Screws showing through!

[Tim]

I am pretty upset about this and need some help figuring out what is wrong. I am using the jig according to instructions.  I have 3/4 think material, have the jig set at 3/4 and the drill set at 3/4 but nonetheless the screws are showing through.  

[Ken Darga]

Tim,

The pocket holes were drilled too deep, which allowed the screws to go far,

OR,  the screws were too long for the application.

Go back thru the instruction manual---become reacquainted with the procedures.

The work pieces need to be clamped securely.

Make test piece samples, before going to the final product assembly.

NOTE:  The joints need to be cut square, for optimum results.

[KregRep]

Also make sure that you don't have your drill clutch set too high, which could cause the screws to pull too far into the pocket. Generally, I start with a pretty light clutch setting--about 3 or 4--and turn it up only if the screws aren't seating completely. I'm not sure if you're working with hardwood or softwood. In softwood the possibility of over-driving the screws is higher.

KregRep

[Chris Seymour]

Hi Tim,

What length screws did you use?

[Tim]

I used 1.5 Inch screws.  

After reviewing my process and much to my surprise, the jig appears to have  moved to the 1/2 Inch setting some time after I set it to 3/4.  This cause the blow through.  Note to self: Tighten jig

[KregRep]

The usual screw for 3/4" material is 1-1/4". Here's a handy link for determining screw size: Screw Sizes.

KregRep

[Michael DeSavoy]

I've done this too! screwed through a hardwood face frame into 1/2 ply. Screw length is important, but consider the thread gradient as well. Re-tapping  my pocket holes and using a coarse screw for the ply resolved my issue.

[Tim]

Does it make sense to put the drill collar a hair more shallow then what the jig recommends just as a buffer?  Seems to me a good idea.   

[Ken Darga]

Tim, 

It sounds logical; however,

after making a test sample piece, and the results are satisfactory,

apply a strip of masking tape around the drill bit at the top side of the drill stop.

(Leave a 1'' tag-end on the tape).  You'll quickly see at a glance if the drill stop has moved.

NOTE:  apply firm pressure on the drill guide set screw.  The set-screw point must make firm contact with the flute.  If the screw is in the groove, the stop will slip.

Tim said:

Does it make sense to put the drill collar a hair more shallow then what the jig recommends just as a buffer?  Seems to me a good idea.   

[Robert Palmer]

Yup....test pieces the same dimension as your finished piece.  Get it right, THEN get it done.

[Chuck Ford]

Tim:

If the clutch setting is to high it will create to much torque and the screws can be over driven. Also you need to be sure and let off the trigger when you hear the clatter of the driver on the screw head....holding it down to long will create too much depth. Hope this helps. keep working at it and you'll be fine.

[Craig Reuter]

The more we do it....The prettier it gets! I must be through 6-7 big boxes of screws by now on several  different projects. Each time gets a bit easier & a bit better quality joint. When you can see the 'tightening of the joint' at the same time your clutch starts to chatter....Then you know the true value of this product. Good Luck-Have Fun-Be Safe

[John Stoltzfus]

I run into this problem too.  When assembling a shop cabinet the side panels had the pocket holes drilled on each end.  I attempted at first to orient the holes so they would not show and were on the inside of the cabinet.  I met with poor results.  The screws poked through the bottom of the cabinet.  There simply is not that much wood for the screws to grab when the holes are on the inside of the cabinet and therefore the angle of the pockethole directs the screw towards the outside edge of the bottom of the cabinet.

I used coarse thread inch and a quarter screws, had the cordless drill clutch turned down quite a bit, and am certain that the collar on the Kreg Jig Drill Bit was set properly for three quarter inch plywood material.  I love the idea of the tool, but I do not like this result.  It is quite frustrating to have these screw tips poke through the bottom and top plates of a cabinet.  The alternative is to have the pocket holes on the outside so the angle of the screw directs the screw to grab more wood as it moves inward toward the inside of the cabinet.  But I do not want to see all of those pocketholes, nor do I wish to fill the holes with plugs or wood filler.

What is causing this?