# Drilling for shelf pins. buy a jig?



## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

drilling quite a few shelf pins, and Im trying to decide if 33 bucks for the kreg jig is worthwhile or not.

the alternative is to make my own jig out of wood (I guess)... might not get the dimensions DEAD on or the holes may bore out over the course of 100+ holes and could end up with shelf wobble. 

Close enough or spend the 30 bucks?


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## herrwood (Mar 23, 2014)

Pegboard works as a jig


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## Trav (May 30, 2011)

If you have a plunge router build a shelf pin jig for it. It the absolute best way to do it short of a spindle boring machine or a cnc.


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

I am drilling the shelf pins for our kitchen cabinets. Last year, I bought two of the Keg shelf pin guides. They have worked out well for me. They are connected together.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Dop not waste your money (unless you have more than you need) on buying a Kreg (or any other brand) jig. Make your own. Easy and cheap. So one, or two or three or more may be off 1/64 of an inch. Who cares.

George


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

A home made jig using a plunge router and a bushing works great as someone else suggested .
Tom


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

When you are making your wooden one just make a couple more identical ones while you are at it, if the first one starts to get worn go to the next one.


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## Mattrez (Jun 2, 2014)

I agree with pegboard. Works great


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## Trav (May 30, 2011)

Flat bottom holes and Never wear out the holes with the router jig. 

http://youtu.be/_l6kBylupgc


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## Bob Willing (Jul 4, 2008)

http://www.rockler.com/jig-itreg-shelving-jig-jig-it174-shelving-jig-set-template-self-centering-bit Works great:thumbsup:


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

bauerbach said:


> drilling quite a few shelf pins, and Im trying to decide if 33 bucks for the kreg jig is worthwhile or not.
> 
> the alternative is to make my own jig out of wood (I guess)... might not get the dimensions DEAD on or the holes may bore out over the course of 100+ holes and could end up with shelf wobble.
> 
> Close enough or spend the 30 bucks?


Since you asked about the Kreg jig, here are a couple of pics from today. I have a system that works reasonably well for me. Your mileage may vary.

Mike


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## cmm314 (Mar 24, 2014)

+1 on the plunge router with a bushing. Doesn't take long to make and with the bushing, you don't have to worry about the holes widening with use.


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## unclefester (Aug 23, 2013)

cmm314 said:


> +1 on the plunge router with a bushing. Doesn't take long to make and with the bushing, you don't have to worry about the holes widening with use.


I use a router with the Woodpecker drilling kit.
I bought the Woodpecker jig because it lines up both sides at the same time.
I was building a couple of crystal glass cabinets. My risk management was one glass was more expensive than the jig. Using a router the holes are centered properly, flat bottomed, and perpendicular to the sides. With the bushing technique the holes don't get sloppy.

Since that project I build closet organizers using the same jig. The money spent was worth it to me in time, accuracy and not screwing up the carcass side.

The Kreg was not available when I bought the Woodpecker jig.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Several years back on another wood working website some of the members came up with the idea of making a jig to use your router to drill the holes with like some of the fellows mentioned here. No one made one so I decided I would give it a try since I had a ton of holes to drill. It worked great and was 3 times faster drilling the holes over the template from Rockler.

I used a 1X6, marked the centers for the holes to be drilled in a line down the center of the 1X6. Drill the hole about 1/16 inch smaller than your bushing on your router.

Rip the board down the middle of the holes. The idea is to use a 1/4 inch drill bit in the plunge router or a 1/4 inch flat bottom straight router bit. Clamp the template down on the work you want to drill the pin holes in, push the router bushing into the half hole plunge and move to the next hole. 

I found putting a 1X block on the bottom of the router helped keep the router from rocking. I went a step further and spaced the halves out so I could go down one side and back up the other without having to do a second set up.


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## Quijibo (Nov 13, 2010)

Was on the ikea website yesterday and saw that they sell a template for drilling holes for $2.99. 

http://m.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/art/90101778/


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

well late night amazon ordering got me. I did end up getting the kreg jig. Used it yesterday and it worked quite well.

Drill bit is obviously not flat bottom, but flatter than an ordinary bit. nice clean holes, template for setting the stop depth. Just an all around hassle free system which Ive come to expect from Kreg. made the holes, set the shelf, dead straight all around. Ive spent 30 bucks on far worse things.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I just have a piece of 1/4" plywood 10"x 8' I drilled a set of holes in. I can drill the holes for about 10 kitchens before the holes get enlarged enough that I need to make a new jig. I use 5mm pins so I took a 3/16" drill bit and drilled down the center of a 1/2" dowel and then cut the dowel to length to make a stop to keep from drilling through the 3/4" sheet of plywood.


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## fire65 (Apr 27, 2013)

Steve Neul said:


> I just have a piece of 1/4" plywood 10"x 8' I drilled a set of holes in. I can drill the holes for about 10 kitchens before the holes get enlarged enough that I need to make a new jig. I use 5mm pins so I took a 3/16" drill bit and drilled down the center of a 1/2" dowel and then cut the dowel to length to make a stop to keep from drilling through the 3/4" sheet of plywood.


 Sounds great. Any pics of these 10 kitchens you have done?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

fire65 said:


> Sounds great. Any pics of these 10 kitchens you have done?


I don't take near as many pictures as I should. The only pictures I have on my desktop right now is these two.


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## fire65 (Apr 27, 2013)

Beautiful work, thanks for sharing the pics.


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## oakie_n00b (Aug 25, 2014)

I had to drill for pins to mount a half dozen shelves in the house I just bought. I picked up a meter stick from the dollar store and drilled holes in it for use as a guide. I used electrical tape on the drill bit as a"depth gauge." Turned out great


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

Best off if you do which ever method. Do it to the op side. That way your accurate or not accurate in the same way. 

Also. Save drilling more than a few. Adjustable shelves never require the full range of locations. Find the center of each section and drill 3 holes. 99% of the time your going to hit your mark with those three.

It also looks much better with less holes.

Al


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

TomC said:


> A home made jig using a plunge router and a bushing works great as someone else suggested .
> Tom


May I ask? How long does this take? Seems like a lengthy set up.

Al


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

Ttharp said:


> Flat bottom holes and Never wear out the holes with the router jig.
> 
> http://youtu.be/_l6kBylupgc


Okay that's a smart idea. But he's wacked for putting them 1" apart. Gees!

Al


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I came across a 46 hole line bore on craigslist the other day. They only wanted $6500.00 for it. In my shop it would pay for itself in about 50 years. :laughing:


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## Trav (May 30, 2011)

Steve Neul said:


> I came across a 46 hole line bore on craigslist the other day. They only wanted $6500.00 for it. In my shop it would pay for itself in about 50 years. :laughing:


If you have the cabinets to do, it quickly pays for itself. Takes a process that would take 20 minutes with a drill and turns it into something that takes 30 seconds. Literally.


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## Smith Brother (Dec 9, 2012)

Some customers WANT the 1" close spacing, it certainly gives them more flexibility. 

Customers may NOT always be RIGHT, but they are ALWAYS the customer. 

Dale in Indy


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Steve Neul said:


> I came across a 46 hole line bore on craigslist the other day. They only wanted $6500.00 for it. In my shop it would pay for itself in about 50 years. :laughing:


I had one similar to that, it was nice and fast, my help loved it too. If you do a lot of production it don't take long to pay back. 

We were doing a lot of hospital furniture and casework back then.


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

it is alot of holes, on the bottom where the hardware is, no telling what equipment may find a home there some day. Its also on bottom, doors, ect, they holes are not visible at all. I may opt not to do it on the top section of the shelfs.


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

bauerbach said:


> it is alot of holes, on the bottom where the hardware is, no telling what equipment may find a home there some day. Its also on bottom, doors, ect, they holes are not visible at all. I may opt not to do it on the top section of the shelfs.


On several of the wider kitchen cabinets we just hung on the wall, there are six shelf pins supporting each shelf. 

I used a spacer underneath the Kreg jigs to start the holes on each end. Then I used the spacer and the jig without the side edge pieces to drill the 1/2 inch back. And finally, I drilled the inside of the middle stile the same way. The shelves are nice and sturdy - no wiggle, wobble or rock.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

BigJim said:


> I had one similar to that, it was nice and fast, my help loved it too. If you do a lot of production it don't take long to pay back.
> 
> We were doing a lot of hospital furniture and casework back then.


That's just it. I don't do that many cabinets anymore. I've never used one that had 46 holes anyway. I worked for someone else one I time that had one that drilled 13 holes. It was so crude I think I could drill them by hand quicker.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Back then I did a lot of commercial casework, that was not fun, I hated that part of my career. Got stuck in KD furniture where the machine was really necessary to drill all the holes in the exact location for all the dowels and fittings. Garbage work is what I called it.


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