Kreg jigs....anyone use them? what do you think?

https://www.kregtool.com/store/c13/kreg-jigsreg/
Thinking of splurging...was curious if anyone has firsthand knowledge

 

I have used them when making certain pieces of furniture. I like them, they have a purpose and they work.
For the money (at the time I got it) the price seemed reasonable. But since I'm working 2 jobs
I have not had any projects in the last 6-7 years so I haven't used it at all.

I bought mine from Grizzly, paid probably $40 back then. And the one I have isn't quite as elaborate as the one you linked.

 

I don't have one, but have heard nothing but praise for them from others that do

 

thanks, Pete!

 

great tool. I have the one for $99. just used it over the weekend to build the daughter a microwave cabinet. have used it for a lot of cabinets and shelf builds. you have to think it thru and plan but it makes super strong tight joints. takes a little practice, but is overall easy to use

 

I have the K 4 set up. For furniture and cabinet building, it is excellent. I rarely use my biscuit joiner or dowels to make connections. You can even join board edges together for a tabletop. I have made an oak bookcase, walnut bookcase, my daughters desk and now one for my son. The joints are tight and you can buy different species of plugs to match your wood. The plugs are not standard dowel sizes, as I have already tried to save a few bucks. The Kreg plugs are nice and snug. If you are making furniture or other projects that require joinery, go for it.

Walnut and poplar book case


quarter sawn oak bookcase

 

good looking stuff, fishing! Yea, historically, I used biscuits for joining, as in a top, but perpendicular joints, stiles and rails, etc can be problematic........I have heard about them....sounds good.......do you glue and screw, or just screw them? ive heard both ways......

 

A little glue never hurts. You can put two screws relatively close to each other without splitting. Don't over torque the screws. It also makes flush faces where the joints meet up. Setting the screws is really satisfying when the joint pulls together snugly and securely. Oh, and no real waiting for glue to set, screw them and move on to the next one.

 

K-4
Nice jig . I use it a lot.
Great way to hide screw & make strong joints.

 

Just about to pull the trigger on the K4 or K5 system.
No experience with it .......yet.

 

I've used a basic Kreg kit, can't tell you which offhand, for at least 10 yrs. I use it for all sorts of edge-to-edge and butt joints, sometimes with biscuits to aid alignment & add strength. Enormously better than brads.

 

as a full time woodworker i will say they are very good much faster then biscuits or dominos i have used them for many jobs

if you do case work get a right angle clamp as well for assembly help it will pay for itself in one use

for about 20.00 you can get a basic tool if you want to try it out

pocket hole joinery has been around for a long time but kreg has made it easy

 

Got the pocket hole jig system works well also have the their miter fence assembly on my PM66 table saw works very well also.

 

I saw an ad for those dowel-turnin machines in a magazine recently. I was surprised how inexpensive they are. Made me think about getting one too. I made these legs for a foot stool for my mom, made out of a 1/2 round of red oak. I roughed it out with the saw, and then chiseled and sanded till round. A machine would sure be quicker though

 

FWIW, boring the pocket holes is one job for which a plug-in drill is better than a battery-powered drill, because higher rpm's make for a cleaner cut.

 

pulled the trigger on the K4 master jig........and thanks for the helpful hints......making a kitchen table for the gf for Christmas....top's done, but still need to cob together the base frame. When I saw the advert for the Kreg, looked into it, and it seems they are a pretty good thing.....no negatives really