My Kreg Journey

[Don Grubish]

My name is Don Grubish, and this is my story.

One Saturday morning I was letting the TV keep me company while I prepared breakfast. I flipped through the channels, bypassing cartoons and news talk shows. I came across an informercial for the Kreg Jig, and thought, "whatever... time to make my eggs and hashbrowns." The more I listened to the testimonials and demonstrations, the more I found myself paying attention.

I kept thinking to myself, "well, that looks pretty easy. I bet I could do that. Yeah, I have a drill and a circular saw. You know what, I'm going to get one. Why not?" I ran upstairs when the infomercial was over and proceeded to order one online. I have to admit, before this new hobby of mine, I never really walked into hardware stores. Little did I know, most retail hardware stores carry a full line of Kreg products. I didn't have to wait for one to arrive at my door. Oh well...

It arrived shortly after, and I took it out of the box to examine just what I impulsively bought. I thought to myself, "well kid, in for a penny - in for a pound." I watched the DVD that came with the product and soon found myself heading off to Menard's to buy my first load of lumber.

I came home with planks of aspen pine, a couple of right-angle clamps, and some nervousness about starting my first woodworking project since middle school. However, after cutting my pieces to size, drilling my pocket holes, and inserting the patented Kreg screws, I found it wasn't as difficult as I thought. This project was coming together nicely!

Finally, my DVD shelf project was assembled and ready for staining - in MUCH less time than I thought. The DVD shelves now sit in my living room, just below my projector screen. They display my DVD collection perfectly and I still get compliments on it today.

Since my first project, I've exploded my woodworking tool collection. I hit Craigslist.com for my mitre saw, my table saw, my drill press, my sanders, and my router. I've gone on to build a workstation for my place of employment, a Viking ship cradle for friends of mine with their first child, a drill press stand for my benchtop drill press, and my workbench in my garage. I'm like a drug addict with the Kreg Jig. I'm constantly thinking about my next woodworking project.

I thought to myself that I should let the fine folks at Kreg Tool know about my exploding hobby. I wrote them an email one morning, and within a span of 20 minutes, I got a response that not only did they love my email, but had their president read it at their quarterly meeting. That made my day!

Soon after that, I came home from work one day to find a package at my front door. I wondered what it could be, since I hadn't ordered anything recently. It turned out to be a ball cap and travel drinking glass from Kreg Tool. What a nice token from a great company! I never woodwork without the glass full of lemonade, and I use the hat to keep sawdust out of my hair when sanding. Yeah, I know, I need to invest in a vacuum system. All in good time...

This is my story so far, and because of Derek Balsey and Facebook, I've found many more Kreg enthusiasts out there. Hopefully this story will inspire more to start creating projects you would normally purchase, but can now create on your own with higher quality and sentimental value. I'll keep building and expanding my story as projects come my way. I don't see this hobby ever dying out of me. I now refuse to walk into a furniture store, as I'd rather build it myself!

Here it is in my living room. The large picture you see above it is my projection TV at work. Normally I'd keep the lights out to get a better picture, but I needed them on to take a good shot of the DVD shelves.

[Chris L]

Great Story Don. Could not agree more about the Kreg, I picked one up just over a year or so ago and have built everything from a flashlight holder for my shop to my own office furniture and garden beds.

CtL

[KregRep]

What an amazing story, Don. Thank you for sharing. We've been receiving tons of stories just like yours through email and regular mail ever since the TV spot started. You're proof that the Kreg Jig is giving DIY'ers the confidence to get started and to keep building with wood!

Thank you for sharing your story in such detail and for helping others realize what a difference the Kreg Jig can make!

Until the next time, keep avoiding that furniture store and keep the sawdust out of your hair!

[Don Grubish]

Amen brother. Wait until I post pics of my latest project. I added some woodburning for effect. Turned out pretty cool!

[Michael, Liam's Dad]

Great story Don, in a day of businesses only being interested in selling a product and moving on down the line to the next customer; Kreg is an outstanding company that not only believes in their product, but that believes in us as well. This site here is such a premium outreach for sharing, building each other up as fellow woodworkers, and technical tips to enhance our craft.