Switched from pocket screws to dowels for a cabinet face frame, no regrets
After 11 years of pocket screws on every face frame, a customer in Spokane asked why I had holes to fill and I couldnt answer, so I tried dowels on their maple kitchen and the joints came out cleaner and faster once I built a simple jig, anyone else made the jump and gone back?
That jig is the whole game changer. Once you dial in the depth and center lines, dowels beat pocket screws for face frames every time, especially on maple where you can't hide a single mistake. The tightest joints Ive seen come from guys who use a router bushing guide and a self centering bit, it makes glue up almost too easy. Wood movement is way less of a headache too cause you aint relying on a screw that can strip out in soft grain. Only way I go back to pockets is if Im building something that needs to come apart later.