jade47•8d ago

Found a weird trick for aligning pocket holes without a jig

I was building a cabinet last weekend and kept getting my pocket holes slightly off, even with a clamp. After three tries in a row where the screws came out crooked, I grabbed a scrap of 1x2 and laid it flat along the joint line as a makeshift guide. Turns out if you hold that scrap tight against the workpiece, the drill bit stays centered way better than just eyeballing it. Has anyone else found a random piece of scrap that saved a job like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

xena_taylor648d agoTop Commenter

That 1x2 trick sounds like it would work for short pieces, but how do you keep the bit from wandering on a longer panel where the scrap can't reach both ends? I've had to rely on a speed square pressed tight to the drill shaft to keep things plumb, though it's pretty awkward to hold. Did you find the scrap method works just as well on longer boards, or is it mostly for smaller work?

terryj458d agoMost Upvoted

Hold up, is getting a pocket hole slightly off really that big of a deal? Screws still grab just fine even if they're not dead nuts perfect.