shelf pin jig

[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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[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?

[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.

[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.

[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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[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.

[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!

[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.

[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.

[Stytooner]

It's on wheels.

[gsmittle]

Here is my little shelf pin jig.

Yeah, but is it portable?

g.

[eezlock]

shelf pin jig

I made a shelf pin jig a while back from clear acrylic that I had but wasn't completely satisfied with it. I came up with another idea, I used a piece of
metal strip that came from one of the borg's ...the garage door people call it
pre-punch metal strip. The hole are 1/4" in diameter and spaced 1" or so apart.
They are evenly spaced along it's length so the spacing is consistent. A 4'
piece is only a couple of bucks and works well for this purpose. I used a vix bit
...fits in the 1/4" holes perfectly, and I have to do is drill the holes. I would
advise you, if you use this as a jig to be sure and clearly mark the strip
with words or an arrow to indicate top and bottom of the jig, it might save confusion later on. Another good point is it can be customized any way or length you want for very little work or effort!

[jking]

You think that is accurate enough for shelf pins?

[Stytooner]

Here is my little shelf pin jig.

[jking]

A very fast jig, and one you may already have is tempered Masonite peg board. The holes are 1" apart, and you can mark the bottom and the front (or back), and use it for both sides. It can be used if just drilling panels or if the cabinet is already together.

A good brad point doesn't do much damage if any to a template on a whole kitchen project. If you cut it out with the bottom edge square to the front (or back) the holes will be in alignment. I just use hand spring clamps to attach.
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This is the method I've used in the past. Cheap & it works well. If there is concern about being able to hold the drill square to the workpiece consistently, you could buy one of the hand drill guides (turns the hand drill into a portable drill press).