re: Is Scott Phillips (American Woodworker) preventing new wood workers from learning proper Joinery ?

I’ll throw my $0.02 in here………

Walk into any cabinet shop and somewhere you’ll find a pocket hole device of some kind. In my shop, the dedicated Kreg machine is connected to the dust collector and gets used almost daily. Pocket hole joinery is quick and efficient, and serves a vital role in the construction of face frames and some aspects of case work. It is one of the tools in the “arsenal” certainly add to the profit margin.

When I’m building cabinets, I use dados and rabbets for shelves and backs and lots of screws and brad nails. Generally speaking, kitchen and bath cabinetry ain’t fine woodworking and has to be out the door as quickly as possible. Admittedly, my case work is a lot more substantial than the norm but my pricing and clientele dictate that.

When a furniture commission comes in, I shift gears. A lot of the power tools go silent and the hand tools are on the bench. Traditional joinery is required.

To Jim’s point, I cringe as well when I see some of the TV shows so adamant about certain techniques. The credibility of the host tends to give folks the idea it’s the best, or perhaps the only , way to build. I’m fortunate to be involved in a fairly active woodworking guild. Most of the members are hobbyists with a few of us “full-timers”. Periodically I open my shop for guys to come in and see different types of equipment and techniques. There’s a lot of sharing as some of these guys are incredibly talented.