shelf pin jig

[Stytooner]

It's on wheels.

[jabe]

I made my own with 1/4" peg bd like cman mentioned. Be sure to label it as eezlock mentioned. I usually don't start my hole 1" from the bottom, I would start it about 10 to 12" up from the bottom and drill every 3rd hole and make the last hole 10 to 12" away from the top. Less holes to drill & saves time.
Only way I would deviate from this pattern is if I need the self to be at a specific height.
Now I have a Blum mini drill press with the 7-drill atachment to make the holes.

[unknown poster]

I also use pegboard. I cut a piece off a sheet to fit into the cabinet. I mark front/back/top/bottom and I circle the holes that I intend to use. I drill with a 1/4 inch bit using a stop collar.

You don't need to drill perfectly straight. If you're concerned, use a small square to get yourself close.

[skamath]

thanks everybody for replies. much appreciated.

btw, the elongated holes turn out to be due to the slop on the plunge mechanism.

LarryG,
i have the makita RF1101 router and i see you have the same as well. do you have the same problem with your plunge mechanism. i don't see how i can adjust mine to get the slop out.

thanks!

[LarryG]

i have the makita RF1101 router and i see you have the same as well. do you have the same problem with your plunge mechanism. i don't see how i can adjust mine to get the slop out.

Mine doesn't exhibit any slop. The plunge action isn't quite as light as my other plungers, but the action is smooth and accurate in all respects.

I bought my RF1101 six or seven years ago. How old is yours? I'm wondering if they've changed something in the design.

[cabinetman]

Quite a few have said they use the pegboard method and a drill. As I stated earlier, it's what I use versus a router. I've done it both ways, and each of us works to our own comfort level. Besides handling the weight of a router there are other reasons I prefer drilling.

When I first started out it seemed easier to drill the panels before assembly. When I started to assemble and then drill I found that to be more effective. For what I planned to have as shelf layout, drilling flat left too many problems.

The panels would have to be laid out on the bench as they go, that is, lefts and rights, and tops and bottoms. It's easy to get them mixed up. There also has to be layout space. For some benches, drilling flat makes it difficult to clamp a pattern.

There is another quirk I found out about my drilling ability. I do much better at drilling perpendicular when I drill horizontally. I found that drilling the panel when flat requires a different view angle of the drill position.

So, my approach changed from that to assembling the cabinets, and setting them up as they are to be installed. That way, no matter how I initially planned to lay out the shelves, it seemed more realistic to be able to have an eyeball view. At that point, the cabinets are all set in the right position, with no guesswork as to tops or bottoms. I could change my mind, and if it looked more feasible, change the layout.

There is another plus to doing it this way. Using the pegboard cut to fit the depth of the cabinet, the bottom and front of the board is marked, and the holes picked for the adjustment are circled on both sides. The board sits on the floor of the cabinet, and the front and back edges are spring clamped to either a divider or an end (the back is not in). If the board is cut square...the bottom to the front, it lines up the holes straight to the front edge. Since the bottom and front are marked it's easy to use it on either side. It is very fast with a drill and a stop collar.

When drilling with a face frame cabinet, the board can line up to the back of the FF, and get clamped at the rear. If the FF isn't on yet, clamp front and back. With ¾" material, holes can be back to back without the clip studs hitting.

A problem some have is space to lay out cabinets, and still have room to work. If the panels are machined for shelf holes and the plan is to do that before assembly, there may be parts cut for tops or bottoms that could be mistaken for shelves. One of my habits is to cut all the parts for all the cabinets and mark them off my drawings and cut list. I keep track of them this way. When laying out sheet stock for a cut list, cutting the largest pieces first will maximize the yield. So, after cutting, all the cabinet case parts are cut and all the shelves. That's a lot of parts and pieces. But, I found that I will find out sooner rather than later if I will run out of material, or if a few pieces have to be substituted.

Just a note about drilling, that if you have a compressor with the capacity to handle air tools, you might like using an air drill versus an electric or battery drill. They are extremely light, and if you have a couple of hundred holes to drill you'll appreciate the difference.
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[skamath]

Mine doesn't exhibit any slop. The plunge action isn't quite as light as my other plungers, but the action is smooth and accurate in all respects.

I bought my RF1101 six or seven years ago. How old is yours? I'm wondering if they've changed something in the design.

mines pretty old (probably 4-5 years old), though i haven't used it all that much and nearly all the situations.

[BigguyZ]

I've tried the pegboard technique, and something's off. Usually the pins are loose in the holes. So I got the Rockler jig when it was on sale. Haven't used it yet, so I can't say if my luck has changed or not.

[LarryG]

mines pretty old (probably 4-5 years old), though i haven't used it all that much and nearly all the situations.

Dunno what to say, or suggest. Offhand, I don't recall reading any complaints about slop in the RF1100-series plunge mechanism. At the time I bought mine it was one of the most highly-rated two-base kits in the magazine reviews (it has since been eclipsed by newer designs). Maybe you just got a lemon?

[cabinetman]

I've tried the pegboard technique, and something's off. Usually the pins are loose in the holes.

Shelf clips come in 5mm and ¼", they look similar. If you drilled ¼" holes the 5mm will be loose. I haven't seen pegboard with 5mm holes.
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[os1kne]

I've tried the pegboard and it worked well - and for the small number of cabinets that I build each year, it probably didn't make sense for me to buy a commercial jig - but either it was on sale or I had a coupon.

The things that I like better about the Rockler (or similar) jig is that the way that they work in conjunction with the bit virtually guarantees that the holes will be straight and the proper depth. I have had pegboard holes wallow out due to contact with the drill bit, so subsequent holes could be slightly oversized - and the "tape flag" method for a drill bit depth stop that I've used has been imperfect (due to error on my part).

[LarryG]

The things that I like better about the Rockler (or similar) jig is that the way that they work in conjunction with the bit virtually guarantees that the holes will be straight and the proper depth. I have had pegboard holes wallow out due to contact with the drill bit, so subsequent holes could be slightly oversized - and the "tape flag" method for a drill bit depth stop that I've used has been imperfect (due to error on my part).

The expense for the commercial jigs, and these shortcomings of the pegboard method, is exactly what inspired me to build my router attachment. Once the bit depth is set, the holes can't help but be of uniform depth, in addition to being equally spaced and perfectly straight.

To me, accuracy carries the biggest stick. The fact this router-based jig is also extremely fast and easy to use are, in a way, almost a bonus.

[os1kne]

I suppose that adding pin supports to the pegboard as suggested by cabinetman and using a proper depth stop would remove most of the shortcomings (that I perceive) with the pegboard method for a fraction of the cost of a jig.

I think that LarryG's router jig is great, it's just not for me. I prefer to use a drill. There have been a handful of times that I've needed to add adjustable shelf holes to an existing cabinet, and this would be nearly impossible to do with a plunge router. If I were regularly building a bunch of cabinets in a production environment, the plunge router jig would be tough to beat (especially if you had a dedicated router to eliminate the setup time.)

[cabinetman]

I suppose that adding pin supports to the pegboard as suggested by cabinetman and using a proper depth stop would remove most of the shortcomings (that I perceive) with the pegboard method for a fraction of the cost of a jig.

If you use a brad point bit and aren't wild with a drill, the pegboard holes stay true...at least long enough to finish your drilling. You're right, that adding the grommets to the holes eliminates any wallowing of the holes.

I prefer to use a drill. There have been a handful of times that I've needed to add adjustable shelf holes to an existing cabinet, and this would be nearly impossible to do with a plunge router. If I were regularly building a bunch of cabinets in a production environment, the plunge router jig would be tough to beat (especially if you had a dedicated router to eliminate the setup time.)

That's exactly right, routing to an existing cabinet is difficult. I notice on some shop made plunge router jigs, there is no adjustment for the guide as to how far from the edge the holes are made. They may be indexed off the last hole, but changing the distance in might be desirable. Also, some replace the router base, which makes it dedicated, and requires some interchange to use the base for something else.

With the pegboard, you just cut the board to put the set of holes where ever you want. That is pretty easy and accurate. A major consideration I have against using a router is the continuous holding and moving the weight, the vibration, and the noise inherent with them.
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[LarryG]

A major consideration I have against using a router is the continuous holding and moving the weight, the vibration, and the noise inherent with them.

Odd, I've not noticed any such problems with the movement or weight. Of course the problem may be that you're using an inefficient or faulty technique. Vibration isn't an issue either, assuming a high-quality tool.

Routers ARE noisy, though, which is why I always wear hearing protection when using one.