Setting the Jig and Bit collar

[James Pratt]

I know this might sound dumb or that you all may have beaten this dead horse already. But I just want to make sure I understand this correctly. When setting the depth of the Jig and setting the collar on the drill bit, what is the rule? Is it the size of the piece stock that you are drilling or is it for the stock you are joining?

[Kevin Craig]

I always set it based off of the size of stock I am drilling. Never had any issues with that. But now you have me wondering. Guess I need to break out the manual again.

Kevin
http://groverwoodworks.blogspot.com

[Robert J Guidry Sr]

You set the collar and Jig for the depth of the wood you are drilling. You want the screw to come out of the middle of the board you are drilling and if you set it otherwise this will change this. Say for instance you are attaching a 1x into a 2x and you set the Jig and drill for 2x you would come out of the bottom of the 1x.

[Kevin Craig]

I thought I had it right but I am tired and began to question myself. Thanks for confirming my thoughts. :) I really should go to bed now.

Kevin
http://groverwoodworks.blogspot.com


Robert J Guidry Sr said:

You set the collar and Jig for the depth of the wood you are drilling. You want the screw to come out of the middle of the board you are drilling and if you set it otherwise this will change this. Say for instance you are attaching a 1x into a 2x and you set the Jig and drill for 2x you would come out of the bottom of the 1x.

[Larwyn]

Not always. What if you are drilling that 2x to connect to a 1x?

In that case I set up for the 1x and to compensate for not exiting the center of the 2x, I simply drill both sides of the 2x. If it does not show (or matter if it does show) this has worked for me in the past.

Robert J Guidry Sr said:

You set the collar and Jig for the depth of the wood you are drilling. You want the screw to come out of the middle of the board you are drilling and if you set it otherwise this will change this. Say for instance you are attaching a 1x into a 2x and you set the Jig and drill for 2x you would come out of the bottom of the 1x.

[James Pratt]

Thank you guys. I only asked because there is no real explaination in the manual, and on the "how to make a workbench video" he is drilling into the 2x4 and he resets the jig and drill bit to 3/4 for attaching the 3/4 MDF top and shelf.

[Douglas Golding]

My understanding is that you should always set the jig and the drill depth stop according to the thickness of the stock you are drilling the pocket hole into. This will ensure that the exit point of the screw from the pocket hole at the joint site will be in the centre of the material thickness (maximum strength). However, the thickness of the material you are fixing to (ie, the 'receiving' stock) is what determines the screw size. This will ensure the screw achieves the maximum bite in the receiving stock without piercing through the opposite side. The boxes of Kreg screws I buy have the 'screw size:timber thickness' table printed on them. You can easily test the screw length by driving one into the pocket hole and checking its exit length against the thickness of the material you are fixing to. This won't compromise the pocket hole at all because the screw thread only needs 'bite' in the receiving stock. Just make sure the screws feed into the pilot hole - they are capable of tapping their own path through the timber, and that won't do at all!

Douglas

[Samuel Flegal]

I am glad I am not the only one confused about how the settings are changed in the video. Can anyone offer an explanation? Is it almost arbitrary?

[mo khan]

James, just as Doug says, remember this- you want the screw to exit in the middle of the piece being drilled into and you want sufficient length of the screw in the mating/ joining piece to form a strong joint. eg you want to join a 1x2 to 2x2 flush on one side (rail and leg joint). You then set your drill bit and jig to 3/4" and use the appropriate screws (1.5").

If you want the joint to be offset, say by 1/2" (thus placing the rail in the centre of the 2x2) you still set your jig and bit to 3/4" but you can use a longer screw for a stronger joint. Hope this helps :)