Thanks for this video...I made one of these and it works so well!!!! I have 3 kitchens I am starting and this is going to be a huge help to me!!!! Thanks again!!!!!
This is brilliant. I find the "lift and move" jig I've used on past projects to drift slight as I move it causing the opposite side to be off slightly after many holes. This method will be true on both sides, and every copy. Just for kicks, I timed myself making holes tonight. "Lift and move" blue jig I did 60 holes in 3:30 (In scrap, as fast as I could). This jig I could do a hole a second, but including the template setup, it was about 60 holes in 2 minutes. I did have to remake my template since the first was only 48" and I needed to go out to 78". The second was on 3/4 ply but I created a rabid on both sides of the ply, allowing a gap for dust. This allowed me to move a bit quicker so I did not have to clear out the dust/chips.
A really smart and simple jig - thank you. It will be interesting to see how mine works out in use.....I chose to hand drill the pilot holes through a peg board in the absence of a pillar drill. Hoping any small variations from the vertical do not become apparent in use.
+Volodymir Evdokimov glad you found it helpful. I used this jig on a cabinet job that I just finished building and it made the shelf pin hole process go very quickly and no fuss.
Great video Dan, well presented and thought out. One point on your safety though, always put the end clamps you use to clamp the work facing the other way as if you were to bend over the bench to retrieve something from the floor your eyes are in danger. Good work.
It just occurred to me that your jig will be the perfect way to drill holes for a MFT top. I have a cabinet job coming up that requires shelf pin holes. I think I'll make the pin registration holes 1 1/4" on center on one side of the jig board and 4" on center on the other side. If the plywood router sub-base is exactly 4" from the center of the bit to the center of the registration pin that would make setting up for the second row of MFT holes much easier. - John Minton
Will do Dan. I really enjoy your videos. You have a relaxed easy style and a very concise way of presenting your solutions for increased productivity. John Minton, Architect
+jmintonra I just noticed that you're an architect. My background is in the architectural industry. I worked for 6 years as an architectural tech and that's what my formal training was in.
Well, I've decided it's impossible to make this without a drill press which I don't have. I tried using my router with an edge guard to make the holes in a consistent line but I've tried twice now and they still come out uneven. When I rip it to make them half holes, even creeping up on it, some holes are fine against the base plate and some have side to side slop. It might just be my router because even visually some holes look more oval than others. So I'll save the base plate for a time when I own a drill press to make a more accurate main jig.
Are you talking about making the holes in the jig or the cabinet? If you're talking about the jig, to make the holes in a consistent line without a drill press, I would use a table saw with a fence to rip a shallow (like 1/32 inch) trench the width of the saw blade kerf along the line where I want the holes to go. Then trench assures that the drill bit will not creep when you drill the holes.
Wondering why the main jig is so wide. It might look wider than it is on the video, but doesn't it only need to be wide enough for the holes and clamping, so maybe 3 inches? It looks like it's about 8.
+Derrick Sutton you could certainly drill holes at different spacings on both edges of the jig. I always use the same spacing so I've never done that. You could run the risk of mixing up which edge you're working with though and possibly use the wrong spacing on a gable.
Thanks for the quick response! I tried an upcut spiral bit and it tends to burn the plywood. Should I try a downcut bit instead? In your video it looks like it cuts the holes effortlessly. That is a great jig I need to build one.
+Hunter Wychgram you should be using full speed. Small diameter bits work best at high speed and large bits at slower speeds. Give that a try and it should work much better for you.
