Hey everybody, I want to thank all of you who watched my pocket hole joinery basics video last week
and participated in the comments.
There was really a lot of useful and productive conversation.
If you haven't seen that video yet, please check it out.
In this video, I'll answer some of the most common questions you had about pocket holes.
A couple of them I actually already answered in these scenes that I cut out of the original video.
This is the K4 jig, and this is the K5 jig.
They both do the same job.
The K4 is less expensive, but I like to use the K5
because it's easier to use with the clamp down handle in the front,
and it's quicker and easier to adjust.
Sometimes it may be impossible to use the jig,
say, if you're working on something that's already assembled that you need to add to,
or if you just have a really long board that you can't stand upright in the jig.
Maybe you're building a bed frame,
And you have two boards that you need to attach to the bedpost.
You might want to use one of these mini jigs.
By far the most common question had to do with the screws themselves.
Is it necessary to buy the special Kreg screws, or will any regular screw work?
I probably should have discussed the screws a bit more in the video.
First, there are other brands that make these kinds of screws, not just Kreg.
If you want to experiment with more generic screws
the important thing to consider is that it needs a wide head to rest in the pocket hole.
Without that, a regular screw is likely to bore all the way through the wood.
Maybe you could try a panhead screw, or I was thinking you could try a screw with a washer.
The second thing to consider is that pocket screws are self tapping.
This is important because an advantage to using a pocket hole jig
is that you only have to drill one hole in one board, not in the receiving board.
That helps join the pieces together because you don't have to line those holes up
the way you would with a dowel joint.
Lastly, Kreg uses square drive screws, also known as Robertson screws,
and while any type of head will work
I think you'll find that the square drives are way better.
Once the driver is in the head of the screw it won't slip off,
and this is especially handy because the screw starts out hidden inside the pocket hole.
Some of you asked about adjusting the collar on the drill bit.
In the video, I showed my technique for setting the collar and the bit in such a way
that the drill just barely misses the plastic base.
The Kreg K5 jig comes with this stepped adjustment gauge thingy,
and I've never really used it or had much luck with it.
The K4 has a gauge built into the side of the base you can use.
I think these things kind of overcomplicate the setup,
but it's probably a better way. Especially, if you want to get the proper setting.
Jon and Michael suggested putting a coin on the base when you adjust the collar.
That's not a bad idea.
However you set up that collar, you just want to make sure that the drill bit isn't drilling into the plastic base.
Setting this sliding part is important.
That's why they have the positive stops.
This setting ensures that the screw will come out in the center of the edge of the board.
Pocket hole joinery in this jig is pretty foolproof and doesn't need a lot of overthinking.
Another common question: Should you use glue when you're using pocket screws?
I almost always use both.
Of course, gluing end grain wood doesn't always give it that much holding power,
but makes me feel a little better.
One thing I do to help with the end grain gluing is to pack the glue into the grain.
Pores of the end grain absorb a lot of glue,
but if you kind of pre glue it by forcing it into the wood, it almost acts like a sealer,
and then you just glue the boards up normally.
How do you join together boards of different thicknesses?
My rule of thumb is to drill the pocket hole on the thinner board.
I think there's a greater holding power when you screw into the thicker board.
Just make your pocket hole as you normally would, and use a longer screw.
Pocket holes seem expensive. Are they available in metric?
The jigs can be a little bit pricey, but again,
you can save money by going with the K4 jig, or even looking into other brands.
I've also seen some shop made versions on YouTube, you can always give that a shot.
As for metric versions of the Kreg jig,
this was something I looked into before shooting the video,
and it doesn't look like Kreg has a metric version.
One person mentioned that they come with a conversion chart, though.
I don't know if that's true on all new Kreg jigs or just the ones sold overseas.
But really, the numbers on the depth adjustment scale are the only ones you would need to convert,
and, like I mentioned in the video,
you're most likely only going to use a couple of those settings, and leave them that way.
Instead of plugs can you fill the holes with wood putty?
Spackling or wood putty is probably not a good solution
because those things don't really dry well in really deep holes.
Someone did suggest using Bondo, though.
You know that auto body filler, and I think that would work great.
But again, only for painted pieces.
If you're going to stain or apply a clear finish to your piece,
it's going to be very difficult to match the color
with the plugs, or the dowels, or whatever filler you use.
And that's a real limitation of pocket hole joinery that you may encounter from time to time.
About the only foolproof solution would be to make your own plugs
using the same type of wood you're using,
or just consider a different joinery method.