Shoutout to the guy at the hardware store in Boise who saved my project

I was building a simple bookshelf and kept having trouble getting the pocket holes to line up right. A guy in line behind me saw me struggling and asked if I was using a clamp. I wasn't, and he showed me how to use a basic bar clamp to hold the pieces flush. I went home, tried it, and the whole thing went together perfectly in about an hour. Anyone have other simple tricks for keeping wood from shifting during assembly?

3 comments

3 Comments

james_campbell1219d ago

Right? What kind of jig were you even using that didn't need a clamp?

bennett.mason19d ago

Wait, you were trying to do pocket holes without a clamp? That's like trying to brush your teeth without toothpaste, man. The whole point of that joint is the pieces have to be perfectly flush or the screw just pulls everything out of whack. I'm honestly shocked you got as far as you did before someone stepped in. That hardware store guy is a real one for sure.

morgan89817d ago

Seriously, how many pocket holes did you try to drill before it all went sideways? I can picture the wood just skating around on the workbench. Did you at least have it up against a stop block or were you just freehanding it and hoping for the best?