3/4" exterier ply. WAY off.

[Shaun Oster]

Hi!

So, I foolishly dove right in with this tool on my professionally milled wood. Whoops, hahah there is a learning curve here.

So, the milled/finished wood really measures somewhere between 5/8 and 3/4.

1.25 inch screws are WAY WAY WAY off.

I started trial and error with some scraps and here was my final trick:

I clamped the guide down between the 2 holes.. Its holding, good enough!!

I switched to 1' coarse.

Good but still a tip coming through the bottom. Finally pulling back the drill bit guide just a touch... Perfect. Or close to.

Being that this is an outdoor wood item, I tried using exterior deck screws - great hold but much more cracking, the head is just too big. Ordering kreg 1ich box now (and returning the 1.25s)

Any advice or personal observations about this proccess is most welcome!

I think the directions should state more clearly that you should use scrap at first. For a FEW tries.

Cheers!!

-Shaun

[Shaun Oster]

P.S. Now that its tuned, I just tried 1 1/4 kreg coarse, and its perfect!

[KregRep]

Shaun, glad to hear things are working out better for you. If you have any further issues, please contact the Kreg Customer Service Team and they will happy to offer their advice. You may reach them by phone at 800-447-8638 or online at http://www.kregtool.com/Customer-Service-Serve.html.

[KregRep]

A bit more advice for you Shaun:

Remember that Kreg Jig settings are always based on the ACTUAL thickness of your material. That applies whether you're talking about a 1x4 that's actually 3/4" thick, or you're talking about plywood that is undersized.

Exterior plywood can be notoriously undersized, so it's wise to measure the thickness. 

When there'e variation in stock, a good rule of thumb is to back down to the next thickness that's slightly under the actual. In the case of your plywood that was just over 5/8, then 5/8" would be a good setup.

Once you've done that, you can refer to the chart in the Kreg Jig manual. You can see that the recommendation for 5/8" stock is to set the jig at 5/8" and use a 1 1/4" screw. Don't forget that you also need to change the stop collar setup on the drill bit when you change the jig setup. 

I hope this helps.

KregRep

[Shaun Oster]

Yeah, I have a design request! I actually managed to get it to lock between the holes (3/4 and 5/8) which is super accurate. I request that you make a model with infinite variability (instead of holes for standard sizes).

I think I tried just 5/8ths and it misfired as well. By forcing it between, I made it perfectly accurate (and also adjusting the drillbit just a tiny bet less deep).

Love this tool. I want some plans to make more complex stuff like Frank Lloyd Wright chairs etc. (Oragami chair is my dream)

[Shaun Oster]

Ooooh and here is another suggestion.. What if you create a tool that measures the actual wood thickeness - then in turn is used to adjust the drill bit and guide - That would be pure no-brainer genius ultimate accuracy - no estimation whatsoever. Send me a free one after you patent it, hahah!