Screws going through second piece

[M Blair]

I've been using pocket holes for some time, but I had a terribly frustrating problem when I was trying to make a simple butt joint today.

I have a 3/4" pine standard board that I am trying to join to another 3/4" pine standard board. I set the depth collar to 3/4" (at the shoulder) and drilled into the primary board. When I used the 1-1/4" coarse Kreg-brand screw to connect the joint, the screw poked through the edge of the secondary piece. It happened several times.

I then put the depth collar about an 1/8" closer to the drill and had the same effect.

The screws are poking through the secondary piece. Could it be possible that the torque on my drill is too high and pushing the screws farther into the pocket hole than they should go? That, the screws are extending the size of the pocket hole?

Anybody have any ideas?

[Jay Boutwell]

Photo sent to your private e-mail as requested.

Larry Hill said:

Thank You  for the info  could you send a photo of how this nickel is used  [e-mail]  Thank YOu

Jay Boutwell said:

The use of a nickel for setting the stop collar on the drill bit has worked for me since 1990 on the Kreg jigs from the K-2, K-3 and K-4 without problems.  This is in a production shop and many thousands of holes have been drilled in these22 years. The setting with the nickel is checked from time to time to insure that the stop collar is still holding tight.

  Never drilled through a base plate and have had excellent performance in both hardwoods and soft woods of most species as well as plywoods in most of the common used in cabinet building.  This is also includes excellent performance in melamines and particle boards as well.  I have never had the reason to fiddle around with the stop collar adjustment.  If I find a problem with the stop collar not holding to the bit I normally will drill a small indentation  on the bit shank for the set screw to engage and sometimes change the stop collar set screw and or the set screw and the stop collar as one unit, then reset the collar with the nickel method.

I have found it simple, if your screws are penetrating the mating material. the problem is one of these three things:

1. drilling too deep,  2. wrong  length of screw for the material, 3. over driving the screw.