# Shelf pin jig help



## opalko (Feb 2, 2010)

Have tried three times using shelf pin jigs to make the holes for pins in my set of bookshelves. First time with homemade jig, made on drill press to use bushing in router…holes didn't line up front & back of shelves, inaccurate homemade jig I assumed.

Bought a Kreg 6 hole jig and ended up with same results next two times. Holes start out matching across a straight line front to back, but after about 10 or 12 holes (row of shelf holes span 62") there is a tiny gap between adjacent pin rows which by the last hole is off an entire pin width. I don't measure the starting spot for the jig, I use a block of wood clamped across the bookcase side so I am theoretically starting in the exact same spot and taking measurements out of the equation. What am I doing wrong or are the tolerances in these jigs not meant for such long spans? By the way I have 3 sets of bookcases or 6 bookcase sides I have to do this with.

After wasting this much time I am ready to either buy a Rockler or Veritas jig that does both rows at the same time or just go back to using shelf standards! Arrrgh!


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

If this his what you made it should work just fine as long as you panels are square and you index the jig correctly. It's the best home made hole drilling jig IMO.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

I have the one from Rockler. Never had an issue. It comes with a pin that you can drop in the first hole to lock the jig from moving.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Take a look at the Align-rite and the Woodpeckers
template too.

I have a plastic Rockler jig that uses a spring loaded
bit. I don't trust the centering of the bit. Later
I bought an Align-rite, which works okay. The 
bushing holes are the same size as the pins so
you can drop in more than one pin to register
an extension of the row. It seemed to me that
with the Rockler spring-loaded jig if the hole you
registered off was not concentric, it could cause
a problem.

The best systems I've seen for 32mm cabinet drilling
are one that's not around anymore called a Kurka
Jig and one called Schmitt 32. The Veritas system
comes close but it looks like it may be a little on
the slow side as it doesn't support a plunge router
and you have to move the bushing a lot. All
three allow for locating the rows of holes on exact
32mm centers for drilling drawer slide holes… which
may be beyond the scope of what you want in 
a hole jig.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

One other plus for the router method. Until I started it I could never get consistently clean crip free holes. Now that is not a problem even in Melamine.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I did all the cabinets in my shop and used the WWA shelf pin jig. I do not have a link but you can Google it.

I drilled holes in the cabinets for the 32 mm Euro style cabinets and did hundreds of holes with a router and the jig. I spent time making the jig accurate and making certain it was secured to the work pieces.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchive99/4_23holejig2.html

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/content.php?137-Shelf-Pin-Jigs-and-Methods


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

I have a pair of the Kreg jigs. Never had any trouble with them. It must be something you are doing that allows for a slight discrepancy.

Like you, I use a spacer and/or a common starting point.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I've got a boring machine it works very well and nice and quick.










I also have a jig like AKguy


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> Take a look at the Align-rite and the Woodpeckers
> template too.
> 
> I have a plastic Rockler jig that uses a spring loaded
> ...


http://schmitt32.com/products/


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

> I ve got a boring machine it works very well and nice and quick.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I like to do both rows at the same time.  nice and quick..er (holes are always even)


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

keep it simple https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=VePqUY3cf5k


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

> If this his what you made it should work just fine as long as you panels are square and you index the jig correctly. It s the best home made hole drilling jig IMO.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have something similar but it uses my drill instead of a router. (Easier I think)


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Nice set up "J"

Your link doesn't work Charles.

I use the same router jig and router in my class it works fine.

In years gone by I've even used peg board and a forstner bit it worked fine too.

If you're careful and keep track of the which end of the jig or pegboard you're using there's no problem with doing one side at a time.


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

Worked for me ?


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I was clicking it off the email notice but it worked on the LJ link fine,sorry about that, Interesting set up close to $500 not bad if you do enough cabinets.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

Kreg 6 hole jig and ended up with same results next two times. Holes start out matching across a straight line front to back, but after about 10 or 12 holes (row of shelf holes span 62") there is a tiny gap between adjacent pin rows which by the last hole is off an entire pin width

I think his problem is 6 hole jig …try putting a pin in last hole every time you reset it …this should work well fro you :<))


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> If this his what you made it should work just fine as long as you panels are square and you index the jig correctly. It s the best home made hole drilling jig IMO.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is the drill bit that comes with the Rockler and like jig. Vastly incompetent to a router setup for both speed and clean chip free holes. I know because I've used that bit for many of holes. This especially true in melamine.


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

Alaska I agee.. a good down cut spiral bit and the holes are perfect and chip free . 
1/4 is 1/4 ,5/16 = 8mm.. just for reference

The router also insures the holes are straight and true …. Works fast and easy .


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> keep it simple https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=VePqUY3cf5k
> 
> - CharlesNeil


This link does not work for me. Any one else or is it just me.

This is what I get


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

beats me

fresh of you tube


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> beats me
> 
> fresh of you tube
> 
> ...


Thanks, that one works…............I went back and tried the other one. Now the both work


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I used a pieces of 1/4" plexi and drilled pin holes in it large enough to accept a Harbor Freight, self centering bit the same size as my pins. After I drill the first hole, I insert a screw the same size as the pin, but which has good ol duct tape around the part that fits in the hole, for a tight fit. It worked for all my kitchen cabinets.

You can also just drill holes using the method above, then chase them with a bit the size of the pins, to enlarge the hole to the size of the pins.

Many prefer the router for the nice clean cuts, but I haven't found reason to complain about the quality of holes I get using a sharp bit.


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## jar944 (Jun 19, 2014)

> If this his what you made it should work just fine as long as you panels are square and you index the jig correctly. It s the best home made hole drilling jig IMO.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's basically what I use.. and the router is far superior to a drill


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> If this his what you made it should work just fine as long as you panels are square and you index the jig correctly. It s the best home made hole drilling jig IMO.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*What sizes holes are in the peg board, how far apart are the holes and what bit is in the router?* *That would be useful information.*


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Of course, a drill is a whole lot easier to wrestle after the cabinets are installed.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I built a similar jig for doing all my shop cabinets it was the WWA router system with 32 mm spacing with 5mm holes. I could do holes very fast and accurate.

It was so nice using this system with Euro hinges. Everything fit perfectly from hinges to drawer slides. The 5 mm holes also were perfect for the screws. It made making all the cabinets go much faster. I built about 18 feet of upper and lower cabinets with all being 2 ft wide.


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## jar944 (Jun 19, 2014)

> If this his what you made it should work just fine as long as you panels are square and you index the jig correctly. It s the best home made hole drilling jig IMO.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


5/16 holes at 2" apart. 5mm bit (either a spiral up cut w/ 8mm shank or a modified kreg Brad point drill bit)


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## jar944 (Jun 19, 2014)

> If this his what you made it should work just fine as long as you panels are square and you index the jig correctly. It s the best home made hole drilling jig IMO.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


5/16 holes at 2" apart. 5mm bit (either a spiral up cut w/ 8mm shank or a modified kreg Brad point drill bit)

I've personally found my dewalt to have too much slop (when plunging) in the mechanism. It left 5mm pins more loose that i care for. It's the reason I picked up a colt just for shelf pin holes.


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## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

> Have tried three times using shelf pin jigs to make the holes for pins in my set of bookshelves. First time with homemade jig, made on drill press to use bushing in router…holes didn t line up front & back of shelves, inaccurate homemade jig I assumed.
> 
> Bought a Kreg 6 hole jig and ended up with same results next two times. Holes start out matching across a straight line front to back, but after about 10 or 12 holes (row of shelf holes span 62") there is a tiny gap between adjacent pin rows which by the last hole is off an entire pin width. I don t measure the starting spot for the jig, I use a block of wood clamped across the bookcase side so I am theoretically starting in the exact same spot and taking measurements out of the equation. What am I doing wrong or are the tolerances in these jigs not meant for such long spans? By the way I have 3 sets of bookcases or 6 bookcase sides I have to do this with.
> 
> ...


Well, I've used all the methods listed above EXCEPT the router method… They all work well enough, but one thing to know is that shelf pin holes are frustrating. Its easy to get off a little bit. And even with the best method (the inline boring machine), you can really multiply the discrepancy if you're drilling a lot of holes, and using and indexing pin.

I'm not trying to champion cheating, but stuff happens… two useful cheats I've found over the years: If the holes are really off, you can skin the inside with 1/4" plywood. Drill the holes in the CORRECT spots in the 1/4", and then skin the inside of the cabinet with the new plywood. This is if you didn't catch the mistake before you assembled. Second cheat: if you use shelf pins like this:









, you can turn it upside down to take out a little of the wobble in the shelves caused by out-of alignment holes.
Finally, here's another method I just made to use my drill press. I can't be credited with the idea (Kiefer's). Seemed to work well for me, and was a lot faster than the hand drill method.








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## josephf (Aug 29, 2012)

OP - nice jig . Sometimes our first attempts get tossed . I hope by this time you have figured out the oops and proceeded ahead . I also prefer the router method . I also have several store bought ones and then make ones for particular situations .Like adding holes to a installed cabinet .Hope your mistake was on a test run .


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

For me the router method is the quickest, cleanest , and the holes always fit and are perpendicular to the surface. I have both 1/4×1/4 and 1/4×5MM router bits for shooting the holes.

I have a little blue kreg shelf pin jig and drill for those occasions when my dementia make me forget to shoot holes before cabinet assembly.


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