Kreg Jig Screws

Submitted by W.Dobesh on Sun, 01/29/2012 - 23:13

I'm having a couple of problems with placing my pocket hole screws. They seem to come through the other side of the piece I'm placing the screw into. I've double and triple checked that I've set my jig to 3/4" when drilling the pocket holes. For now, I've switched from 1 1/4" pocket hole screws, to 1" pocket hole screws to keep from going through. So, my first question is, when setting the drill bit depth collar, do I align the very end of the drill bit tip to the 3/4" marking or the fatter part of to drill bit to the 3/4" marking? My second question is, how do I keep the wood from shifting when screwing in the pocket screws? No matter how hard I try, the wood always seems to shift about an 1/8" as it bites into the 2nd piece of wood. This has been extremely frustrating for me!

claydowling

Mon, 01/30/2012 - 20:03

I'm not sure how your kit is set up. There are videos available from Kreg and on Youtube about using a Kreg jig, and it might help to find one about the setup. In any event, you made the right choice to use the shorter screw.

As far as keeping wood from shifting, clamping is one solution, although you can get a little shifting still. If you want to be really sure, cutting a rabbet can be very good for holding a piece in place while you're doing the joinery, and adds strength to the final joint as well.

W.Dobesh

Fri, 02/10/2012 - 17:03

Thank you for your reply! I'm headed back out to the garage tonight and I'll see if I can fix these problems. I've watched countless videos and it they just tell you to set them to 3/4", not showing the alignment so it has left me wondering. What is the best way to clamp 90* angles?

Lup1nfarm

Thu, 02/23/2012 - 12:50

Hi....I am planning on making the Country kitchen Island ( I think its by Guest) What type of Kreg jig did they use. There
seem to be atleast four or five Kreg jigs available.

claydowling

Thu, 02/23/2012 - 13:02

While not all kreg jigs are created equal, they all produce the same result. I'd apply my general rule for tool buying to this situation: get the best one you can afford that will get the job done.

Guest (not verified)

Tue, 03/20/2012 - 08:52

I'm contemplating the purchase of the Kreg K4MS Jig system and want to know if you have to use "Kreg brand Screws" or can you use any screw of the same dimension and thread size?

vjordan (not verified)

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 12:53

I got frustrated with my Kreg projects so I switched to using a screw with a smaller head and closer threads but the same length. It has really helped my PHs look more consistent.

GotWood

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 13:07

I am having issues with the actual pocket holes. My screws don't fit in the holes the way I think they should. I would never be able to get a plug in because it's not flush and if I screw them in more the wood splits and I waste the entire board. I have tried adjusting the drill bit stop and the length of my screws but nothing is working and my projects look like my 7 year old nephew did them.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what else I can do to try and fix this??