Protruding out the side

[Jake Pena]

Using 3/4" inch stock, with the Kreg Jig set at 3/4", the 1-1/4" screw protrudes out the side.  Has anyone else had this problem?

 

Jake

[Stephen Frught]

I am wondering if when they say they have the collar set at 3/4" they mean 3/4" from the tip of the bit and are NOT using the 3/4" setting on the case. The case that the kit came in has the setting marked on it where the bit goes for storage.

[Michael Veach]

ditto

Clif Moore said:

Same thing happened to me the first time I tried to use the jig to fix a plaque. Had to buy a new plaque for the school. I didn't realize that the screws had to be so well-seated into the small part of the pilot hole. The screws tap so well that they will go in whatever direction they are initially pointed. Since then, I haven't had a bit of trouble.

[Antoine boyd]

back off on the depth of the bore to 5/8". No, I haven't had this problem. However, it could be that you are driving the screw with to much torque into soft wood and it's crunching the wood inside of the pocket.

[Dan F.]

I was curious if the material are working with is a true 3/4" thick. Even if it is 1/16th of an inch under it can cause this to happen without modification.

[merideth baker]

this is the exact problem i came here to answer! sooo frustrating. i'm trying to attach shelves to sides of a bookcase, with the pocket holes on the underneath side of the shelves.

i'm using pine whiteboard. it does measure 3/4" thickness. i have set the collar depth correctly (using the instructions in the manual), i have also set the jig depth correctly. but the 1 1/4" screw pokes out the side.

i don't have a choice how much torque is used, but i'm going slowly. if i don't tighten the screw all the way down, the joint is not tight. if i tighten all the way down, the screw sticks out. i read about soft wood - yes, mine is pretty soft, but i have no choice - it's what is available to me in my town.

question: since i have double- and triple-checked the collar and jig depths, what adjustment can i make? should i make the jig depth 5/8"? should i make the collar depth 5/8"? both? thanks in advance!

[David White]

You are right on target. I would determine the longest protrusion, add 1/8", and reduce the stop collar depth by that amount. Most likely you will end up with the 5/8" setting you are thinking of. The stop collar setting has no impact on the alignment or centering of the joint.

Keep in mind what is occurring here. The pocket hole is running in the same direction as the grain and therefore the screw head is pulling in between the growth rings where the wood cells are softest. The screw threads are biting across the growth rings and getting a good grip. Think about what would happen if the shelf was turned perpendicular? The screw head would be compressing the growth rings where the sap makes the harder. It results in the screws stopping where desired with no protrusion. This is the same when you are joining two boards together that are running the same direction, such as joining boards to make a table top. The threads bite through the growth rings just as the screw head is compressing the growth rings in joining board.

Think about hardwood such as oak. The wood cells are much tighter which makes the boards much harder. This is why we use fine thread screws with hard wood and coarse thread with softwood. When using solid hardwood, under normal circumstances, there will never be any protruding screws. However when using a hardwood veneered plywood the problem is likely to occur because the hardwood is only a 1/42" veneer on each side. The core plies are typically much cheaper softwoods. As you can imaging the center plies will compress like softwoods which brings you back to the same situation that you are in.

Hope this helps, Dave.

[merideth baker]

david, thank you so much! i'd already made the collar adjustment and used a slightly shorter screw (thought it unwise to change the jig depth) and that worked well - no protrusion & a tight joint.

great, great. but what i really appreciate is the extra info you included. i am a total wood working newbie (have you noticed how many of us women are taking up this great hobby, thanks to ana at knock off wood? :D) and did not know any of that. i needed to join two boards for the top of the bookshelf and did not use my kreg jig out of fear (and shortage of wood). now i know i would have been fine to do it, since my pocket holes would have been going perpendicular to those troublesome ones holding the shelves.

again, thank you!

David White said:

You are right on target. I would determine the longest protrusion, add 1/8", and reduce the stop collar depth by that amount. Most likely you will end up with the 5/8" setting you are thinking of. The stop collar setting has no impact on the alignment or centering of the joint.

Keep in mind what is occurring here. The pocket hole is running in the same direction as the grain and therefore the screw head is pulling in between the growth rings where the wood cells are softest. The screw threads are biting across the growth rings and getting a good grip. Think about what would happen if the shelf was turned perpendicular? The screw head would be compressing the growth rings where the sap makes the harder. It results in the screws stopping where desired with no protrusion. This is the same when you are joining two boards together that are running the same direction, such as joining boards to make a table top. The threads bite through the growth rings just as the screw head is compressing the growth rings in joining board.

Think about hardwood such as oak. The wood cells are much tighter which makes the boards much harder. This is why we use fine thread screws with hard wood and coarse thread with softwood. When using solid hardwood, under normal circumstances, there will never be any protruding screws. However when using a hardwood veneered plywood the problem is likely to occur because the hardwood is only a 1/42" veneer on each side. The core plies are typically much cheaper softwoods. As you can imaging the center plies will compress like softwoods which brings you back to the same situation that you are in.

Hope this helps, Dave.

[David White]

Your welcome and yes I am impressed and glad to see more women getting involved with woodworking. I started to state that in my original response but I did not want to appear to be chauvinistic.

merideth baker said:

david, thank you so much! i'd already made the collar adjustment and used a slightly shorter screw (thought it unwise to change the jig depth) and that worked well - no protrusion & a tight joint.

great, great. but what i really appreciate is the extra info you included. i am a total wood working newbie (have you noticed how many of us women are taking up this great hobby, thanks to ana at knock off wood? :D) and did not know any of that. i needed to join two boards for the top of the bookshelf and did not use my kreg jig out of fear (and shortage of wood). now i know i would have been fine to do it, since my pocket holes would have been going perpendicular to those troublesome ones holding the shelves.

again, thank you!

David White said:

You are right on target. I would determine the longest protrusion, add 1/8", and reduce the stop collar depth by that amount. Most likely you will end up with the 5/8" setting you are thinking of. The stop collar setting has no impact on the alignment or centering of the joint.

Keep in mind what is occurring here. The pocket hole is running in the same direction as the grain and therefore the screw head is pulling in between the growth rings where the wood cells are softest. The screw threads are biting across the growth rings and getting a good grip. Think about what would happen if the shelf was turned perpendicular? The screw head would be compressing the growth rings where the sap makes the harder. It results in the screws stopping where desired with no protrusion. This is the same when you are joining two boards together that are running the same direction, such as joining boards to make a table top. The threads bite through the growth rings just as the screw head is compressing the growth rings in joining board.

Think about hardwood such as oak. The wood cells are much tighter which makes the boards much harder. This is why we use fine thread screws with hard wood and coarse thread with softwood. When using solid hardwood, under normal circumstances, there will never be any protruding screws. However when using a hardwood veneered plywood the problem is likely to occur because the hardwood is only a 1/42" veneer on each side. The core plies are typically much cheaper softwoods. As you can imaging the center plies will compress like softwoods which brings you back to the same situation that you are in.

Hope this helps, Dave.

[Adam Adolph]

I have a kreg Jr. and often find that I get screws poking through the joint. I don't usually use a cordless drill to put in my screws, but instead a cordless impact driver. I don't usually allow it it impact unless I'm trying to pull a joint together. I have only had this happen when using 1/2" material. I always push my drill bit up and seat the step against the case when putting the stop collar on. is this right or should I pull the drill bit and seat it against the bottom of the case?

[John Ricker]

A couple of ideas:

One, are you using an impact driver? I used one when I first started using the Kreg jig and you have to be very careful if you do. Nowadays, I use a regular drill with a clutch.

Also, if you're building a bookcase, are you joining a perpendicular board in a dado? That would effectively decrease the thickness of the receiving piece (i.e. a 3/4" board joined to another 3/4" board in a 1/4" deep dado would require you to set your jig for 1/2" thickness).