Okay, newbie here, and not entirely sure in which forum this would be most appropriate. My question is: If one is just using screws and countersinking, how exactly does one place them with a butt joint? I had just been screwing through the front face of one board into the end grain of the other...but this makes some pretty darn big holes to fill. Am I supposed to be screwing from the back at an angle like one would do with a jig? I plan on making several pieces of furniture and a bed for my son. And if I am supposed to screw from the back, how on earth do I get the right angle?
I did indeed get a Kreg jig a couple weeks ago and I love it, but it's not always practical for certain applications. Currently I'm making some 24" floating shelves as Christmas gifts. Jig is great except for the studs, where I can't get in to screw it.
kristen
Sun, 12/19/2010 - 11:12
You are right about screwing into the front face of one into the end grain of the other. Unfortunately it does mean you have to fill the holes! You are right, the Kreg Jig doesn't replace countersinking entirely, but it is a great tool.
Good luck with all your projects!
claydowling
Wed, 02/16/2011 - 12:25
This is a bit late to the game, but be careful of any solution that involves screwing into endgrain, especially on pine and other softwoods. Pine has very little holding strength for screws in the end grain. That means that if there are forces trying to pull away from the end grain, it's likely that it will. It is fine for situations where the forces against the board won't be pulling in the direction of the endgrain that you screwed into.
This is precisely why pocket holes were invented. There are alternatives, such as dovetails or mortise and tennon joints, depending on your needs, but they're significantly harder to cut. For the most part they take expensive machinery to cut unless you're willing to learn how to use hand tools. I'm cheap, so I own some specialized chisels and hand saws for just such purposes. Upside: $100 would set you up with all of the hand tools you needed, even buying new.