The Fast, strong, easy way to join wood - Drill. Drive. Done!

A pocket hole is an angled hole drilled into a piece of wood to create a strong, hidden joint when paired with a specialized screw. Pocket hole joinery is commonly used in woodworking and furniture building and allows for quick assembly without visible fasteners on the surface. The angled design increases holding power, ensuring a secure connection between boards while keeping the screw head concealed for a clean, professional finish.

Learn more in this article: How Pocket Holes Work - A Visual Guide.

Pocket-hole joinery is an incredibly fast, strong, and simple way of joining wood. It essentially involves drilling a hole at an angle into one workpiece, and then joining it to a second workpiece with self-tapping screws.

While it may seem simple, the technique is revolutionary because of how easy it is. When you're done assembling, there's no need to leave your joint clamped up for hours, glue is completely optional, and there are no frustrating alignment problems to deal with. Our jigs make it so simple that you can do it in a few easy steps - drill, drive, and you're done!

Pocket-hole joinery is perfect for a wide variety of applications. From face-frame to panel joints, edge banding to complex curves, new builds, renovations, and repairs, pocket-hole joinery can do it all. Whatever your next project, a Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig can help you build it faster, easier, stronger, and with more confidence than ever before!

Kreg Pocket-Hole Jigs make it extremely easy to create pocket holes. As you drill, the stepped drill bit enters the wood at a 15° angle. That’s what makes the distinctive oval shape. The pocket-hole jig ensures this angle is consistent, and that the bit is held steady as you work — making the process of drilling an angled hole fast, simple, and efficient.

Check out our article on How to Use a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig

Pocket holes are typically drilled at a 15-degree angle using a jig to ensure accuracy and consistency. This angle allows the screw to pass through the edge of one board and into the face or end grain of another, creating a tight and secure joint. The precise angle helps maximize holding strength while minimizing the risk of splitting the wood, making pocket hole joinery a reliable choice for various woodworking projects.

As you drive a pocket-hole screw into your material, the pocket and pilot hole guide the screw precisely, while the screw’s self-tapping tip drills its own hole into the mating piece. That means you don’t have to drill into both pieces, and you’ll get great holding power without splitting or stripping the wood.

As you tighten the screw, it pulls the joint tightly together. The process is simple, but there are several things going on that make it possible. For starters, the upper part of the screw doesn’t have threads. That lets it turn easily inside the pilot hole instead of driving your two pieces of material apart.

Second, the flat underside of the screw mates perfectly with the ledge at the base of the pocket. This way, the head pulls the joint tightly together to create a super-strong, lasting joint.

Pocket-hole joinery is versatile and can be used to create edge joints, butt joints, mitered joints, edge banding joints, box joints, T joints, and offset edge joints.

Absolutely. Plywood is a very common material for wood projects, and as such is a great application for pocket-hole joinery.

Yes, you can use pocket holes on 2x4s, and it's a popular technique for building sturdy furniture, frames, and other woodworking projects. When working with standard 2x4 lumber (which actually measures 1.5 inches thick), you'll typically set your pocket hole jig for 1.5-inch material and use 2.5-inch pocket hole screws for a strong joint. This method allows for easy and durable construction, especially when assembling frames, tabletops, or shop furniture.

Yes, medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is suitable for pocket-hole joinery. It does tend to be more prone to tearing and chipping along the edges, so a little extra care and Kreg pocket-hole screws can make a big difference in your results. 

Get the answers to all your pocket hole questions here: Answers to Common Pocket-Hole Questions