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I just purchased the Kreg Master system.  Before I started actual work on my face frame, I wanted to familiarize myself with the jig.  Using 3/4” stock I followed the instructions by setting the drill guide adjustment to 3/4” and the depth collar adjustment to 3/4”.  These settings in no way came close to centering the exit hole of the screw at the end of the stock. 

 

To center the exit hole, I had to drop the drill guide all the way down and set the depth collar to 1/2” thick stock.    Will someone please point out the error of my ways?  I know I’m missing something similar to not seeing the forest for the trees.   Thank you.

 

Chuck

 

 

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Trying to figure out just exactly what you did here. To begin with, the collar has little or nothing to do with the location of the hole, that is the function of the drill guide. By dropping the guide all they down, says that the stock was not 3/4". Some pics of your setup might help.

Hi John.

 

Thanks for the reply.  You are correct with respect to the dept collar.  I backed the drill depth off from 3/4" to 1/2" to keep the point from drilling into my fixture.  I will try it again tomorrow going back to the origional instructions.

 

Chuck

John Schaben said:

Trying to figure out just exactly what you did here. To begin with, the collar has little or nothing to do with the location of the hole, that is the function of the drill guide. By dropping the guide all they down, says that the stock was not 3/4". Some pics of your setup might help.

When you drill the hole into your stock and remove the jig you should not see the exit hole...try a test piece of 3/4 inch and drill a hole using the instructions, then run a screw into the hole to see if the screw exits in the center of the stock. the small drill tip will not exit the stock or you will drill into the jig....I am telling you this because it may have happened to me a few times learning to use the jig...oops.

 

Hi Mike;

 

You are absolutely right.  That is why I backed off the drill tip from the jig base about the thickness of a nickel. 

 

Chuck


Mike Robson said:

When you drill the hole into your stock and remove the jig you should not see the exit hole...try a test piece of 3/4 inch and drill a hole using the instructions, then run a screw into the hole to see if the screw exits in the center of the stock. the small drill tip will not exit the stock or you will drill into the jig....I am telling you this because it may have happened to me a few times learning to use the jig...oops.

 

Hi Chuck,

 

After reading through this thread, it's still not clear to me what caused your problem and what you had to do to fix it.  I just tried my 1st test joint with 3/4" stock.  Even though the joint tightened nicely & appeared to be strong, when I removed the screws & looked at the holes, they were not centered.

 

The way that the drill guide is locked into the jig with a pin doesn't allow minor adjustments, so I'm very interested in whether I'm doing something wrong or if everyone just lives with a certain amount of slop.

 

Measuring with a dial caliper with 1/64" gradations, the stock is 48/64 and the exit holes are 2/64 off of center.

 

So, is 1/32" off center in 3/4" stock "normal", or is there a way to adjust it?

 

David

Hi David.

Nice to see I'm not the only one with this centering issue.  For 3/4 " stock I set the drill block to the 5/8" setting and the hole came out centered.  I also set the drill point about a 1/16 off the base.  Keep in mind that if you plane a little off the surfaces of the wood, that will also determin where the exit hole will be.  Hope this helps you.  Besides, these are plastic parts and they can vary from one to the other.  This tool has worked very well for me and I have no regrets in purchasing it.

Chuck

Thanks for the quick reply Chuck.  I tried the 5/8 setting & collar adjustment.  Using those settings, the hole is off center the other way by about 1/64".  That's definitely closer.  I went ahead and did my 1st face frame using the standard settings. It would be much simpler and less error prone if the standard settings were accurate.  I will probably try your method next time.

 

David

You're definately in the ball park David.  1/64" from a plastic tool isn't bad at all.  One thing I noticed that can throw off the center is if the toggle lock is set too tight.  It will kant the drill guide slightly causing some distortion.  The toggle just has to be tight enough to keep the vertical part from shifting. 

"Good drilling."

Chuck

I am finding the same issues, mostly due to undersized plywood.  Thank you all for the comments here; I now have some things to try.  If I can get to 1/64", I'd be more than happy.  Err on the side of no protruding screws is preferred...  obviously.  

Great tool!!  


David Caldwell said:

Thanks for the quick reply Chuck.  I tried the 5/8 setting & collar adjustment.  Using those settings, the hole is off center the other way by about 1/64".  That's definitely closer.  I went ahead and did my 1st face frame using the standard settings. It would be much simpler and less error prone if the standard settings were accurate.  I will probably try your method next time.

 

David

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