Finally figured out a trick for pocket hole joints on plywood

Was building some cabinets in my garage and kept getting tear out on the back side of my plywood for pocket holes. Tried clamping scrap wood behind it but that was a pain. Then I just ran the drill in reverse for a second before going forward and it cleaned up the hole perfectly. Took me 10 cabinets to learn this. You guys have any other tricks for avoiding tear out on ply?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamieb801mo ago

Oh man, I feel your pain on that tear out! That reverse trick is a game changer, I wish I'd thought of that years ago. What really helped me was switching to a Forstner bit for the back side of the pocket hole - sounds weird but it leaves a cleaner exit than the standard stepped bit (plus it's way easier to control). Also, I started pre-drilling all the way through with a smaller bit first, then coming back with the pocket hole bit. It adds an extra step but you get zero splintering, which is worth it for plywood that's gonna be visible. Took me a dozen failed cabinets before I stopped being stubborn about it.

ross.lily1mo ago

Flip the board over and tape the backside before drilling. @jamieb80 it stops tearout without extra steps.

west.casey1mo ago

That tape trick from @ross.lily is solid, I've definitely used it in a pinch. But @jamieb80, that whole Forstner bit idea you mentioned, that's actually pretty clever. I've been doing something similar where I clamp a scrap piece of wood to the back of the workpiece, which gives the bit something to push through cleanly. It's basically a sacrificial board and it's saved me from so much tear out on plywood, especially the cheap stuff from the big box store. The extra few minutes of clamping is totally worth it for a clean edge.