[EricH]

Originally Posted by headlight

Am I missing something? Why would a gusset need to be pocketed?

Why would a normal frame sideplate or bellypan need to be pocketed? Think carefully...

If you can remove weight where you don't need the strength, you can save a couple of pounds that can be better used for other things.

While it is true that a gusset won't often need to be pocketed, sometimes that isn't the case--a particularly large gusset would be a prime target for pocketing in areas where the loads it's seeing don't travel.