On 1/18/2013 1:06 PM, chaniarts wrote:
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?



Don't drill the hole at an angle, drill it at 90 degrees. Then cut the
side at 15" through the side of the hole.