Shelf pin drilling jig

[Ethan Melad]

Anyone have a recommendation for a 32/5mm shelf pin drilling jig? I've used the Veritas and it worked well - but took forever to set up and is expensive. The cheap plexiglas rocker/woodcraft models look they could be inaccurate since there's no sleeve keeping the drill bit perpendicular to the workpiece. Should I just make my own, or is there another jig I dont know about?

thanks

[David Hawxhurst]

i made my own based on this http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchive99/4_23holejig.html
i sized mine to fit my building needs.

[Myk Rian]

Make your own.

[Ethan Melad]

thanks, i just found that link, too. i figured making my own would be my best course of action. should work fine - until i get a line borer, that is.

[Roy Harding]

Anyone have a recommendation for a 32/5mm shelf pin drilling jig? I've used the Veritas and it worked well - but took forever to set up and is expensive. The cheap plexiglas rocker/woodcraft models look they could be inaccurate since there's no sleeve keeping the drill bit perpendicular to the workpiece. Should I just make my own, or is there another jig I dont know about?

thanks

I have that jig - and I agree that it was expensive. As for the long set-up time, after I used it a couple of times, setting it up became much quicker. I don't think you're going to find a better jig than this without spending significant money.

[Benoit Rochon]

There's also this: http://www.euro32products.com/euro_32%20Hole-Boring%20System.htm
but it's about 200$, but looks very easy to use/replicate.

[Larry Fox]

i made my own based on this http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchive99/4_23holejig.html
i sized mine to fit my building needs.

+1 - this is a great jig and super easy to make.

[Ethan Melad]

I have that jig - and I agree that it was expensive. As for the long set-up time, after I used it a couple of times, setting it up became much quicker. I don't think you're going to find a better jig than this without spending significant money.

yeah, i think it's either the veritas or shop made - i just noticed that there are edge clamps available for the veritas which would make drilling for dowels or confirmats prety easy. to spend or not to spend...

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Make your own, but also use a plunge router to bore, not a drill, and the perpendicular issue disappears.

[Jamie Buxton]

Yeah, a plunge router is way better than a drill. Like Steve says, the perpendicular issue goes away. And the router spins so fast that there's no splintering around the edge of the holes, even in delicate plywood. Also, you get a reliable depth stop.

I use a commercial jig from Woodhaven -- http://www.woodhaven.com/Woodhaven-784-Metric-Shelf-Pin/dp/B001NZ2NSI?field_availability=-1&field_browse=3026358011&id=Woodhaven+784+Metric+Shelf+Pin&ie=UTF8&refinementHistory=subjectbin%2Cprice&searchNodeID=3026358011&searchPage=1&searchRank=salesrank&searchSize=12 Not expensive, durable. For 99% of the time, I only need to bore a line of holes that's 37 mm from the edge. A $40 jig does that perfectly well. And when I need to put the column of holes someplace else, a couple of clamps or a shop-built spacer does the job. Those $200-$300 jigs offer capabilities that aren't really necessary.

[Ethan Melad]

Nice, I hadn't seen an inexpensive commercial jig for use with a router. Did you buy their guide bushing, or is it the same size as a standard/Porter Cable 3/8" bushing?

I agree using a router does provide a cleaner, more accurate cut. But it seems like the benefit of the Veritas is that is can set up for edge boring, front and back at the same time, and vary the distance of the hole off the edge - very useful for drilling for drawer slides. Basically more versatile, but also 5x the price.


For 99% of the time, I only need to bore a line of holes that's 37 mm from the edge. A $40 jig does that perfectly well. And when I need to put the column of holes someplace else, a couple of clamps or a shop-built spacer does the job
Good point..

Thanks for the input

[Tom Ewell]

Like the Woodhaven jig/router setup too, comes in inch or metric with different lengths depending on needs, solid phenolic to boot.

[Stephen Cherry]

Also, don't count out the low end line boring machines. Sometimes they come up at pretty reasonable prices. Not saying that it would be cheap, but if you see a lot of holes coming up, you could probably get into one of the low end machines, and resell it without loosing your shirt. Plus, they tend to put the holes in the right places, and it takes more time to plug in the air supply than it does to actually drill a cabinet or bookshelves worth of holes.

[Bill Huber]

I made mine and it works very well. I found that a router was so much better then a brad point or a twist bit and faster to boot.

I made mine with 1" spacing and if I want them say 2" I just put painters tape of every other hole. I use a dowel to do the spacing if I have a tall cabinet to do.

I used a compass to lay out the holes and drilled then on the drill press. I then to a countersink to each hole so the router bushing would drop in really easy.

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[Michael W. Clark]

I built the shelf pin jig from NYW. It uses a router and guide bushing and is based on 1" hole spacing. It has an adjustable fence, mine is marked in inches. I don't see why you couldn't easily make another version for the 32mm system. You could incorporate the movable fence or make it fixed. However, for $40 its hard to beat that if it works for you and you consider your time.

If I were doing a bunch of cabinets with holes in the same locations, I would make a dedicated template that registered off the workpiece. No measuring except to make the template.

[Art Mann]

Anyone have a recommendation for a 32/5mm shelf pin drilling jig? I've used the Veritas and it worked well - but took forever to set up and is expensive. The cheap plexiglas rocker/woodcraft models look they could be inaccurate since there's no sleeve keeping the drill bit perpendicular to the workpiece. Should I just make my own, or is there another jig I dont know about?

thanks

Actually, the comment about not having a guide for perpendicularity is not quite true for the Rockler jig I bought. You can see it at the link below.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5876&site=ROCKLER

You don't just stick any old bit in a plexiglass hole. This jig comes with a bit that has a collar on it which serves two functions. It guides the bit perpendicular to the hole and it provides a stop so the bit won't go too deep. The bit they provide makes a clean hole with no splintering. I have made several shelf pin drill guides such as those that have been suggested and this Rockler jig works better and is easier to use than any of them. The only drawback I know of is that you have to accept the hole spacing and depth they provide. It isn't adjustable for different spacings.

[George Werner]

Woodpeckers has their shelf pin jig on sale this week. Does 32/5mm...

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I have a M.E.G. shelf pin guide that works very well. It's probably more $ than most want to spend though.

http://www.megproducts.com/shelfpinholes.html

[Garth Almgren]

Anyone have an opinion on the Bench Dog jig (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=32250)? Seems pretty affordable if it works well...

[Matt Meiser]

I made Norms MEG knockoff for 1" spacing years ago and it has served me well. Recently I made another for 32mm spacing. Really easy to make, just do a very careful layout and drill on the drill press. The holes are 5/8 to accept a 5/8 router bushing. Whiteside makes a 5mm spiral upcut bit. Mine has an adjustable fence the full length--can't recall if Norm did that or not that I easily set off an edge with a square. I could get really fancy and cut shallow dados for two cheap scales epoxied into place. I want to rework it slightly as I've found my MFT is a good place to use it and I can set up clamps in the table to hold everything nicely but the fence needs some minor revisions. When I did my kitchen I borrowed a 32mm Delta line boring machine which was nice but I could never justify the cost or expense even if I did another kitchen and couldn't borrow it again. Its fast, but the MEG style is pretty fast too. And relatively clean with my little Dewalt plunger with the DC add-on.

[George Gyulatyan]

I use the Rockler Jig-it Shelf pin jig. Works fine for me. Haven't had issues with alignment, even when drilling holes on already assembled cabinets.
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[Ole Anderson]

I went with the Woodhaven metric phenolic system as well. Bought a 1/4" spiral bit for my plunge router (3/8" guide bushing) and bored hundreds of clean holes lickety split fast in Hickory ply. Where the hole was to be a hinge screw hole (I was not using the plastic Blum inserts) I made a punch from a 3/8" dowel pin to locate the screw holes using the template.

[Thomas love]

I have all of the mentioned, Always grabbing the Rockler jigs... +1 what Art said.