Pocket Screw and MDF

[nhughz]

What experiences do people have with pocket screws and MDF.......do they work well together?

I'm looking at making some new storage draws for the back of my van and they need to be nice and sturdy, unlike the unit i bought ready made :roll:

 

[Doug B]

I`ve made a few storage cabinets for the workshop with the Kreg pocket screw jig & 18mm mdf & it works fine.
Trick is to use the torque setting on your cordless driver, as is easy to strip the thread if you`re to heavy handed.
Also a bead of glue doesn`t go amiss.

 

[nhughz]

Thanks James. Do you think 18mm is the way to go or could i get away with 12mm in order to keep the weight down a little?

 

[Oryxdesign]

I use them all the time and find them excellent although I don't treat them as a replacement for glue and other joining methods. If I was making a cabinet I would still fit dominos/biscuits and glue together.

 

[wizer]

I have just built a few workshop cabinets out of 18mm MDF and pocket screws, it works well. I think you can go down to 12mm but I don't recommend it, it just seemed a bit flimsy.

 

[nhughz]

Probably right, i think i'll make the unit itself from 18mm and use 12mm for the draws. Thanks for the replies.

 

[Doug B]

I think you`d have to use shorter screws if you use any thing thinner than 18mm.
Ordinary pva really sticks to mdf, so once it`s gone of the screws are secondary.

 

[tim]

If you want to keep the weight down and still keep them strong, why don't you use ply?

Cheers

Tim

 

[nhughz]

I did think about ply Tim; is it as robust as MDF and would it cost much more?

 

[wizer]

i'd say more robust than MDF, but indeed, more expensive.

 

[tim]

It won't be much more expensive if you use any standard WBP ply. It'll be a lot more if you use birch ply.

All will be more robust than MDF. If its just for drawers, why don't you just use softwood?

Cheers

Tim

 

[staffie]

You could try to use a 9mm ply and glue 25mm strips down each end to thicken the ends then drill the pocket holes through the 18mm thick ends.

I have done this with 5mm ply and glued a 25mm strip of 18mm ply to each end, then pocket holed all sides and glued and screwed together. Built the cabinets and the bunks on the boat like this. Very light and very strong.

Jock