Old-timer told me to skip the glue on face frames, I learned the hard way

Honestly, this 30-year cabinet guy at a shop in Portland told me to use only pocket screws and no glue on face frames, said it saved time and they never failed. Took his word on a big kitchen install last month, eight cabinets. Two joints shifted before the client even moved in, gaps showed up real bad. Ngl, I ended up pulling half the frames apart and redoing them with Titebond III and clamps, took me an extra 3 days. Has anyone else trusted a shortcut from a veteran and regretted it, or was I just unlucky?

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dixon.spencer18d agoTop Commenter

Hear me out, but the old guy probably meant to skip the glue on the face frame sub-assembly, not when you attach the frame to the box. The joint shifts you saw are usually from wood movement, and glue is what holds that in check. You still gotta use pocket screws for speed, but never skip the adhesive where panels meet.