Beginner question - does the drilled pocket hole exit out of the piece?

[Todd Last]

I just drilled my first holes with my Kreg jig. I checked all the settings, and noticed that the drilled pocket hole does not go all the way through the wood. Is this as it should be?

For some reason I thought that the pilot hole would exit though the piece being drilled and was surprised when that is not how it looked.

 

Todd

[James Sandlin]

I'm also new and my holes don't go all the way through either so I assume that is the way it is supposed to be! How do you like yours so far I love mine can't wait to start my next project

[Joe Boller]

Hey Todd,

I've watched a lot of the clips on you tube and have noticed that the pilot hole does not exit the piece being drilled.  If you set everything up for 3/4 inch stock it does not exit.  It comes real close though.  The self tapping screws have no problem getting through the rest of the way.  Just make sure you clamp the snot out of the pieces you are joining or it will walk on you due to the extreme angle.  Don't put a lot of muscle to it, let the screw do the work.  Have fun...        Joe

[R. E. Woods]

The hole should not exit the piece being drilled. When everything is set properly the tip of the drill stops about the thickness of a nickel above the base. I don't know if this holds true for every situation, so make a test piece first.

http://kregjig.ning.com/xn/detail/2900167:Comment:14705

http://kregjig.ning.com/xn/detail/2900167:Comment:396948

[Rick]

Pilot hole should NOT exit piece with pocket hole.  The pocket screw is actually stronger this way.

[KregRep]

Everyone's replies are correct--The tip of the bit should stop before exiting the wood. The main reason is that if the bit exits the wood, the fibers may tear out around the hole. That can prevent the joint from drawing together tightly during assembly.

If you use the setup gauge on your jig to position your stop collar based on stock thickness, then you should be all set. To verify it, put the bit into the guide block and rest the stop collar against the guide tube. If the tip is just above base of the jig, you're ready to drill.

Enjoy the jig and the great project it helps you create!

KregRep

[Jay Boutwell]

Todd, when you drill a pocket hole in a piece of wood you do not want it to exit the piece you drill in.  This is how some are getting the holes drilled into their jigs.  Another reason that you do not want the bit to exit the piece is that often it leaves a dimple on the mating side of the drilled piece.  This prevents the mating of the adjoining piece because of the small amount of wood that surrounds the exit point of the bit.  In order then for a tight seal between the two pieces it has to crush the dimple as the screw tightens. This usually leaves wood fibers between the joint.  The screw will bore its on own path the remainder of the bored piece and into the adjoining piece.  Since it is clamped into a tight joint it will remain a tight joint and the wood fiber will normally finds its way up the threads and or onto the screw shank.

The way I set my jig is by using the old nickel trick where You set the nickel onto the jig base, insert the bit into jig boriing hole and lower it until it sets on top of the nickel and tighten the stop collar at this point.  This will insure a excellent joint connection and also no holes bored into the jig.

I have done this for over 20 years without yet boring a hole in my jig, and have had excellent sucess with my jigs making excellent joints.  Contrary to some recent comments I have read, I have been very satisfied with my jigs and can tell you without any hesitation that it is the fastest and best tool for making a wood joint. Better that twenty years using it professionally is a lot of holes and joints.

[Pierre Vallee]

Answer: 1) self-tapping screws, and 2) you want a smoth surface to match well, 3) you want it to grip. Just ensure that you clamp the pieces together well, and down to a base as well while you screw it down. Don't over-drive the screw either. Voilà, le tour est joué ! I should say 'le trou est joué', a small play on words but it might not catch LOL

[Carlos]

Jay Boutwell said:

Todd, when you drill a pocket hole in a piece of wood you do not want it to exit the piece you drill in.  This is how some are getting the holes drilled into their jigs.  Another reason that you do not want the bit to exit the piece is that often it leaves a dimple on the mating side of the drilled piece.  This prevents the mating of the adjoining piece because of the small amount of wood that surrounds the exit point of the bit.  In order then for a tight seal between the two pieces it has to crush the dimple as the screw tightens. This usually leaves wood fibers between the joint.  The screw will bore its on own path the remainder of the bored piece and into the adjoining piece.  Since it is clamped into a tight joint it will remain a tight joint and the wood fiber will normally finds its way up the threads and or onto the screw shank.

The way I set my jig is by using the old nickel trick where You set the nickel onto the jig base, insert the bit into jig boriing hole and lower it until it sets on top of the nickel and tighten the stop collar at this point.  This will insure a excellent joint connection and also no holes bored into the jig.

I have done this for over 20 years without yet boring a hole in my jig, and have had excellent sucess with my jigs making excellent joints.  Contrary to some recent comments I have read, I have been very satisfied with my jigs and can tell you without any hesitation that it is the fastest and best tool for making a wood joint. Better that twenty years using it professionally is a lot of holes and joints.

I am so confused by people talking about using nickles and other trickory??? what is wrong with using the guide on the jib to set the stop collar? it works!!!! I don't get it

[Jay Boutwell]

Carlos, the above words are not my wording and either added as your reply or question or by someone other that myself.   My comment stopped at the:  "is alot of holes and joints".

My answer to the above comment about nickels and trickery" is that the nickels work.  Not all of the jigs made by Kreg in the earlier years had guides on the jig.  I have all the jigs or have used all the pocket hole jigs has made and the nickel works for me on all of them.  I have a k-2 jig that has no marking on it for setting a debth of a drill bit.  This is why I started using a nickel in the first place and since it works I continued it and offered is as a possible quick and fool proof method to prevent the drilling of holes in jig base plates.

I do not know if "people" read or use the guide or not, however according to what I read about holes being bored into the jig base plate indicates to me that a problem is there.  I used the nickel method simply because it works.

If a drill points rests on top of a nicklel setting on top of a base plate and the stop collar is set to stop the drill bit debth at this point it is impossible to drill a hole into the base plate unless the stop collar is slipping.   I don't call this "trickery" but a simple method to set and even check the drill bit debth.

I read your method of using a 1/4" piece of ply wood to prevent tear out.  This is a good idea however you are stopping your debth of bit by 1/4 inch unless you set the stop collar for the additional thickness that you add to the material.  If the stop collar is set correctly you will not even drill through the material so tear out here should not be a problem.

[Carlos]

to: Jay Boutwell

Oh I see, well that makes sense to me now, did not know earlier jigs had no markings... I recently purchased mine and was not aware.  Haha.. very clear now.  thanks

[Pierre Vallee]

“I see” said the blind man as picked up his hammer and saw! LOL