Joining 48mm thick material with Kreg HD - am I doing it right?

[Sean Smith]

Hi.

I don't live in the US, so I'm not very familiar with the imperial system.

From what I understand 2x4" is not really 2x4" in the US, but here in Norway it's almost 2x4" (so both thicker and wider than in the US).

It's actually 48 x 98mm or 1.88976 x 3.85827 inches here.

I've received and set up my Kreg HD according to the manual:

I was under the impression that the strongest possible joint is achieved by the screw coming out in the middle of the board/lumber. This is what I'm getting, so it's not in the middle at all:

Is this the way it should be or should I use some kind of a spacer / other trick in this situation so the screw comes out in the middle?

I want to get this clarified before I start making my table top with the Kreg HD jig :)

Thanks so much in advance.

[KregRep]

Hi Sean. First, it sure would be nice if our lumber had the larger dimensions that yours does in Norway!

Second, I'll start by saying that in the situation you speak of and the sample you show, I don't believe strength will be any issue. Yes, the screw exiting at center is ideal, but not mandatory by any means. The screw exiting near center thickness is much more critical with thinner wood, because there would be less material around the pocket, which may increase likelihood of splitting on the pocket side of the joint. In your situation, though, with thick wood, there's plenty of material.

What really matters most is that you get good thread purchase and screw penetration. In your sample I see both. I would gov forward confidently.

Now, could you position the HD Jig back further from the edge. Yes, but that would require a spacer, and that would be challenging if you are using the jig handheld (rather than in a Kreg Jig base). Plus, you'd ideally want to drill just a bit deeper as well, to ensure good screw penetration. But, you can't move the stop collar up the shank very far without running out of bit shank!

So, what's the bottom line? I think you have plenty for a strong, stable joint with the HD and your larger timbers.

I hope you'll share images of your table project here on the Community!

KregRep

[Sean Smith]

Thanks for clarifying!

I tried to put the Kreg HD in the Kreg K5 as well but then the wood/lumber is too thick to fit into the jig (48mm).

So that's the reason I bought the Automaxx clamp and I'm using that rather than the K5 jig.

[Cipriani G.D. Charles]

Hi too thick? you placed it in the narrow side or the wider side of the wood?