The Kreg Jig is a great addition to any woodworking shop, no matter what your skill level. The jig enables you to quickly and securely join two pieces of wood together with pocket holes. Kreg provided us one of their kits to try out & review. If you’re planning to build wood furniture in the future, the Jig is an asbolute must.
What is the Kreg Jig?
The Kreg Jig is a drill guide for creating pocket holes, the hardest step in butt joining two pieces of wood. Kreg offers several systems with varying components. The standard K4 system includes the drill guide, a stepped drill bit, 6″ square-head driver, starter screw and plug set, informational DVD, Quick-Start Guide, and a durable carrying case.
The blue body is composed of glass-reinforced plastic. It is light-weight and durable. The drill guides are made from hardened steel and carry a 100% lifetime guarantee.
The kit includes a 3/8″ diameter, stepped drill bit with a .170 diameter pilot tip. It’s all one piece and constructed of steel.
How Does the Kreg Jig Work?
The jig is very easy to use.
- Step 1: Adjust the collar on the drill bit. Place the drill bit in the depth gauge with the step at the mark corresponding to the wood thickness. Slide the collar against the base and tighten with the included Allen Wrench. The collar will make sure you drill the correct depth.
- Step 2: Adjust the drill guide. Move the drill guide up or down to find the mark corresponding to your wood thickness. This ensures the screw exits the center of the wood.
- Step 3: Clamp wood in place. Adjust the clamp pad location as needed by rotating the pad in or out. Make sure the clamp is tight.
- Step 4: Drill holes. The drill guide has three holes to evenly space the pocket holes for a variety of workpieces. Plus, you don’t need to reposition the wood after each hole is drilled. It’s a great time saver and makes your work look more professional.
- Step 5: Drive screws. Secure the wood together. Just make sure you have the correct length, and thread for your type of wood.
Benefits of Using the Kreg Jig
So what makes the Kreg jig so great? These jigs are easy to use and easy to setup. But, here are some of the benefits that really caught my attention.
- The jig provides an extremely fast way to join two boards without any routing required.
- Joints are extremely strong. In tests, these joints didn’t fail until subjected to a shear load of 707 pounds!
- The jig works with all kinds of wood, melamine and MDF. It can handle anything between 1/2” and 1-1/2” thick.
- Glue is optional. Kreg joints don’t require glue; however, it’s good practice to glue joints for added strength.
- It’s easy to hide pocket holes and your finished product looks more professional.
Kreg Jig Complaints
These jigs don’t give you much to complain about. If you’re truly unhappy with the purchase, Kreg offers an unconditional 90 day return policy.
- Kreg highly recommends using their self-tapping screws. It would be nice if you could use any self-tapping screw, but Kreg says to use theirs. Fortunately, Lowes, Menards and lots of other places are authorized dealers that sell Kreg systems and accessories (including the special screws).
What do you think? Do you have a Kreg jig? How do you drill pocket-holes?
Images courtesy of Kreg.com
Menard’s carries a knockoff version of the Kreg. They’ve only had it on sale once that I’ve seen so I bought it and my husband loves it! He wondered what he was going to use it for, but has used it for so many projects.
The Kreg pocket hole jig is one of those tools that once you own it you will finds a lot of uses for it that you never thought of.
I have the Master system kit. I’m guessing I have done close tot 5000 pocket holes with it and it’s still showing no signs of wear. I have replaced drill bits, but the jig itself is fine.
Order the kit above, you will not regret it.
Happy sawdust making, have fun and be safe!
This has been one of the best tools in my entire shop. I love how simple the concept is, and they have done it to perfection. If I were in the infomerical business, this would be the product I’d sell. Nearly indestructible, and the joints are very solid. A classy product. Also, I’d recommend sticking with the kreg screws. They are really easy to find, and they are not much (if any) more pricey than any other wood screw you’d buy. Highly, highly recommended
LOVE my Kreg Jig, couldn’t live without it! This is pretty much the first purchase that anyone should make after tablesaw & plane!
I must be using it wrong i could easily
Pull apart the two boards i used tge jig on
One thing i did when I first got the Kreg was over do the drill. I used it like any other wood screw. Then I read about what I was doing wrong. The Kreg screws have a space near the head; this and the predrilled hole make an area that can ruin your joint. Now, I actually use a 4.5v screw gun to set my pocket screws. Hard to tell, but I’ll bet that’s your problem. I do wish they would explain that a little better, since it is very crucial.