepped drill bit, a long driver bit and a stop collar.

Interlocking, Hidden Dowel Joints

Dowels may not be as fashionable as pocket screws these days, but they're still good options when you don't want to see oval holes with screws buried in them. Dowels can be ideal for situations where a joint must be both strong and fastener-free. They're also helpful for keeping joint parts aligned during glue-up, especially when you're clamping odd-angle joints. Adding dowels to a cross-grain butt joint creates a mechanical connection where

72 handcrafting a joiner's mallet