Unpopular opinion: I gave up on pocket screws for face frames
I was building kitchen cabinets for a remodel in Tacoma and used pocket screws on all the face frames like I always do. On the third day, I noticed a tiny gap opening up on a long frame... maybe 1/16 of an inch. The wood just moved with the humidity change in the house. I learned that for me, the clamping action of a good glue joint is just more reliable over time. Has anyone else had frames shift on them like that?
Wait you're in Tacoma too? That humidity shift off the sound is no joke. I swear my own front door swells shut every fall. Seeing a gap open up after just three days would make me lose my mind, especially on a kitchen job.
Tell me about it, bettyg93. I spent a whole weekend planing down a door that was sticking, only for the rain to hit and it swung loose like a saloon gate. The wood in these old houses just gives up. You get a dry week and suddenly your floorboards are talking back, creaking like they've got something to say. Makes you wonder if the house is settling or just sighing.