Pocket hole deals?

[Monkey Mark]

I'm looking for a pocket hole jig, but nothing expensive.

Has anyone come across any decent offers during these sales?

 

[sitefive]

Kregg mini jig for £15? If you have quick grip clamp that's all you need,have done well over 2000holes with mine and there is no reason to get anything more expensive

 

[BearTricks]

UJK mini jig from Axminster is also a decent choice. I would avoid the Axminster drill bits however and get one of the cheap Chinese knock offs from eBay. The Axminster ones haven't been reliable for me.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

 

[Selwyn]

Rutlands often have one for £29

 

[Wildman]

cheap as chips.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Woodworking-T ... SwjVVVuCmI
plus
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KREG-MKJ-POCK ... XQWzNSm1ES

£8.49 + £2.63 = £11.12p, I couldn't make one for that.

 

[Bodgers]

Although I have my fair share of cheap stuff, I would definitely recommend the Kreg R3 kit at minimum. It is about £35.

The quality of the drill bit etc. will save time and will also mean you won't have to buy twice.

 

[marcros]

Rutlands often have one for £29

normal price £1000, but on sale at the moment...

(hammer) (hammer) (hammer)

 

[Monkey Mark]

Kregg mini jig for £15? If you have quick grip clamp that's all you need,have done well over 2000holes with mine and there is no reason to get anything more expensive

Good point. I think I sometimes over complicate issues.

cheap as chips.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Woodworking-T ... SwjVVVuCmI
plus
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KREG-MKJ-POCK ... XQWzNSm1ES

£8.49 + £2.63 = £11.12p, I couldn't make one for that.

Now that's my kind of price range :mrgreen:


Rather than start another thread. What are the sizes of the dedicated quick release C clamps? I'm wondering if a normal pair could be bought cheaply and altered but it's hard to tell how large the purpose made ones are from just a picture.

 

[sitefive]

Kregg mini jig for £15? If you have quick grip clamp that's all you need,have done well over 2000holes with mine and there is no reason to get anything more expensive

Good point. I think I sometimes over complicate issues.

cheap as chips.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Woodworking-T ... SwjVVVuCmI
plus
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KREG-MKJ-POCK ... XQWzNSm1ES

£8.49 + £2.63 = £11.12p, I couldn't make one for that.

Now that's my kind of price range :mrgreen:


Rather than start another thread. What are the sizes of the dedicated quick release C clamps? I'm wondering if a normal pair could be bought cheaply and altered but it's hard to tell how large the purpose made ones are from just a picture.

I would not get those ''clamps'' for drilling pocketholes, you need to properly tighten them down as you will be applying a force while drilling+ you can't get fast enough switching from one pockethole to the next as you could with better clamp.
£15 clamp that will be your new best tool:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quick-Grip-XP12 ... e+pressure

Also I would not ''save'' those £4 and order the drill bit from china, first because of the 3weeks it takes to arrive and 2nd because it wont be the original one, at least I know the original one still hasnt lost its properties after 2000+ holes with mine, it's just £15 for the original set delivered from UK.

 

[Monkey Mark]

Kregg mini jig for £15? If you have quick grip clamp that's all you need,have done well over 2000holes with mine and there is no reason to get anything more expensive

Good point. I think I sometimes over complicate issues.

cheap as chips.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Woodworking-T ... SwjVVVuCmI
plus
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KREG-MKJ-POCK ... XQWzNSm1ES

£8.49 + £2.63 = £11.12p, I couldn't make one for that.

Now that's my kind of price range :mrgreen:


Rather than start another thread. What are the sizes of the dedicated quick release C clamps? I'm wondering if a normal pair could be bought cheaply and altered but it's hard to tell how large the purpose made ones are from just a picture.

I would not get those ''clamps'' for drilling pocketholes, you need to properly tighten them down as you will be applying a force while drilling+ you can't get fast enough switching from one pockethole to the next as you could with better clamp.
£15 clamp that will be your new best tool:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quick-Grip-XP12 ... e+pressure

Also I would not ''save'' those £4 and order the drill bit from china, first because of the 3weeks it takes to arrive and 2nd because it wont be the original one, at least I know the original one still hasnt lost its properties after 2000+ holes with mine, it's just £15 for the original set delivered from UK.

I think you're right on just ordering the kit. Didn't realise it was only £4 differ encephalitis. I must have been using all the wrong searches as I've only just found the £15 one you mention.

Im surprised with the clamp though. Wouldn't have thought there were be much pressure involved.

 

[Eric The Viking]

The holes aren't straight they're slightly squiffy. Clamping matters most when actually screwing together, as it's really easy otherwise to force the joint apart or misalign it.

I didn't get a clamp with my Kreg set, and now regret it, I think.

 

[BearTricks]

I have one of those Irwins that I use for clamping. It does the job but I can't help but think there must be something more suitable for the task out there somewhere.

I still advocate for the Chinese drill bits. But that's only because they've been a good alternative to the brittle Axminster ones I've used. I'm sure I wouldn't have given them a second thought if I were using something like Kreg from the start.

There are some UK sellers selling the exact same bit of kit for pennies more with quicker delivery. Mine came next day even though I didn't pay for it.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

 

[Monkey Mark]

The pocket hole screws ate obviously considered a speciality screw as they are considerably more expensive than their standard equivalent.

 

[sitefive]

The pocket hole screws ate obviously considered a speciality screw as they are considerably more expensive than their standard equivalent.

like 5 or 6 times more expensive! I can't justify that expense myself since I use pocketholes A LOT and just use normal screws as long as they have rather large heads, works fine for me.
Drywall screws supposedly have almost the perfect head to be used for pocketholes,however they are not as durable!


btw anyone knows what size dowels/plugs exactly you should use to fill the pocketholes? I have some 9.5mm plug cutter, but that seems a bit too large and doesn't fits inside.

 

[Eric The Viking]

I think Kreg drills are 3/8".

As for pocket hole screws being expensive, we've discussed them at some length before. The original (Kreg) ones are Robertson square drive screws -- considered the best screws available (and used a lot in aerospace).

You can get away with all sorts of screws in less demanding work, but you need something that's the same head shape for best strength. Plasterboard screws have trumped-bell shaped ends, and usually a quite coarse thread. I wouldn't think they're suitable for hardwood.

Everyone makes choices on cost, but personally, even as a DIY'er mainly, I can't afford to have joints fail anywhere important.

So I try to buy the best quality screws I can find as it's a very small part of the whole thing and the downside risk isn't worth it. Happily I have a fairly large stock of proper Kreg screws (believe it or not, Toolstation used to stock them -- back when their buyers were sensible!), and I'll use them up -- and look for more -- before considering anything else.

E.

PS: Appleby Woodturnings sell the plugs, properly crosscut in a variety of woods. You cut them off flush yourself - the pre cut ones are a fiddle I can do without!

 

[Cordy]

btw anyone knows what size dowels/plugs exactly you should use to fill the pocketholes? I have some 9.5mm plug cutter, but that seems a bit too large and doesn't fits inside

Bought 9mm dowel rods from Wicks about 8 ft long and used this method with a nice Irwin saw
Not from Amazon though