jig for drawer pull/knob mounting?

[Erich Elfeldt]

Another vote for the True Position.

[Dave Roock]

Kreg jig works good - careful double checking center measurement is probably great idea with any jig.

[George Yetka]

I usually make a jig as needed.

You could add an accent piece under the pull or "washers" under where each pull hits the drawer front.

[Dave Sabo]

I’ve had all of the at one time or another. The TP is the most versatile as it’ll do shelf pin holes and really looong handles with the accessories. But , that capability will run you close to 500 bucks. Prob. With Kreg is that it’s limited to 5” handles and you have to index off of a center mark which takes a lot more time.

This is what I use more often than not : around $50

http://www.eurolimited.com/products/eurohandleit.htm


pro tip: use a mechanical pencil with a thick lead (2-3mm like a Pica, Ox, Rockler) and mark the holes. Verify the first set with your tape measure and a few subsequent ones too. Also, a thin , narrow piece of weather strip on the very bottom edge of both sides makes it more user friendly and accurate.

[andrew whicker]

On the project I did last, I had a friend CNC a jig out of clear plastic.

Although that True jig looks pretty sweet.

edit: got rid of my yoda speak

[Jim Becker]

I typically make my own with some scrap Lexan and wood. I don't do enough of this to justify buying something that will sit in a drawer or on a shelf, honestly. But I will also say that there are some pretty darn fancy drilling jigs out there with micro-adjustability and measuring scales, etc., built in! Matt Reisinger of the Build Shop on the 'Tube recently showed one that was used in his personal kitchen for knob-work. Something like that would be great for pro installers where flexibility in a single, accurate device is really a time saver. For the rest of us, there are more practical solutions as noted by many in this thread for sure.

[Michael Drew]

I’ve had all of the at one time or another. The TP is the most versatile as it’ll do shelf pin holes and really looong handles with the accessories. But , that capability will run you close to 500 bucks. Prob. With Kreg is that it’s limited to 5” handles and you have to index off of a center mark which takes a lot more time.

This is what I use more often than not : around $50

http://www.eurolimited.com/products/eurohandleit.htm


pro tip: use a mechanical pencil with a thick lead (2-3mm like a Pica, Ox, Rockler) and mark the holes. Verify the first set with your tape measure and a few subsequent ones too. Also, a thin , narrow piece of weather strip on the very bottom edge of both sides makes it more user friendly and accurate.

I like the simplicity of that jig. Too bad they make it difficult to buy. Half their internet dealers do not ship to Alaska. Same with Amazon.

[Edward Weber]

I make my own as well if I'm doing one or two pieces.
The problem with home made jigs is that they just don't hold up as well over the long haul. The holes inevitably become enlarged and this creates a loss of accuracy in hole position. The retail jigs typically have steel guides that maintain the spacing and alignment of the bit. If you have a room or house full of knobs/pulls to install, I would recommend a quality jig with guides.
JMHO

[Jim Dwight]

I did my kitchen without ruining a single door or drawer front. But I was praying as I went. I've certainly messed it up before. I used a home made jig but I used it to mark the position for the holes on a piece of painters tape on the door or drawer front. Then I stopped and stepped back and looked at it to make sure it looked right. Then and only then I drilled the holes. I also waited to drill the holes until I had the doors hung and adjusted. I used bar pulls which have no baseplate so you have to get the hole pretty much right. I might have drilled a little larger hole in a few cases to get the pull better alighed but the screw head and diameter of the pull has to cover it so you can't do much.

I've also made jigs I used to bore the hole before too but I've messed up with them. A bit of debris against the stop can mess them up and you cannot see it with a plywood jig.

[Bill McNiel]

I make my own jig, with a stop the sits on the top and against one side. When I'm finished, I take it apart, toss the scraps back in my scrap storage, and move on. I used to have one of the various plastic jigs made, but found it way too easy to use the wrong holes.

ditto for me.

[Jonathan Jung]

I made my own for a few years. Now I have a TruePositionTools in the max size. It's enjoyable to use, works well, and should last a long time. Expensive is worth it if you do several big projects a year.

[Michael Drew]

I made my own for a few years. Now I have a TruePositionTools in the max size. It's enjoyable to use, works well, and should last a long time. Expensive is worth it if you do several big projects a year.

The TruePositionTools jig looks to be copied by numerous off-shore manufacturers, ranging from $25 to $75 on Amazon. They all look very similar. I might just buy one that appears to be the best made. Difficult to determine quality from pics though.

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person on the site that's f'd up a drawer pull install. I think I just allowed myself to get in a hurry, wanting to clean up a mess in my shop on a Sunday afternoon, before I start my work week (my real job). I know better.

If I would have had a simple and easy to use jig, this mistake probably would have been avoided.

[Dave Sabo]

I like the simplicity of that jig. Too bad they make it difficult to buy. Half their internet dealers do not ship to Alaska. Same with Amazon.

Call em directly , I bet they’ll accommodate you.

Richelieu also carries them and has a long reach in Canada and the USA


these guys are in Alaska

HARDWARE SPECIALTIES INC.
424 West 5th Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99518
(907) 563-1312

[andrew whicker]

The TruePositionTools jig looks to be copied by numerous off-shore manufacturers, ranging from $25 to $75 on Amazon. They all look very similar. I might just buy one that appears to be the best made. Difficult to determine quality from pics though.

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person on the site that's f'd up a drawer pull install. I think I just allowed myself to get in a hurry, wanting to clean up a mess in my shop on a Sunday afternoon, before I start my work week (my real job). I know better.

If I would have had a simple and easy to use jig, this mistake probably would have been avoided.

For the record, I'm perfect and don't make mistakes.

: )

[Greg Quenneville]

Last year I made a jig that was tee-shaped out of scraps. It was accurate of course, but not centred on the vertical axis. So of course I used it the wrong way around and offset my holes about 1/2”. My wife remarked, with only a little bit of sarcasm: “really good…they are precisely, exactly wrong” I am still trying to come up with a snappy reply to that. I just bought the pro jig for my upcoming kitchen build.