The Pocket Hole Joinery Book, by Mark Edmunson is put together with these things in mind.  The book lays out eight different projects with basic diagrams and step by step instructions.  My personal favorite was the Blanket Bench project.  The author also includes a comprehensive, yet easy to read intro to pocket holes.  He covers many various types of jigs, clamps, and screws all geared for pocket hole jig owners.

While I really enjoyed this book, my only criticism is that I wish there had been more projects included.  Eight projects are respectful, but I wish there had been a few more included.

I think you will really enjoy this book and the projects included.  I sure did.  If you are considering purchasing this book another title to check out is The Pocket Hole Drilling Jig by Danny Proulx.  I have written a review for this book as well if you’re curious.  Both books really complement each other, and if you are new to pocket holes I think you will find them helpful.  Check out the titles over at Amazon; there both reasonably priced, and I will include links at the bottom of this post where you can pick them up.

The post Pocket Hole Joinery Book – Review appeared first on WoodLogger.

If you don’t have a drill press, (or even if you do) the Jig It Drill Guide by Rocker is a great little jig.  For those who don’t have a drill press but want to use forstner bits; the drill guide helps keep your power drill steady allowing for more precise holes.  For those who do have a drill press there are certain times when it’s just not possible to use it.  I needed to drill some bench dog holes into my workbench.  I wanted to use a forstner bit with my power drill.  The Jig It Drill Guide made this easy.  It kept my power drill steady, and the end result was a perfectly centered hole.

What it is:

• Made of a sturdy plastic
• The Drill Guide has an Interior Diameter:  3-½”
• The Drill Guide Measures:  2-½” high
• The Jig It Drill Guide comes with the basic guide.

What you’ll want to go with it:

• Long Shank Drill Bits from Rocker:  Various Sizes
• 3/8” Stop Collar to set the depth of the drill

Overall I really like this jig.  It’s rugged, and is that jig you need when you want to use Forstner Bits and it’s just not possible to use with a drill press.  It’s also a Rockler product and they always make great stuff, and its pretty reasonable priced.

The post Jig It Drill Guide by Rockler – Review appeared first on WoodLogger.

I purchased a sign maker kit this past summer and was really excited to give it a try.  After about four or five tries at getting everything setup (and feeling really stupid that I couldn’t get this dialed in); I threw up my hands and put it away.  Alas, I did feel a little vindicated when I talked with someone else later who also had a lot of problems with theirs too.  Misery loves company I guess.  Now fast forward about 6 months and I see for sale an even easier looking sign maker kit.  I purchased the Interlock Signmaker”s Letter Kit by Rockler.  I’ve purchased other stuff from Rockler that turned out great, so I thought I would give it a shot.  What a delight this kit has been so far.  Unlike the other sign kit(which I won’t name, but can be bought in a lot of big box hardware stores) this one truly makes it as easy as it looks.  Please check out my review below and be sure to let me know how you like yours.  As always I will put links to some of the things I used at the end of the post.  Also check out “my attempt” at putting a video together on how I used this.

Features

• You can buy the kit in either 2 1/2″ or 4″ sizes
• The letters kit includes:  A, A, B, C, D, E, E, F, G, H, I, I, J, K, L, L, M, M, N, N, O, O, P, P, Q, R, R, S, S, T, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, ‘, and three spacers
• The numbers kit includes:  ?, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9, 0, 0, !, @, #, $, ‘, ?, ., / and ‘
• Uses a standard plunge router
• Letters interlock with tabs on each letter template

Criticisms

I think my only criticism of this kit is that the included guide bushing is made out of plastic.  Now it may be an okay guide for many, but in my previous experiences with plastic guides is that the bit gets so hot that it actually starts to melt or get’s soft that it doesn’t do well in a template. I decided to just buy a brass guide and use it instead.  Not a big deal, and I did notice that in the new Rockler Interlock Signmaker”s Templates – State Park Font Kit, 2-1/4”” font kit it does include a brass guide.  I’m guessing Rockler must have heard enough feedback about the plastic one.

The Test

	To try out my kit I decided to make a sign of my website for my workshop.  Sounds simple enough just a website name with a .com added to the of it.  The first thing I needed to do was attach my router bit and the guide bushing to my router.  I used a router bit that I picked up from Rockler.  It was the 3/8” Signmaking Carbide Router Bit, with a 1/4” Shank.  For the guide bushing I picked up the Signmaking Brass Bushing – 3/8” ID, 1/2′”.  These weren’t too expensive and worked really well when I made the sign.If you’ve never used a guide bushing before it simply attaches to the bottom of your router’s guide plate. The plate has an indentation that allows the guide to fit in just perfect. I’m not sure if all plates are made compatible, but it worked well with my craftsman router. If you have a router plate with this, I believe you can purchase universal plates that might work.
The kit comes with all the letters, numbers and symbols that you would expect as well as spacers.  When I laid the letters for my sign I had to use the letter O 4x.  The kit only comes with 2 O’s.  I had to partially tape up and route my sign.  This really was easy as I just kept the alignment set with the other letters that were already taped down.  On the letter M I did have to spend a little extra time ensuring that I had it fully routed out.
	After I had the letters in my sign all routed out.  I cut the length of my board on my table saw to a final length.  Then I used a round over bit on the edges of my board.  There are really a lot of options that you can do to your board that this point.  I decided to just do a simple round over.
When it came to finishing the board; I first sanded the entire board front and back.  I didn’t sand into the groove of the letters.  Not sure if that is a “best practice” or not, but it seemed to absorb the finish I did after the sanding.  After sanding I decided to use a method that I came across on the internet.  I first applied a thin layer of lacquer across the entire surface of the board.  After it dried I went and painted my letters with a black enamel paint.  In a previous project I then applied another thin layer of lacquer on top of the paint.  I chose not to do the second layer as I plan on keeping this sign inside.

In Conclusion

My overall review is that I really like this sign making kit!  I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking to make wood signs.  I would recommend that you purchase a brass guide bushing & bit at the same time as you’ll want to play with this as soon as you can.  I was able to make my first sign in about an hour.  The second sign I made was done in about 20 minutes.  You’ll be amazed at how easy and fun this kit can be.

The post Interlock Sign Making Kit by Rockler – Review appeared first on WoodLogger.

The Kreg Shelf Pin Jig is an excellent jig to add your woodworking collection.  I’ve done the “make your own” pegboard type of jig.  The problem is you cut it down to size and it seems like you never get it right the first time.  When you do finally get it right it still feels a little off when you’re finished.  Anyone who has the done pegboard thing will know how it can be a pain to do(and no I’m talking about those crazy smart never make a mistake woodworker guys, I mean regular folk).

Before I go much further though I have to say that I’m a big Kreg nerd.
Kreg hands down makes the best products for woodworkers and the difference is you can tell these guys actually eat their own dog food.  That is to say, I really believe these guys are real woodworkers and actually use their own products.  I hope this review is helpful and as always I’ll include a link at the bottom of the review where you can find the this jig.

	Here is a snapshot of the box that the jig came in.  I picked mine up from Amazon.  Click here if you want to check out more about it.
The box includes: Shelf-Pin Jig Locating Pin Jig Extender 1/4″ Drill Bit Depth Collar Allen Wrench Instruction Manual
The back of the jig has a really handy set of holders built into the jig. It will hold your drill bit, depth collar, and the location pin.
	The jig can be used with or without the fence.  The fence is really handy, it attaches to the edge of the jig and allows you to get a square fit.  It can also be attached to either side of the jig.  On one side if you attach it you’ll get approximately a 1″ depth in-set.  If you attach to the other side, it will give you approximately a 2-1/8″ depth in-set.  Of course you don’t have to use the fence at all if you need to go deeper.  Just attach a square board to the work piece and align your jig to that.
	If you have(or need) multiple jigs you can attach them together to get a longer length.  I can’t see ever purchasing an additional one, but I could see where some folks might want this.  If you need more holes you simply insert the locating pin in the last hole and then place the jig on top of it.
	The depth collar is used to set the depth of the hole while drilling a hole.  If you set the depth collar and the drill bit in the back of the jig it will line up for a perfect depth.
The jig is really easy to use.  In the first image I lined up the board on the edge using the 1″ side and fence.  I’m using a Kreg clamp to hold it in place but any good clamp will work great.  I drilled my end hole.Next up I put in my locating pin and then placed the jig on top of the pin.Lastly I drilled my remaining holes with the locating pin still in the first slot.

Overall the Kreg Shelf Pin Jig is a really easy to use product.  It feels rugged enough for the casual woodworker.  One of the best features is the size.  I’ve seen other jigs that are two or three times this size.  Another big plus is the metal reinforced holes in the jig.  Some of the other jigs I’ve seen only include a punch hole and you then go back and drill them in after.  With this jig you get it all done at once.  If you have a project where you’ll need to drill shelf holes I think you’ll find it does the job well.

The post Kreg Shelf Pin Jig Review appeared first on WoodLogger.

I don’t believe in reviewing or giving opinions on woodworking books unless you can legitimately say you’ve built at least a couple of items from the book.  I’ve completed the end tables in this book, and currently I’m working on the framed mirror project.  Now that I have presented my only credentials, and gotten that out-of-the-way; I have to say that I really enjoyed this book!  If you’re newer to the Kreg Jig you’ll definitely enjoy it!

Danny Proulx is the author of this book and he has done a great job assembling real world projects.  As a new Kreg Jig owner it was great to find a list of projects that I could pick from using the jig that would teach me how to properly use the tool.  Not only did it show how to use the tool, it showed ways to use it that I would have never thought possible.  One example was to edge join boards without glue up, no biscuits, or any dowels.  Using pocket holes worked great, and it will definitely be a trick that I use in the future. The author includes an index and a list of suppliers in the book.  Which is always a big help when building projects from a book.

The book includes 11 projects that you can build:

• Basic Cabinet
• Tall Bookcase
• Quilt rack
• Window Bench
• Chest of Drawers
• Kitchen Display and Storage Cabinet
• Coffee and End Tables
• Sofa or Hall Table
• Framed Mirror
• Pendulum Wall Clock
• Child’s Wall Clock

My only criticism is that I believe the author prefers the style of showing some of the Kreg pocket holes, and then finishing them with inserts of a different style of wood to accent the piece.  It may have been the authors motive to simply demonstrate that it’s an option, but for the life of me I can’t imagine why anyone would prefer that style of finishing.

If you’re interested in checking this book out; Amazon has it for a very reasonable price.  I’ll include a clickable link at the bottom of this article if you want to see more about it.

The Pocket Hole Drilling Jig Project Book (Popular Woodworking)

The post The Pocket Hole Drilling Jig Project Book – Review appeared first on WoodLogger.

One of my favorite toys is my Kreg Drawer Slide Jigs.  There are actually two jigs that you’ll want to use to help you install a drawer.  The two jigs really compliment each other, and make completing drawer installs a snap.  I picked up both jigs from Amazon for a really reasonable price (as always I’ll include links to the jigs at the bottom of this post).  Another important thing when it comes to installing drawers is to use high quality drawer slides.

The first jig is the Kreg Universal Drawer Slide Mounting Jig.  This jig makes it extremely easy to attach a drawer mount to your project.

It has a magnet and a small lip on the bottom of the jig that allow it to hold your drawer slide for you.  All you do is put your drawer slide on it and then clamp the jig to the case or cabinet your working on.  Another plus is that it will keep it at a 90° angle making it easier to keep everything plum when you install it.  Another thing that I have used is a drawer slide back bracket.  This is a really nice thing to use if you can’t mount the drawer slide to the sides of your project.  It holds the drawer slides in place and really anchors it in place.

The second jig is the Kreg Drawer Mounting Brackets. These brackets are fantastic for holding the drawer in place after you have installed the drawer slides.

Simply clamp the brackets to your project and sit your drawers on top of the brackets.   Then sit your drawer on top of the brackets.  The drawer sits at the perfect height as it lines up with the width of the mounting jig.  With the drawer sitting on the brackets all that is left is to pull the arms to the drawer slides out and attach them to the drawers.  The entire process is really easy and makes it quick to install drawers into a project.

My overall recommendation on these jigs is a big A+.  Both jigs compliment each other very well.  The jigs are easy to use and the instructions are easy to follow.  The quality of the jigs are top-notch(which you would expect from Kreg).  There made of a high quality plastic and it feels solid.  My only complaint really is that I believe both jigs should be sold as one kit, or at least available as one kit.  These items are manufactured by Kreg and you can find them at Amazon.  I will include links at the bottom of the page you can check out for more information.

The post Drawer Slide Mounting Jig – Review appeared first on WoodLogger.

This is my latest toy, the Rockler Pull Jig for handles.  The Rockler Drawer Handle Jig includes a punch that marks where to put a hole in almost every size drawer.  I think Rockler could have made it better by actually reinforcing the holes in the jig and allowing you to directly drill the holes in it.

Rockler also sells a “Deluxe” version of the jig. It’s basically the same jig, but includes a nice T-Slot bar that goes across the top of the drawer.  It’s a nice feature, but doubles the cost of the jig.

All of the common hole sizes are included on the jig. I’ve only done a few test punches to see if it works correctly. I’ll update this article after I go through the motions of using this jig a few times. If you want more information on this product just click on the images of the jigs, it’ll take you to more information, and if you already have this jig or another one like it, I’d love to hear how you like yours…

The post Drawer Pull Jig – Review appeared first on WoodLogger.