"Drill, Drive, Done"

I must confess; I came late to the Kreg Jig party.  I can't help but be aware, there's an passionate love affair among DIY Bloggers and their Kreg Jigs. After a couple full days work, with one of these jigs, I'm going to leap onto the bandwagon with both feet, and no safety line.

I love this thing. I don't even have their large jig or master system, each with a full compliment of bells and whistles; I bought the newer, pocket-sized, sassy middle-sibling, the Kreg Jig Jr.

UPDATE:- Kreg has introduced an update the Kreg Jig Jr. HD for 1 1/2" thick material and larger

Update II - Ohhhhhh.... I do really, really want to try out the new Kreg Jig K5, an update to the larger unit.

There are exactly 1.25 bazillion* reviews, project plans, and how-to articles /videos out there for Kreg Jigs.  I'm not going to dig too deep into the overall concept or how it works. Simply put, it's really just a simple widget to position your drill bit in order to drill a shallow angle hole, a "pocket", and a method of driving a screw to join two boards. Pocket screw joinery is nothing new; there are plenty of ways to accomplish it, but the Kreg has an edge in simplicity, speed, and ease of use.

Everything in it's place.

The best thing about this jig is that it's simply very well-designed and constructed, soup to nuts. There a lot of plastic, but it's the stout type and the metal bit guides are long/deep enough to protect it. The case is tough and holds everything perfectly in place. The long drill bit and the driver bit are both great quality and look pristine after I've run about 80 screws.

The instruction manual is thin, but it's more than enough. Adjustment, measurement, and placement of the jig is a piece of cake. The info is all either on the tool or the case. You even adjust the depth collar on the bit using a scale right in it's storage spot.

I bought this little gem after returning another brand, unsatisfied, for about the same $40 price. I also picked up a nice starter box of assorted Kreg self-drilling screws for about $25 bucks. Together, they're simply a killer system. I'm keeping this one.

I see online that Kreg makes a big assortment of other woodworking products. It's somewhat expensive, but if it's also the same good quality, innovative stuff as the Jr. it's certainly worth it. After this one, I hope to put a lot more of their stuff through it's paces in the future.

I screwed this little stubbin' of a 2x4 to my work bench. I didn't try it, but I think it could probably, almost begin to hold my full fighting weight.

I found some great videos, on using their jigs, that Kreg put out on YouTube. Check 'em out here.

Drill baby Drill

I don't mind sharing my exuberant opinion of this fun little gadget. It could be because I started with a "competing" product a couple weeks back, before picking up this treasure. I don't like to pick on this other guy, but it's not even a close contest.

Get you one of these! 

* 1.25 Bazillion = Scientifically reviewing this statement will reveal it is a ridiculous, bald-faced lie. My apologies, I am certain it's only close to half a Bazillion.

UPDATE III: I was pleased to trip across a link to this article featured in an issue of Kreg's newsletter: KREG PLUS - Tips, Projects, News, & More. Thanks for the feature Kreg!

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