Thread: help with pocket hole jig

I have not used the Carbatec jig, I have a kreg jig and it has a markers on the side to adjust for timber thickness.

What you are aiming for is for the screw to come out in the middle of the timber you are drilling the pocket within.

The length of your screw (probably an inch in your case) then determines how far you screw into the other piece of timber.

!/2 inch ply is working at the skinny limit of the pocket hole method.


What aspect of you practice joints are you not happy about?

thanks for your reply

the thing that I am finding difficult is just the setting of the drill depth, but since posting my problem I have been fiddling around with my piece of scrap and I seem to be nearly there. Yes the 12mm ply does seem a bit on the thin side, I will see how it turns out

Check the instructions that came with the Carbatec jig (I assume that there are instructions). Setting the depth of the drill bit can't be a matter of trial and error. As Blackhole notes the Kreg jig has markers on the side to adjust for timber thickness. Actually, the Kreg jig requires the user to make two adjustments - the thickness of the timber and the length of the screw. Both adjustments take a few seconds.

The Kreg setup is virtually idiot proof once you make the adjustments referred to above,

Mike

G'day humff and welcome to the forums.

Just had a quick look in the 2010 C'Tec catalog [p261 ->266] - it only lists the Kreg pocket hole jig.

Silly questions, perhaps,
- is yours blue? Unless you have the micro version then it will be black.
- are you using a stepped drill bit which has a depth adjusting locking collar?
- do you have a vice grip type of clamp?

Basically the stepped drill drills the pocket in 1 piece of material - depending on your adjustment the point of the drill should not really cut or only just cut into the piece you are joining to, a clamp is essential to hold the 2 bits together while you drive the screw [see top right picture on p263 of the catalog to see what I mean]. To save yourself a lot of grief use the wafer head type of screw, the bugle headed gyprock type of screw will work but you will often end up splitting the hole although some on the forum have had success with them.

Hope it helps,
Bob

thanks for the replys, made my mate happy gave him the carbatec jig I bit the bullet and went and brought the kreg master system.....far better by far....sometimes doing it cheap works out more expensive in the long run as my late mum used to say buy good buy once.. bloody right again mum