Pocket hole screws. Length vs drill position...

[stimpy]

Afternoon folks,

I got given a small pocket hole screw jig - looks like the Chinese one Dennis (Hooked on Wood) has tried and found useful... The unit came with a few pics but no set up info of course.

Now I'm fairly good with maths and am using 18mm Ply in this instance. The drill bit that came with this jig has a pilot that measures 12mm long and the manual implied that you line this up with the base of the jig - ie so it would go all the way through your piece of wood which puts the underside of the screw head 12mm from the join line.

Looking up on lets say the Kreg manual they are recommending 32mm screws, which obviously 32 - 12 = 20mm which whilst I know they pocket at an angle would be too close! So my question for those in the know, or those with a pro jig, is does one set the drill bit high enough to compensate for this ( Leaving the pilot hole short of making it to the joining surface), or does one use 25mm screws?. Or of course it could be that other drill bits have a longer pilot section... Not all drill bits are equal after all!

Thanks all...

 

[robgul]

Unless I'm misunderstanding the question (or doing it wrong) the stop collar on the drill should just allow the tip to be just shy of the exit on the workpiece with the pocket hole. (I am assuming you have the normal/proper pocket hole drill with a narrow section at the end ?
This might help in explaining (it's a jig with a clamp but the principles are the same) https://www.trend-uk.com/en/UK/trend/content/content_detail.php?record_type=Knowledge&id=15426

 

[stimpy]

Unless I'm misunderstanding the question (or doing it wrong) the stop collar on the drill should just allow the tip to be just shy of the exit on the workpiece with the pocket hole. (I am assuming you have the normal/proper pocket hole drill with a narrow section at the end ?
This might help in explaining (it's a jig with a clamp but the principles are the same) https://www.trend-uk.com/en/UK/trend/content/content_detail.php?record_type=Knowledge&id=15426

Reading the link Trend are using a 3mm spacer on the jig base to set the drill bit height. That would still be very close indeed with 18mm board and 32mm screws.

I think that as you said; if the shoulder part of the drill bit is just sticking clear of the jig the that would give enough clearance into the next section with regards a 32mm screw. But it does not allow the pilot part of the drill to go through the entire upper part of wood to meet the join line cleanly - the screw would need to thread the difference... ( Which isn't a problem I guess - the pilot sets the screw up nice and straight and gets it going)

Had some screws delivered late today and the other box coming tomorrow so will have a play and work out what actually works then...

 

[robgul]

Reading the link Trend are using a 3mm spacer on the jig base to set the drill bit height. That would still be very close indeed with 18mm board and 32mm screws.

I think that as you said; if the shoulder part of the drill bit is just sticking clear of the jig the that would give enough clearance into the next section with regards a 32mm screw. But it does not allow the pilot part of the drill to go through the entire upper part of wood to meet the join line cleanly - the screw would need to thread the difference... ( Which isn't a problem I guess - the pilot sets the screw up nice and straight and gets it going)

Had some screws delivered late today and the other box coming tomorrow so will have a play and work out what actually works then...

I use quite a lot of 18mm material but can't recollect the size - I use Trend screws . . . I think they're 30mm looking at the Trend range? If I remember I'll take one out of something and measure it.

 

[stimpy]

I use quite a lot of 18mm material but can't recollect the size - I use Trend screws . . . I think they're 30mm looking at the Trend range? If I remember I'll take one out of something and measure it.

No worries. Like I said, I can work it out. Just wasn't sure what the norm was - but then there are many different kits about!.. Which is probably why there is no definite answer

 

[Spectric]

That little bit of wood left at the tip of the drill after drilling is important, according to Kreg it helps alignment.

 

[Robbo60]

For info - thanks to a tip on this forum I bought Pocket screws from Axminster at a 1/3 of price of Kreg. Have to buy the driver as well, as it is Torx. £3 for 2

 

[Spectric]

Hi

I also use the heavy duty Kreg pocket hole screws, can be very handy and having found a couple of the screws in the garden I can also add that they are very corrosion resistant. I have used them on 4 by 2's with one on each face on noggins. I will say that the Kreg screws are very good with a nice thread pitch and pull in well.

 

[stevek]

Hi, does your one look like the Trend one in the link above?
I have two of these, a Trend and an Axminster I think it is, both clearly made by the same company and I dont use them much, perhaps a couple of times, first was on 25mm board and they worked well enough using 38mm Kreg Screws, however a few weeks ago I wanted to join some CLS (38mm) so without thinking I looked at the Kreg screwbox at the chart and ordered up the recommended 64mm Kreg Screws,,however when I came to use it I was left scratching my head, the Trend Style Jigs above actually dont allow you to use different size screws,,,seems daft but if you look at those jigs there is no way to shift the start position of your pockethole further back, its fixed, so your longer screw will not exit the wood approx in the centre and is likely to break through,,at first I thought I was missing something but I never solved it. My guess is that the Kreg jigs can be moved along the wood to suit different thicknesses and screw lengths?
Steve.
In fact the Kreg jigs have a telescopic tower that lifts the starting position of the drill for different screw lengths.
Steve.

 

[stimpy]

Hi, does your one look like the Trend one in the link above?
I have two of these, a Trend and an Axminster I think it is, both clearly made by the same company and I dont use them much, perhaps a couple of times, first was on 25mm board and they worked well enough using 38mm Kreg Screws, however a few weeks ago I wanted to join some CLS (38mm) so without thinking I looked at the Kreg screwbox at the chart and ordered up the recommended 64mm Kreg Screws,,however when I came to use it I was left scratching my head, the Trend Style Jigs above actually dont allow you to use different size screws,,,seems daft but if you look at those jigs there is no way to shift the start position of your pockethole further back, its fixed, so your longer screw will not exit the wood approx in the centre and is likely to break through,,at first I thought I was missing something but I never solved it. My guess is that the Kreg jigs can be moved along the wood to suit different thicknesses and screw lengths?
Steve.
In fact the Kreg jigs have a telescopic tower that lifts the starting position of the drill for different screw lengths.
Steve.

So mine looks like this:

https://www.banggood.com/Drillpro-Y...90201811&custlixnkid=1362425&cur_warehouse=CN
Successfully used it end of last week, just took a bit of fanning around finding the best drill depth stop and on a couple of pieces of wood I didn't have the width to follow the rules so freestyled it. This was using 32mm screws on 18mm ply, and the freestyled ones I used 25mm screws.

I do have to say that I was still surprised just how deep the screws do go if you try and make a decent pocket. In this instance I would not be filling / dowelling the pocket so made them shallow / screw edge almost flush...

Thanks all.

 

[stevek]

Stimpy, first appologies for not responding sooner, Ive just seen your post and looked at the Yomo, it looks very good and it also has the lifting tower to suit different screw lengths, I suspect you could also remove the drill guide block and just clamp it onto somthing you wanted to pockethole too,,compared to the Trend Axminster ones, I like the build quality of mine but yours is the better more useful tool I think,
Steve

 

[stimpy]

Stimpy, first appologies for not responding sooner, Ive just seen your post and looked at the Yomo, it looks very good and it also has the lifting tower to suit different screw lengths, I suspect you could also remove the drill guide block and just clamp it onto somthing you wanted to pockethole too,,compared to the Trend Axminster ones, I like the build quality of mine but yours is the better more useful tool I think,
Steve

No problem. And yes, I plan to make a little jig for it with a quick clamp as that current one is poop!..