shelf pin jig

[skamath]

jhi,
i need to make holes for shelf pins for the garage cabinets i am building. i need to make many holes therefore i spent some time trying to get it right.

i tried using a hand drill and a brad point bit but i kept widening the holes of the template. then i found the router bit with the guide bushing approach but my holes are significantly wider than the 1/4" it is supposed to be.

it looks like the holes are elongated slightly and the shelf pin wobbles. any idea what i am getting wrong? i bought a 15/64 end mill bit off of ebay and that results in a hole too small.

any tips appreciated! why are the holes elongated? i tried spiral and straight bits as well btw and same problem. it is my router? does it have a run out?

thanks in advance!

[os1kne]

I'm not sure if the problem is runout, drill/router wobble, or something else - however, I will share what I did (after trying the typical techniques, basic measure and mark, homemade jigs, etc.).

I purchased a jig from Rockler - it's not free but it is fast and easy to get consistently good results. The holes in the jig are designed to work in conjunction with the self-centering bit (included). The self-centering bit is similar to a vix bit, but the nose has recess that fits snugly in the hole in the jig (if you click the link to the self-centering bit and view the larger image, you'll see what I mean.)

Good luck!

[JimD]

My advice is the same as Bills but I will also offer another idea for homemade.

The best home made jig I have uses oversized holes in the jig for a template guide. It can be any diameter template guide that the router bit will go through. Then I use my plunge router to make the holes. With a spiral upcutting bit I get nice clean holes. The only issue is the holes I made on the drill press for the template guide are not exactly 1 inch apart. So the shelf pin holes are not exactly 1 inch apart. They are good enough to work, just not precise.

Do you have a plunge router? If you tried to use a fixed base and lowered the bit into the work, I can see why the holes would be elongated. I don't think anybody is steady enough to do this consistently well.

The rockler jig is pretty expensive for what it is but it works very well. The holes are not as clean as I get with the router bit but the tiny bit of tearout does not bother me. The holes are precisely spaced. It is more than an inch, I think it is 32mm apart. That would also let you use the european cabinet system if you wanted. All you need in addition to the jig and a bit is a drill.

Jim

[cabinetman]

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.
.

[LCHIEN]

If you don't have a plunge router and plunge the hole it will be elongated.

I suggest using a jig as shown on this Lee Valley page:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...at=1,180,42311

Drill 2 holes one inch apart and set in as far from the edge guide as you want the row of holes. One hole should be 1/4" and you put a dowel going down so that it fits in a drilled hole and indexes the next hole. The second hole should be for the drill insert shown, it's removable, reusable and will not wear like a soft wooden template. Also use a drill press with a fence if possible - this will set the edge to row spacing quickly for the row, if your DP table and swing is large enough.

Actually you could have three holes, the drill insert in the middle and the 1/4" holes on either side so you can move in either direction. Just make sure that the 1" is near perfect or you sill have different spacing when going in different directions. If possible I guess you should really go the same direction and use the same hole for both rows to make the spacing absolutely identical.

You can buy jigs but they always seemed expensive to me for such a simple concept.

[LarryG]

The best way I've found to drill shelf pin holes is with a plunge router and a shop-built step-and-repeat jig. The beauty of this design is that each hole indexes off the one before it, so the spacing is deadly accurate and the row of holes can be as long as you need. It also neatly avoids the problem with a homemade jig that requires drilling a row of guide holes; namely, it's hard to get the holes in the jig exactly even unless you already have some sort of jig. There's also no worry about the holes in the jig wallowing out over time.

The jig Loring shows is a variation on the same idea. That would be a good solution if you want to use a drill. I have used those LV bushings for other kinds of jigs, and they work extremely well.

[Cochese]

I think I'm going to have to steal your idea, Larry. That's quite good.

When I built my pantry, I just used the pegboard way. Simple, a bit crude, but effective.

[cabinetman]

When I built my pantry, I just used the pegboard way. Simple, a bit crude, but effective.

What was crude about it?
.

[Cochese]

What was crude about it?
.

The time it took to do it versus other methods.

[cabinetman]

The time it took to do it versus other methods.

My last kitchen wasn't that large and had 20 adjustable shelves. Each shelf had an option of 3 levels, which figures out to be 12 holes per shelf, or 240 holes total.

Using pegboard was much faster than using a router. I've done it with a router, and just in the handling of it to do 240 holes would be very tiring. Using pegboard with some degree of finesse with the hand use of a good drill and bit won't wallow out the holes. Hey if they do, just use another piece of pegboard.

If you aren't that proficient with handling a drill, you could tap into the pegboard holes pin supports, which can take a pretty good beating, and should get you through the project. They will act like a bushing for the drill bit.
.

[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.
.

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).

[Stytooner]

Here is my little shelf pin jig.

[jking]

You think that is accurate enough for shelf pins?

[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!

[gsmittle]

Here is my little shelf pin jig.

Yeah, but is it portable?

g.