Kreg pocket screw jig

Is there a min stock thickness that can be used for these? I'm thinking of buying one of the cheap ones (Kreg rocket jig), but my stock is only 3/4" for this project. Because the screw goes in at an angle I would think that the limitation is the stock thickness?? (too thin and the screw would come out the front??)

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Reply to
GarageWoodworks
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See the "Rocket" user manual at:

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Reply to
Nova

I can't say about the mnimum thickness as I haven't tried, but I've used mine in stock as thin as 5/8" with the head buried and 1/2" with part of the screw head sticking up past the surface by a 1/16" or so.

Mike

Reply to
The Davenport's

On the standard non adjustable jigs the screw exits the end/edge at the center of a 3/4" think piece of wood. Taking into mind that the screw is approximately 3/32 wide. If you wood is

1/2" thick you would be coming very close to having the screw exit on the face vs. the edge of the board.

With that said however the screw would have to go into thicker material so that the screw would not exit the face of the piece being joined.

The more adjustable jigs allow for you to keep the screw centered as it exits the surface of the drilled board.

Reply to
Leon

The minimum stock thickness is 1/2 inch. The jig positions the stock so that the screw enters the work at the middle of the thickness. You use a different screw length for each thickness of stock. Jim

Reply to
Jim

OK. I have also never used these self tapping screws. I usually predrill everything. Is there 'any' risk of splitting oak with self tappeing screws with no predrilling on the opposite mating piece?

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Reply to
GarageWoodworks

flutes on the front face that are 1/8" deep making the effective thickness 5/8". Last night I took some sample pieces and put them together using the 1-1/4" screws with the step drill collar set at the normal position for that screw and stock thickness. I then removed the screws and cut the board across the screw hole to see where it actually ended up relative to the front face. Bottom line is it has plenty of stock left, at least 1/8"

You can control the position by adjusting the stop collar at the expense of penetration depth.

Frank

Reply to
Frank Boettcher

I have driven lots of Kreg screws into oak, and I have never had a problem. You use fine threaded screws for all hardwood. Jim

Reply to
Jim

I use the Kreg screws for other uses and have screwed them in as close as

1/8" from the end/edge of a oak board with no splitting problem,..... normally.

IF the grain near the end/edge is a bit strange or has a knot I have seen some splitting but again, only if screwing near the edge.

Reply to
Leon

"Leon" wrote in news:0oAEi.33061$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr11.news.prodigy.net:

Some of my pocket screws are Kreg sold. Most came from McFeeley's. I've found that I need to crank down the torque to a lower, milder setting with some of those, or they sink too deeply.

Or maybe it's the poor quality ply.

Patriarch

Reply to
Patriarch

OK. I have also never used these self tapping screws. I usually predrill

I don't know about the unit that you are looking at but the larger kits come with a tapered drill which depth you set with a stop collar. The setting is just slightly more shallow than the length of the chosen screw so that you get the extra bite. I've not had a cabinet face split, a screw exit the otherside nor have I had one separate using glue and screws. Ditto on the choice of fine threads for hardwoods and coarse threads for softwoods. Later, Chuck

Reply to
C & E

Ditto what he said. Only time I've ever had any splits is if the screw gets over-tightened on narrow stock.

Reply to
Mark & Juanita

I've got a question on that. I bought the K3 master kit but haven't used it yet. On something like Oak or other hard woods, how far do you go through the first piece of wood into the second, e.g.. stile into rail? Saw a video once where the instructor drilled very shallowly through into the rail. It looked like just enough for the screw to line up and start biting into the rail. Does that sound right?

Reply to
Upscale

Not at all in my case. The screws are self drilling with relief. The alignment is taken care of with the clamps. I've never pre drilled the second piece.

Frank

Reply to
Frank Boettcher

Same as Frank. I've always used the exact setup called for in Kreg's directions - they tell you exactly how to set up the stop collar for various size woods and the type of joint, and what size/type screws to use. Never had a problem in any type or size wood, to date, and have never even considered additional drilling steps.

Jim In FL

Reply to
Jim Bailey

Ditto.

IME w/ maple, the jig only predrills the upper piece and that is perfectly adequate. Kreg sells a special vice-grip type clamp with a big pad on one jaw and a small pad on the other. It is included with some of their packages.

Orient it with the big jaw on the show side of your face frame, and that face will always come out flush, even if the stock isn't the exact same thickness.

Regards,

Steve

Reply to
Stephen M

With a rare exception, I prefer the Kreg's over the McFeeleys. I don't know why, I think mostly that the Kreg's have a better appearance. It has however been several years since I used the McFeeleys pocket hole screws.

Reply to
Leon

No, in fact it is recommended to use a dime or nickel as a depth spacer under the drill bit in the jig to correctly set the collar. Drilling into the second piece simply weakens the strength of the joint as the screw will have less to thread into.

Reply to
Leon

So realistically, you could drill all your stiles at the same time without a rail in sight then come alone with a rail, clamp the stiles to it one at a time and drive in your screws. Does *that* sound right?

Reply to
Upscale

In theory, yes. In what little pocket joinery I've done, I think there's a small advantage in having the hole penetrate the joined piece _slightly_ as a guide -- it eliminates (or at least minimizes) the desire of the piece to "walk" when there's a hole for the screw to bite into initially...

$0.02, ymmv, etc., ...

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Reply to
dpb

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