Using the Kreg Jig on regular plans

[John Frankforther]

Hi All.
I'm nearing the end of my first cabinet project as shown below using the Kreg Jig. This was a project that used dados and other construction methods to build. I purchased these plans from Plans Now for about $10. They are nicely detailed with board dimentions for all the cuts needed to complete the project. This is not my version of the project as I have left the doors off and will be adding speakers in place of where the doors go.

I know there have been requests to publish plans for use of the Kreg Jig on here but you can take plans like the one I purchased or even out of a book and built it using the Kreg Jig. What I did with this cabinet is, instead of using the dado joints, I used a butt joint using the Kreg Jig. I also used the plugs and "routered" them flush as shown in my other post with my dremel tool. So there is really nothing special about converting a standard project plan over to use the Kreg Jig. Following the instructions of placing the pocket holes every 4"- 6" for the wider boards and using the correct screws for maple plywood, my cabinet is as sturdy as if done with dados and biscuts. There were a few measurements that had to be changed since I wasn't using the dados but that was minimal. So pick out your favorite plan, look it over and see where you can replace a dado or biscut joint with a pocket hole joint and start the wood chips flying!!

[Derek]

This is a great tip, John! When I built my Nightstands and Cherry Desk I didn't even use plans... just went to a few stores, took measurements and tried to sketch them out. If I had used some plans I found online, it should be somewhat easy to make adjustments for the joinery and go from there. I think I will do this on my next project! Thanks!

Also, if you're taking a Mortise and Tenon project to work with the Kreg Jig, the project will end up being MUCH simpler than it started... but you'll have to make sure you adjust for the tenon length accordingly if you want to maintain the same final dimensions.

[John Frankforther]

Hi Phillip

I can see your point but with so many plans out there and so many different design aspects of a single plan, it would be hard for a company to draw up plans to satisfy everyone. For example, what if I wanted a different type of door on my cabinet or I wanted to put glass doors on it? What if I didn't want the two doors on the cabinet and just wanted the shelves and the center drawer? With those several changes alone there would be 3 or 4 different variations of a single plan plus a totally different plan if I didn't want the outter doors at all. I think we as woodworkers need to be able to adapt a project to fit our needs. As for me, I'm a hobby woodworker with limited tools to make all the special dados and biscut connections needed to build these projects. I can follow the basic instructions but I also need to be able to make changes to fit my needs and skills. As I have mentioned in my original post, I chose not to add the 2 doors but instead chose to put speakers in where the doors go. That means I have to change how the face frame is mounted to give me a surface to mount the speaker cloth. The plans also instructed me to use 4 maple boards and glue them together for the top. I don't have a planer or a belt sander to smooth the glued joints. I chose to use maple plywood for the top and made my own edge banding material to match the cabinet. As for the 4 feet, I chose to use 4" X 4" x 5" blocks of maple turned on it's side. So the list of tools I used to build the above cabinet - a table saw, power miter saw, a drill for the Kreg Jig and a sander. Oh I did use my router table to make the design for the feet. From this I did learn about "chip out" and what to do about it!!

I can see where your concern comes from and as you have seen, some of these plans out there are complicated enough that planning ahead is required if using the Kreg Jig. Even if they are built using old style methods planning ahead is a must. I think Kreg has supplied some basic plans to get you started using it's jig but I don't see how they can supply a specific plan for everyone's taste. Maybe on your next converted project, you could post notes on the changes you made using the Kreg Jig.

I do appreciate your reply and maybe Kreg will publish more plans in the future.

If you have any further questions about my cabinet construction, feel free to ask. With my little Dremel "router", the glued in filler pegs turned out nicely with a little sanding. I am at the point where I am applying the finish and should be ready to put in place later on this week.

Thanks for the positive reply

John

[John Frankforther]

Here are a few pictures of the progress on my cabinet.
Included is a picture of the inside of one of the "speaker" cabinets using a butt joint with the filler plugs in place
Also the drawer construction. This was nice because my local lumber supply had pre-cut drawer sides with the dado for the 1/4" bottom already cut in it.
And last is the front view of the cabinet. In the next message I will include several more pictures.

Thanks for looking

John

[John Frankforther]

In these next pictures I show how the foot is mounted to the base cabinet along with the skirt pieces.
A front view of the foot and skirt pieces and the maple plywood top.

All the finishing is done and the top is installed. Now it is time to break down a set of my stereo speakers and rebuild them into the two side cabinets. They will be enclosures that slide in from the back to facilitate easy repair if needed. Some nice black or brown speaker cloth across the front and I will be ready to purchase my new flat screen tv for it's new home.

Thanks for looking and any comments (good or bad) are always welcome.

John Frankforther

[John Frankforther]

Since the original speaker cabinets are taller than this cabinet I will have to build new shorter speaker cabinets to slide inside the two outer spaces in this cabinet. I will have to look at how the original speaker cabinets are made and just duplicate them into a shorter version. Then I'll pull the speakers and cross-over stuff out and mount into the new cabinets, add the speaker cloth to the front of the new cabinets and slide them in place. I guess I'll have to check the internet for speaker box designs. More design changes.......... lol

[John Frankforther]

Hi Guys!! Well it's been a long road with this Kreg Jig converted project and I am VERY happy with the results. The cabinet looks great, the speakers sound great in their new boxes andand fit nicely into the main cabinet. I should get many years of service out of this cabinet. I just finished installing the grill cloth and slid one of the speakers in and left the other out for you to see. The second picture is with both speakers installed. Now I just have to purchase that 60" flat screen and hook up my surround sound system and I'll be ready to "rock the house"!!

I would like to take a moment to thank Kreg for making a great product that let me build this cabinet with ease. It was a lot of fun and a great experience for a beginner.

John Frankforther