Over on Fix This Build That, Brad runs through six different methods for either filling or plugging pocket holes. I had no idea there were that many options.
The six methods he experiments with are:
* Using traditional wood filler
* Using a homemade filler paste of sawdust and glue
* Using Bondo (auto body filler)
* Using commercial angled pocket hole plugs
* Using homemade angled pocket hole plugs
* Using regular, straight-cut wooden dowel rod
Of the three filling methods, the wood filler and Bondo worked the best. Brad was surprised at how well the Bondo worked. It sanded up quicker than the wood filler and was even a little tighter and smoother than the regular filler. The glue and sawdust method was pretty much DOA.
With the three plugging methods, he found the commercial plugs to work OK, but they ended up being a little lose and in need of some filling afterward. Brad found the homemade versions really not worth the effort, especially because he found just using a piece of dowel with straight-cut ends worked just as well as the commercial plugs and are 3x cheaper. In the video, he also shows you how to create a simple jig for quickly cutting your own uniform-length plugs.
Brad also has a post on his website which covers basically the same info as the video. The post shows you how to build the simple dowel-cutting jig.
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