I thought building furniture was well beyond my skill set until I learned how to use a Kreg Jig to make pocket holes.
This tool allows your to easily create pocket holes to join wood without exposed screws. Another advantage to using pocket holes is that they are very strong and durable.
This tool saved me thousands of dollars on furniture because I was able to make my own wood furniture.
What is a Kreg Jig K4
The reason a jig became so popular is because of how easy it is to use. There are various models of this tool, but the one I am using in the photos is the K4.
The tool creates pocket holes that high the fasteners when joining wood together. So, you can build beautiful custom wood projects that do not look homemade.
Purchasing this tool may seem expensive and unnecessary, but it is worth it. The tool practically pays for itself after you build one piece of wood furniture.
In the picture below, it basically works by drilling a hole on an angle and connecting two pieces of wood with a screw.
Items Needed to Create Pocket Holes:
- Kreg Jig
- Kreg Screws
- Clamp
A kreg Jig starter kit includes everything you need to get started with pocket holes. The starter kit includes the jig, screws, and a detailed guide for how to use it.
How to Use a Kreg Jig to Create Pocket Holes
I would advise that you always drill a few test pieces of scrap wood together first to make sure that the screw doesn’t puncture the other piece of wood.
This is especially important when you are getting familiar with the tool because you do not want to waste good quality wood.
If you use this tool along with some wood glue, you will have an unbreakable joint and the sky is the limit on what furniture you can build.
The drilled holes are called “pocket holes” and can be used for various thicknesses/depths of boards coupled with different sized screws.
Essentially, you clamp a piece of wood in the Kreg Jig clamp. Then adjust the height of holes to meet the thickness of the board, along with the drill bit height.
Next attach the included drill bit, and drill down one of the guided holes until it stops.
After that you simply place the two pieces of wood together and use the Kreg screws to attach the wood.
You can use a clamp to hold the 2 pieces of wood together because attaching them with the Kreg screws.
The clamps are optional but they do help prevent the wood from shifting when attaching the wood together.
There are complete instructions that come with the product, which you should follow closely.
Benefits of Using Pocket Holes
There are several benefit of using pocket holes when building wood furniture. The main reason this type of ho is used is to prevent screws from showing on the front surface of wood.
Hiding the screws makes a simple DIY project look less homemade and more high end.
Asides from hiding fasteners, a pocket hole creates a strong bond between wood and can support a lot of weight.
The benefit of joining wood with this technique is that it prevents the need for intricate cuts.
DIY Wood Project Ideas
Since the jig made furniture building so easy, I built several other pieces of custom furniture for my home. Woodworking became a hobby of mine after learning how to use this tool because the options were limitless.
A few wood projects that I built using the Kreg Jig are:
