[EricH]

Or use a completely different material. Wood is nice for certain applications; PVC has its uses. You can't forget about fiberglass/carbon fiber (not the same material, but I'm lumping them together) despite the extra precautions needed for them.

In short, here are some ways to avoid pocketing/swiss-cheesing:
--Change material. Aluminum fasteners and gears instead of steel ones, for example. PVC structure can be heavy, but try building it out of aluminum sometime.
--Use a different design.
--Use thinner material that doesn't need to be pocketed.

There are also some other tricks not having to do with pocketing or making lots of holes.