pocket holes in mdf / particleboard cabinet construction

[Miroslav Duroo]

Hi there,

I was wondering if I could use particle board or mdf to make tall cabinets (8 foot high, 4 feet wide, 2 feet deep) using pocket holes to assemble them.  And at the end attach a face frame on to it. Most cabinets here in Europe are made from particle board covered with melamine, sometimes MDF is used (to be painted). Almost never plywood is used, You can't get prefinished ply anyways. I am planning to build a couple build in cabinets in the basement, between 2 brick walls (about 4 feet seperated from eachother), and I thought about screwing spacer boards on the walls, then slide in the cabinets, screw them on the spacer boards and at the end put a face frame onto it with biscuit cookies.

The shelves would be made very sturdy, yellow poplar construction ( 1 inch thick, 2 inch heigh) with a top in mdf 1/2", and a bottom in mdf 1/2" also. Screwed into the sides of the cabinet.

Later on, when everything is finished I might put some doors onto it also.

Anyone experience with MDF, particleboard as a material for cabinet construction using pocket hole joinery.

thanks for the info.

[KregCS]

Miroslav, 

You can definitely use MDF and particleboard with pocket holes. However, you will want to be very careful when driving your screws. If the clutch is set too high, your screw will continue to drive and will come out the other side. I have found it best to have your clutch setting low and work your way up until it seats the screw correctly and engages the clutch. Depending on the drill, this can be many different settings, so I would not be able to recommend a setting.  

Unfortunately, I would not recommend using 1/2" MDF for your top and bottom, as this material has a lot of flex and would probably not give you the support you would want for your shelves. I would recommend using 3/4" to ensure it could hold up to weight needed. If you have any other questions, please let us know.  

[Jerry Irk]

You can also put a strip of wood to face off the fronts of shelves, top and bottom. This will help strengthen and make it look more finished.
 
KregCS said:

Miroslav, 

You can definitely use MDF and particleboard with pocket holes. However, you will want to be very careful when driving your screws. If the clutch is set too high, your screw will continue to drive and will come out the other side. I have found it best to have your clutch setting low and work your way up until it seats the screw correctly and engages the clutch. Depending on the drill, this can be many different settings, so I would not be able to recommend a setting.  

Unfortunately, I would not recommend using 1/2" MDF for your top and bottom, as this material has a lot of flex and would probably not give you the support you would want for your shelves. I would recommend using 3/4" to ensure it could hold up to weight needed. If you have any other questions, please let us know.