The face frames for my bookcase project will require 80 pocket holes.
I made 50 or so for another project using only the Kreg Jr. and their
"vise-grip"-style clamp. Pretty laborious. So I decided I'd try to
make a Kreg Jig uh, jig to make the process quicker. I intended to
order some kind of toggle clamp, but never got around to it. To my
surprise, I found myself with some spare time today and wanted to get
started anyway.

I have a small bench vise whose (wooden) jaws are in pretty mangy
condition. I've been meaning to replace them. It occurred to me that
if I could somehow affix the Kreg Jr. jig to one jaw and then make a
"guide" to attach to the other, I could quickly get through the job.
Here's what I did:

I screwed 3 pieces of 5/16" ply (the black stuff in the photos - it's
from some old Ikea CD storage bins) into the movable jaw to hold the
kreg jig in on two sides and at the bottom.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/

Then I (gently) put a screw through one of the Kreg Jig's "keyhole"
slots. This is simply to keep the jig from falling off the jaw when I
open the vise; it doesn't need to hold the jig against any stress when
the vise is tightened around the work.

I could really have stopped there. I could have put the work in until
it rested on the grey Kreg "tabs" and tightened the vise. But I felt
the need to support the bottom of the work a little better. Plus I
thought I could make a "guide" that would make it easy to get the work
centered properly on the jig. As the vise would provide plenty of
holding power (potentially too much for the blue plastic, I'll have to
be careful), I didn't feel the need to make the guide very thick. I
found some even thinner ply and screwed it into the other jaw. Then I
lined up a piece of the 1x2 maple that I'm using for the face frame on
the Kreg Jr. and tightened the vise.

I traced around the 1x2 with a pencil on the thin ply. I then removed
the thin ply from the jaw and cut out the outline I had drawn, leaving
me with a "U" shaped piece that would just fit the 1x2. I needed to
tweak it a couple of times before it fit right. Then I reattached it
to the fixed jaw.

Here are two photos, the second of which shows a small scrap in the
guide.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/

A view from above, with the scrap clamped in the jig:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/

Drilling the first face frame stile:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/

Time will tell if I have made some sort of error, but it worked well
on the first try.

PS: "Field Expedient" is one my Dad's favorite army expressions. As he
uses it, it describes the makeshift use of whatever you have on hand
to get a task done. .

On 2/18/2013 3:08 PM, Greg Guarino wrote:
The face frames for my bookcase project will require 80 pocket holes.
I made 50 or so for another project using only the Kreg Jr. and their
"vise-grip"-style clamp. Pretty laborious. So I decided I'd try to
make a Kreg Jig uh, jig to make the process quicker. I intended to
order some kind of toggle clamp, but never got around to it. To my
surprise, I found myself with some spare time today and wanted to get
started anyway.

I have a small bench vise whose (wooden) jaws are in pretty mangy
condition. I've been meaning to replace them. It occurred to me that
if I could somehow affix the Kreg Jr. jig to one jaw and then make a
"guide" to attach to the other, I could quickly get through the job.
Here's what I did:

I screwed 3 pieces of 5/16" ply (the black stuff in the photos - it's
from some old Ikea CD storage bins) into the movable jaw to hold the
kreg jig in on two sides and at the bottom.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/

Then I (gently) put a screw through one of the Kreg Jig's "keyhole"
slots. This is simply to keep the jig from falling off the jaw when I
open the vise; it doesn't need to hold the jig against any stress when
the vise is tightened around the work.

I could really have stopped there. I could have put the work in until
it rested on the grey Kreg "tabs" and tightened the vise. But I felt
the need to support the bottom of the work a little better. Plus I
thought I could make a "guide" that would make it easy to get the work
centered properly on the jig. As the vise would provide plenty of
holding power (potentially too much for the blue plastic, I'll have to
be careful), I didn't feel the need to make the guide very thick. I
found some even thinner ply and screwed it into the other jaw. Then I
lined up a piece of the 1x2 maple that I'm using for the face frame on
the Kreg Jr. and tightened the vise.

I traced around the 1x2 with a pencil on the thin ply. I then removed
the thin ply from the jaw and cut out the outline I had drawn, leaving
me with a "U" shaped piece that would just fit the 1x2. I needed to
tweak it a couple of times before it fit right. Then I reattached it
to the fixed jaw.

Here are two photos, the second of which shows a small scrap in the
guide.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/

A view from above, with the scrap clamped in the jig:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/

Drilling the first face frame stile:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/

Time will tell if I have made some sort of error, but it worked well
on the first try.

PS: "Field Expedient" is one my Dad's favorite army expressions. As he
uses it, it describes the makeshift use of whatever you have on hand
to get a task done. .

80, what in that simple face frame requires 80?
Less is more.
each rail, the stile to the case... how many do you need on each side? 4
-8 maybe, you are using glue rightZ?

--
Jeff

On 2/18/13 3:27 PM, woodchucker wrote:

80, what in that simple face frame requires 80?
Less is more.
each rail, the stile to the case... how many do you need on each side? 4
-8 maybe, you are using glue rightZ?


In the picture I saw of the frame against the bookcase, I could see 20
being used to attach all the rails and stiles together, 2 per
connection. Maybe there are 4 bookcases.

Or perhaps he's using pocket holes to attach the face frame to the case.
There could easily be another 20 to do that. With 2 bookcases, there's 80.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Feb 18, 4:36*pm, -MIKE- wrote:

. *Maybe there are 4 bookcases.

Yes, there will be four bookcases with five "stiles" each. 4 screws x
5 stiles x 4 units = 80

Or perhaps he's using pocket holes to attach the face frame to the case.
There could easily be another 20 to do that. With 2 bookcases, there's 80..

I will likely do some of that as well, on the rails, tops and bottoms.
I plan to drill in from the outside surfaces which won't show. The
stiles that attach to the fronts of the three shelves will probably
just get glued and clamped.

Greg Guarino wrote:


I screwed 3 pieces of 5/16" ply (the black stuff in the photos - it's
from some old Ikea CD storage bins) into the movable jaw to hold the
kreg jig in on two sides and at the bottom.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/


Pretty cool Greg. Having just built a bench top jig for my Kreg guide, as
well as a portable jig, I found your approach to be interesting. Fits the
need, and makes you happy - what can be better than that?

--

-Mike-

On 2/18/2013 9:45 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Greg Guarino wrote:


I screwed 3 pieces of 5/16" ply (the black stuff in the photos - it's
from some old Ikea CD storage bins) into the movable jaw to hold the
kreg jig in on two sides and at the bottom.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...ream/lightbox/


Pretty cool Greg. Having just built a bench top jig for my Kreg guide, as
well as a portable jig, I found your approach to be interesting. Fits the
need, and makes you happy - what can be better than that?

Mine was born out of impatience, but have begun to realize that a quick
first attempt can help me make a better one for the long haul.

Upon reflection, I think that the "Kreg Jig in a Bench Vise" idea may
have merit, but it could use some refinements. I deliberately made the
blocks that hold the Kreg guide thinner than the guide itself. But now I
think that making the blocks exactly the same thickness as the guide
would leave a nice wide clamping surface for when I'm doing something
other than narrow material standing vertically.

I'm thinking now about a custom movable jaw for my vise that would hold
the Kreg guide flush with the face of the jaw. I imagine a sandwich of
two layers, the outer one with a "U" cut out of it to accept the guide
(plus little notches for the grey tabs). There could be a strip attached
to the same jaw for the bottom of the work to sit on. I could then
simply install that "jaw" in my vise whenever I had a pocket hole
project to do.

That much would be pretty simple, even for a novice like me. But I'm
still thinking about how best to hold the Kreg guide in at different
heights. I'm also musing on the idea of having the jig attach to the
regular jaw rather than replace it.

With my scant free time, slow work and a large project to finish, I'll
have plenty of time to think on it more.

Greg Guarino wrote:


That much would be pretty simple, even for a novice like me. But I'm
still thinking about how best to hold the Kreg guide in at different
heights. I'm also musing on the idea of having the jig attach to the
regular jaw rather than replace it.


Do it just the way Kreg does. I used #6 machine screws and threaded wing
nuts all the way up to the head. That gave me something to grip. I munged
the threads on the screws right at the base of the wing nut so it could not
loosen up, and for good measure put a drop of super glue in there. After
measuring what I needed for length to bottom out in the Kreg guide, I cut
them to length and since a #6 is just a whisker larger in diameter than the
hole in the jig, I ground the threads off the end of the screw so it would
fit cleanly into the hole and bottom out. That presses the guide against
the front of the jig and holds it firmly in place. So - you can raise it
and lower it just like the Kreg jig does.

If I had it to do again, I would use a bigger screw. You can get thumb
screws which are easier to rotate, but only in larger diameter screws. I
didn't realize at the time that I was going to have to machine down the end
of my screws to get them to fit into the Kreg guide. If I had know this,
I'd have gotten a larger screw with a thumb head and just machined down the
end of it. Oh well - live and learn.


--

-Mike-

On 2/19/2013 5:42 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Greg Guarino wrote:


That much would be pretty simple, even for a novice like me. But I'm
still thinking about how best to hold the Kreg guide in at different
heights. I'm also musing on the idea of having the jig attach to the
regular jaw rather than replace it.


Do it just the way Kreg does. I used #6 machine screws and threaded wing
nuts all the way up to the head. That gave me something to grip. I munged
the threads on the screws right at the base of the wing nut so it could not
loosen up, and for good measure put a drop of super glue in there. After
measuring what I needed for length to bottom out in the Kreg guide, I cut
them to length and since a #6 is just a whisker larger in diameter than the
hole in the jig, I ground the threads off the end of the screw so it would
fit cleanly into the hole and bottom out. That presses the guide against
the front of the jig and holds it firmly in place. So - you can raise it
and lower it just like the Kreg jig does.

If I had it to do again, I would use a bigger screw. You can get thumb
screws which are easier to rotate, but only in larger diameter screws. I
didn't realize at the time that I was going to have to machine down the end
of my screws to get them to fit into the Kreg guide. If I had know this,
I'd have gotten a larger screw with a thumb head and just machined down the
end of it. Oh well - live and learn.


I didn't understand your suggestion at first. Then I looked at your
photos. The Kreg device I have is different; it has two drill guide
holes and no threaded holes in the back.

I'm curious about your setup. If you needed to do my project - two
pocket holes in each end of 1x2 material - could you do it with your
jig? It looks to me like the toggle clamp will only hold narrow stock
in one particular position, and that position is not over the two
closely-spaced pocket-hole drill guides. Or perhaps the toggle clamp is
not actually centered on the center of the blue plastic?

Greg Guarino wrote:

I didn't understand your suggestion at first. Then I looked at your
photos. The Kreg device I have is different; it has two drill guide
holes and no threaded holes in the back.


Oh - sorry Greg.

I'm curious about your setup. If you needed to do my project - two
pocket holes in each end of 1x2 material - could you do it with your
jig? It looks to me like the toggle clamp will only hold narrow stock
in one particular position, and that position is not over the two
closely-spaced pocket-hole drill guides. Or perhaps the toggle clamp
is not actually centered on the center of the blue plastic?

Yes, it is centered, but it will hold a lot more than you think. It exerts
well over 100lbs of force. It will easily hold stock much wider than yours.
The plunger does not have to be over the holes in order to hold the piece
firmly. The real Kreg plunger is larger diameter than the one I was able to
buy, but that is not a necessary thing. Mine holds the workpiece directly
to the face of the guide and that is all that you need. Remember - you're
using a drill with this, not a hammer.

--

-Mike-

On 2/20/2013 10:37 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Greg Guarino wrote:

I didn't understand your suggestion at first. Then I looked at your
photos. The Kreg device I have is different; it has two drill guide
holes and no threaded holes in the back.


Oh - sorry Greg.

I'm curious about your setup. If you needed to do my project - two
pocket holes in each end of 1x2 material - could you do it with your
jig? It looks to me like the toggle clamp will only hold narrow stock
in one particular position, and that position is not over the two
closely-spaced pocket-hole drill guides. Or perhaps the toggle clamp
is not actually centered on the center of the blue plastic?

Yes, it is centered, but it will hold a lot more than you think. It exerts
well over 100lbs of force. It will easily hold stock much wider than yours.
The plunger does not have to be over the holes in order to hold the piece
firmly. The real Kreg plunger is larger diameter than the one I was able to
buy, but that is not a necessary thing. Mine holds the workpiece directly
to the face of the guide and that is all that you need. Remember - you're
using a drill with this, not a hammer.

It's not so much the clamping force I'm wondering about, but where a
narrow piece would fall on the jig when clamped. To put a finer point on
it, if you were to extend the toggle clamp until it actually touched the
Kreg piece, where would it touch? To my untutored eye, I would think it
would need to be on the center line between the closely-spaced guide
holes in order to do face-frame work.

Greg Guarino wrote:


I'm curious about your setup. If you needed to do my project - two
pocket holes in each end of 1x2 material - could you do it with your
jig? It looks to me like the toggle clamp will only hold narrow stock
in one particular position, and that position is not over the two
closely-spaced pocket-hole drill guides. Or perhaps the toggle clamp
is not actually centered on the center of the blue plastic?

Ooops - forgot one of your questions... I could do what you are after with
either my benchtop jig, or the portable jig I made for my guide. Either one
will work just as well and the time to clamp them in place is seconds.
Maybe even less time than your vise. Have you ever looked at any of the
YouTube videos of pocket hole jigs? If not, take a look - you'll see how
easy, and fast it is to just clamp your guide in place and drill. Your
holes do not have to be as precisely located as you have achieved with you
vise jig, so setting up the jig on your boards is faster than you may think.
But - your vise jig is cool...

--

-Mike-

Greg Guarino wrote:
On 2/20/2013 10:37 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Greg Guarino wrote:

I didn't understand your suggestion at first. Then I looked at your
photos. The Kreg device I have is different; it has two drill guide
holes and no threaded holes in the back.


Oh - sorry Greg.

I'm curious about your setup. If you needed to do my project - two
pocket holes in each end of 1x2 material - could you do it with your
jig? It looks to me like the toggle clamp will only hold narrow
stock in one particular position, and that position is not over the
two closely-spaced pocket-hole drill guides. Or perhaps the toggle
clamp is not actually centered on the center of the blue plastic?

Yes, it is centered, but it will hold a lot more than you think. It
exerts well over 100lbs of force. It will easily hold stock much
wider than yours. The plunger does not have to be over the holes in
order to hold the piece firmly. The real Kreg plunger is larger
diameter than the one I was able to buy, but that is not a necessary
thing. Mine holds the workpiece directly to the face of the guide
and that is all that you need. Remember - you're using a drill with
this, not a hammer.
It's not so much the clamping force I'm wondering about, but where a
narrow piece would fall on the jig when clamped. To put a finer point
on it, if you were to extend the toggle clamp until it actually
touched the Kreg piece, where would it touch? To my untutored eye, I
would think it would need to be on the center line between the
closely-spaced guide holes in order to do face-frame work.

I touches right in the center of mine. That is sufficient for 1x2 stock,
but that is probably the narrowest you'd want to use in my benchtop jig.
For narrower stock, I'd probably just use my portable jig. The clamp does
not need to be centered between the holes to work well. Most of the force
while drilling is downward so there is not as much force against the toggle
clamp as you might first think.

--

-Mike-