On 1/18/2013 11:08 AM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 1/18/13 11:41 AM, Bill wrote:
Dare I suggest: How about buying the drill bit and the screws and making
one's own jig? With all of the engineer's around here it would seem to
be practically child's play! : ) I might use masking tape on the
drill bit to mark the level to drill to. At least for occasional use,
this would seem to be more practical than forking over $100+.


Bill


Funny you say that, because I used pocket holes waaaaaay back in the day
when I didn't know anything. I learned it from a master carpenter and
always thought of it as my little secret that I'd save to impress
people. :-)

He said it was basically toe-nailing for screws. He used to do it on
cabinet boxes and anything he didn't want nail holes showing. Best part,
it was all freehand and dare I say, as good as most Kreg jig holes. I
got pretty good at it and it's just a technique I would reach for as a
default. After using the Kreg jigs are the past decade, I'd probably do
a really lousy job by hand, now.

how do you get the hole started freehand, and how high up from the joint
does it have to be?