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Thread: Woodpeckers Hole Boring Jig

  1. #1
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    Woodpeckers Hole Boring Jig

    The 20mm / 3/4" combo is on sale for $169 vs normal $199., Thoughts vs the park guide at $199 (if you can find one available) that does only 20mm holes but does come with bits? Seems the Woodpeckers version may give best of both worlds after purchasing the 1/2" bit. And everything WP that I have purchased has been top notch. TIA.
    Tim in Hill Country of Texas

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    Or $229 at Lee Valley
    Tim in Hill Country of Texas

  3. #3
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    The woodpecker jig is awful. Too cumbersome and time consuming. And often burning on holes. If you want that type, this is infinitely better: - optimized for the Festool OF1010, 30mm bushings can be had for other routers.

    https://www.taigatools.com/mft-router-template.html

    USA shipments have been suspended for Covid , but these guys have them in NY:

    https://www.toolnut.com/router-jig-f...IaAkyoEALw_wcB

    Having 20mm and 3/4 holes sound better on paper, but out in the real world it's best to choose one and stick to it. 20mm seems to have more choice for inserts and accessories.

    The Parf Guide system is quite versatile and accurate, although much slower than the jig above. It comes with everything you need. The holes produced are optimized for Parf Dogs and guys find other makes to often be really tight to insert into the drilled holes. Again, best if you stick with the Parf family.

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    Dave, I dont understand your comment about the woodpecker tool being awful. I see very few if any differences between the Taiga and the WP. the WP adds initial alignment pins to insure the jig fits square to the first corner but that is the only difference I see.
    Tim in Hill Country of Texas

  5. #5
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    Tim,

    I have the WP jig. I am still figuring it out. The first set of holes seem to work fine, but the next set, that references off of the first set, has some slop. The next set--even more. Either my router has too much runout, or I am not centering the bit in the collar and turning the router while using it, or something else I haven't figured out yet. I haven't tried too hard to figure it out yet (need to check runout, maybe try another router, basically play with it until I figure out what I am doing wrong). I like the idea of being able to make any size/shape work top I want with the jig once I figure out the tricks. However, if you get it I would try it on some scrap pieces before committing to making holes in your brand new (insert item here).

    Matt

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    That's one advantage, I think, of the parf jig over the step and repeat type jigs, like the WP or the Taig. Any error or slop in the process can get magnified with the step and repeat jigs on larger surfaces. This happens with the parf jig too, but because it starts out so long there are fewer step and repeat operations for any given size worksurface. If you're just clamping stuff, no biggie either way, but if you are relying on the hole pattern to square panels or doors or the like, then it matters more.
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by tim walker View Post
    Dave, I dont understand your comment about the woodpecker tool being awful. I see very few if any differences between the Taiga and the WP. the WP adds initial alignment pins to insure the jig fits square to the first corner but that is the only difference I see.
    Look closer.

    Taiga uses a bushing that precisely fit the holes and a 20mm cutter. WP uses a collar that rides around the hole and uses a small bit that nibbles away the hole size you want. Besides having more chances for error built in, it takes considerable more time to cut holes with the WP. The ability to do both 20mm & 3/4" holes is great from a marketing perspective, not as valuable in the wild. At least for me. YMMV

    This happens with the parf jig too, but because it starts out so long there are fewer step and repeat operations
    Sure, there's room for error in all systems. Parf even had a bad batch of rulers a while back - and that made things really interesting for a lot of guys. The advantage of Parf is you can easily vary the spacing and layout of your hole pattern. But, it's more time consuming to setup and drill finished 20mm holes. By the time you've set up all the pieces and drilled your first set of pilot holes with the Parf, I've finished my entire top with a taiga. The parf system is optimized for Parf dogs and guys report other makes have to be pounded into the holes becasue the tolerances are so close. It also has really good dust management. Taiga relies on your router for that, and may , or may not be good.

    Here's an in depth review of WP by an early adopter: summary - It's not really any good until you get a custom made collar and use a 20mm boring bit. Good luck getting a collar.
    https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/f...308/#msg549308

  8. #8
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    I'm getting ready to do this (in about a month), and already own the Woodpeckers hole boring jig, and want 3/4" dog holes.

    What are my other options then? Would it be beneficial to get a 3/4" ID bushing for the Woodpecker's jig? McMaster-Carr, amongst others, sells press-fit drill bushings.
    Last edited by Alan Lightstone; 11-04-2020 at 8:59 AM.
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  9. #9
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    Aha!!!! Just found this issue.

    The ID of the Woodpecker jig holes is 1.47". So you would need to get a bushing that's 0.75"ID and 1.47" OD, right?

    Does anyone make custom bushings?

    Would a nominal 1.5"ID drill bushing fit in the 1.47" hole?
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  10. #10
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    Alan, I see the lightbulb just came on for you.

    Any machine shop worth their salt can make , or modify a guide bush for you.

    if WP were savvy, they’d make one to sell.

  11. #11
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    Yup. I eventually purchased one from McMaster-Carr yesterday.

    I really don't know any machine shops near here, but for a number of items could have used them. I need to change that.

    Any suggestions for good drill bits to use?

    This one from Amazon came up on someone's website as working great for this, but I wonder about clean cut with an Auger bit. I had thought of my Forstner bit as the best choice, but really don't know with this deep a cut. It could easily wander under the bushing.
    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Lightstone View Post

    Any suggestions for good drill bits to use?
    I used a high speed steel brad point from Lee Valley and it worked quite well.
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  13. #13
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    Alan,

    Can you give an update on how the drill bushing method worked for you, and what bit you ended up using? I may go this route for future use of my jig.

    Thanks,
    Matt

  14. #14
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    I would love to give you an update, Matt, but I've been waiting for the drill bushing from McMaster-Carr for 7 weeks now.

    I just checked, and their website shows it should be available this week. We'll see.

    Despite a million setbacks, I otherwise completed the workbench earlier this week.

    I'll try it on some test pieces, then certainly let you know for real.

    I'm still not sure what course I'm going to take regarding placement of holes. If I cover the workbench with them, I'll have a huge amount of holes in the top. But my present Sjobergs bench doesn't have enough. Plus the spacing on the Woodpeckers jig seems a little close.

    Also, with the top now in place, and a plywood top/spacers between vertical elements between the drawers, using a drill bit will involve at least partially drilling into the plywood under the hard maple top. I can avoid that with a router, so there's that.

    Any thoughts? Recommendations?
    Last edited by Alan Lightstone; 12-29-2020 at 8:37 AM.
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  15. #15
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    My thoughts are you should sell the WP to a collector and get a system that has components available.

    And works better once you have them.
    Last edited by Dave Sabo; 12-29-2020 at 2:00 PM.

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