Shelf Jig

[Steve Gojevic]

Rockler has a shelf jig for drilling the peg holes on sale for $27.

The model is:


http://www.rockler.com/jig-itreg-shelving-jig-jig-it174-shelving-jig-set-template-self-centering-bit

Has anyone used this one or a similar one?

Is there a better one (for a reasonable price)?

I know I can save money and make one, but I have a huge project going on and can't spend the time right now. This jig would help drill the shelf holes on my kitchen cabinets I am building.

Steve

[Prashun Patel]

Are there better ones? Yes, if you are professional.

I am not a pro, but have used this jig over the past 5 years to drill hundreds of holes and I love it. The plastic has not deteriorated or deformed. I'm still using the original bit that came with it, but if I were you, I'd buy a quality 1/4" bp bit and replace it so you get the cleanest possible holes.

It's cleverly oriented so you can use it upside down or right side up (so you can do both sides of the uprights easily). The 'bench hook' configuration also makes it easy to use on frameless cabinet sides, but you can flip around if you want to use it on a framed cabinet. I realize this is confusing as I write it. Just know that it's versatile and flexible. I like mine a lot.

[Dick Mahany]

I have that one and used it extensively on many cabinets. No problems at all. Just make sure to reference it accurately when drilling the first hole in each series. The plastic will get a little marred up from the spring bit guides, but it didn't affect accuracy on mine.

[David Ballard]

I have been using that jig for about 6 or 7 years. It does everything that I want it to do efficiently. It originally came with a 1/4" bit and I added a 5 mm bit a couple of years ago. Are there better jigs available? Of course - but at additional cost. Rockler has one that does both ends at the same time for around $70~$80. For the price and my usage, I have and will stick with the original.

[Steve Gojevic]

Thanks, guys.

I'm going to buy the jig from Rockler, especially since it's on sale for pretty cheap.

Steve

[glenn bradley]

Apparently my bit was defective. It would become so hot it would melt the plastic and stick in the hole. Not knowing any better I just modified the jig and use it exclusively with a plunge router. Having announced my "fix" on the forums I quickly became aware that others were NOT having this problem. Moral of the story; if you have problems with your bit overheating, call Rockler for a replacement as the jig reportedly works fine as designed :o.

[Kevin Godshall]

+1 That's what I've been using for years. Absolutely no problems.

[Loren Woirhaye]

I have one of those. It's not accurate enough for glass shelves but for wood it's fine. There's too much play in the spring loaded bit. A drill jig with bushings will be more accurate.

[Jim Andrew]

Put a little oil on the bit so it spins easily in the sleeve. Eliminates burning the plastic.

[Larry Frank]

I built the "WWA Shelf Jig" which uses a router to drill the holes. I was able to make hundreds of holes in a short period for my cabinets. They were Euro Style upper and lowers and needed the holes for shelves, attached the hinges and the drawer slides.

I looked at a lot of different jigs and this one turned out to be the fastest.

[Andy Pratt]

I have the kreg shelf jig and although I have not used the rockler one, based on the designs I feel the kreg jig offers more features and convenience at a similiar price. You can also chain the kreg jigs together to have longer runs of holes off one reference point, or smaller sizes to fit in very short cabinets. The kreg jig does not rely on a self-centering drill bit, and comes with a brad point bit which allows for cleaner holes.