# Help with picking a Shelf Pin Jig



## bryansong (Mar 4, 2015)

I looking for suggestions for a shelf pin jig the self centering bits. I'd like to find a set of those.
I looked at Rockler and like the jig that sandwiches the board so I can be sure I line up both sides but that doesn't come the centering bits.
I see they're sold separately but it would be nice to have a set in a case so I don't lose track of them.

Do you have any recommendations?

Bryan


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

I have always used a piece of peg board, just enlarged the holes to fit the bushing I use with my DeWalt 611 & plunge base with 1/4" spiral bit. Using the peg board gets holes with the same spacing, and it's cheap.

I actually have two versions, one is the above. The other I made for a shelf pin hole VIX type drill bit that has the spring collar to center it while the 1/4" bit drills the hole to the proper depth. This one goes with me if doing work away from the shop. Both were made from peg board.

Charley


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## bryansong (Mar 4, 2015)

Charley, how are you clamping the peg board?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Vic bits don't necessarily hit dead center but they are better than freehand and eyeball. Better is to use a bushing and router or use a drill bushing and jig. If it's a small project, like a medicine chest then you can use a drill press and spacer blocks. If you check in the last few pages of my uploads you'll see the post I showed how in. It was dead accurate and quick to do since there was no jig to make.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

I use the Kreg jig, and have been very happy with it. Some worry about having a long jig so they can easily drill holes the inside height of the cabinet but, IMO, this is normally a waste of time and effort. Most cabinets are built for a fairly specific purpose - displaying collectibles, used as a bookcase or for storing supplies - and these items have a relatively narrow range of heights. I look at what the cabinet is going to be used for, determine the number of shelves based on the inside dimension of the cabinet, and put a pattern of holes more or less centered on the approximate location of the shelf. In order to assure correct location of the hole patterns, I use spacers to locate the jig off the bottom floor of the cabinet - the Kreg jig has 6 holes on 32 mm centers so you have a "range" of locations about the average position of about 6", more than enough to make minor adjustments to a specific shelf.

However, I agree with Stick and others that the standards are better for this application, surface mounted and with the ends of the shelves notched as recommended so that the shelves can't slip out of the cabinet - this is easy to do on the table saw by adding a tall auxiliary fence to the miter gauge and using a dado set to make the notches, using the fence for consistent location. Also, the center divider is a good idea to prevent sagging - the full length bottom shelf should have side strips (making an inverted "U"), both to stiffen the shelf and give a surface for mounting the slides. The unit will have to be securely fastened to the wall as there will be a high tipping moment when the upper section is fully open.


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## bryansong (Mar 4, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Vic bits don't necessarily hit dead center but they are better than freehand and eyeball. Better is to use a bushing and router or use a drill bushing and jig. If it's a small project, like a medicine chest then you can use a drill press and spacer blocks. If you check in the last few pages of my uploads you'll see the post I showed how in. It was dead accurate and quick to do since there was no jig to make.


Chuck,

Your jig is on pages 4 & 5 of your uploads. That's cleaver.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Thanks Bryan. Another option is using drill bushings like these from Lee Valley: Bushings and Inserts - Lee Valley Tools
I use the all the time. As pointed out you usually only need a few holes through a given distance on the carcase. Distances from the front or rear to the row of holes is not critical. If you are close to even no one will ever notice. What is critical is the heights. All 4 corners must be even or the shelf will rock. 

You can use the drill bushings to make a jig like the Kreg jig. You can make the jig on a drill press like I used in the other post using spacer blocks to get your hole spacing on the jig. To use it you just use a spacer block or stick from the bottom of the carcass or the last shelf and drill. If you want to extend the range of the jig you can leap frog it by taking a shank end of a same size drill but and putting in the first hole in the jig and the last hole drilled. 

I don't recommend leap frogging too many times without starting over with a new registration point based on the carcass or a shelf. The very slight tolerances in the bit and bushings let a small amount of error start to build up after a few leaps.


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## bryansong (Mar 4, 2015)

Charles,

Those are neat, I've got those on my dowel jig. Now I know what they are and where to get them.

Thanks,

Bryan


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## Steven Owen (Aug 14, 2017)

tomp913 said:


> I use the Kreg jig, and have been very happy with it. Some worry about having a long jig so they can easily drill holes the inside height of the cabinet but, IMO, this is normally a waste of time and effort. Most cabinets are built for a fairly specific purpose - displaying collectibles, used as a bookcase or for storing supplies - and these items have a relatively narrow range of heights. I look at what the cabinet is going to be used for, determine the number of shelves based on the inside dimension of the cabinet, and put a pattern of holes more or less centered on the approximate location of the shelf. In order to assure correct location of the hole patterns, I use spacers to locate the jig off the bottom floor of the cabinet - the Kreg jig has 6 holes on 32 mm centers so you have a "range" of locations about the average position of about 6", more than enough to make minor adjustments to a specific shelf.
> 
> However, I agree with Stick and others that the standards are better for this application, surface mounted and with the ends of the shelves notched as recommended so that the shelves can't slip out of the cabinet - this is easy to do on the table saw by adding a tall auxiliary fence to the miter gauge and using a dado set to make the notches, using the fence for consistent location. Also, the center divider is a good idea to prevent sagging - the full length bottom shelf should have side strips (making an inverted "U"), both to stiffen the shelf and give a surface for mounting the slides. The unit will have to be securely fastened to the wall as there will be a high tipping moment when the upper section is fully open.


The Kreg Jig is a pretty practical option considering the some of the Alternatives. 

People with nothing but money buy the Festool LR 32 $700 - OF 1400 $800 - LR 32 Track $250. $1750 in change to drill shelf pegs and Euro hinge cups. You better be pumping out 6 shelf’s a week at a profit to pay for that set-up.

The price of the Kreg Jig is pretty reasonable considering.

Your other options are the Woodpecker Shelf pin Guide 69.99 US

https://www.woodpeck.com/shelfpintemplate.html

Rockler has a reasonable shelf pin guide too.

http://www.rockler.com/jig-itreg-shelving-jig-jig-it174-shelving-jig-set-template-self-centering-bit

The Canadian Made Veritas Jig is 170 dollars but a steal of a deal when compared with the Festool LR-32. 

The Veritas allows you to index holes on both sides of the shelf up to 32 inches wide on both sides of the shelf simultaneously. The Veritas Jig is actually faster than the pricy Festool LR 32. 

http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=32251&cat=1,180,42311


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## greenacres2 (Dec 23, 2011)

I'd used the Rockler plex version for several years, and it worked well. Shoot, if i'm drilling both sides of a center wall, I get a clean hole all the way through as they meet. 

About a year ago I picked up the Veritas referenced by @Steven Owen, got it barely used for a song--very nice. Came with both the short & long rods. Easy to use, steady to work with. If I ever do several cabinets at once, it will be a great thing to have. 

earl


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## woodworker47 (Dec 19, 2008)

Brian,

I have used the Rockler jig to build bookcases for brother in law. It worked fine, but you are correct about knowing where you put the drill bits.

Frank


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## bryansong (Mar 4, 2015)

Steven Owen said:


> The Kreg Jig is a pretty practical option considering the some of the Alternatives.
> 
> People with nothing but money buy the Festool LR 32 $700 - OF 1400 $800 - LR 32 Track $250. $1750 in change to drill shelf pegs and Euro hinge cups. You better be pumping out 6 shelf’s a week at a profit to pay for that set-up.
> 
> ...


Thanks Steven, that's helpful. I'm now considering the Woodpecker jig as well.

I'll probably order something today.

Bryan


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## bryansong (Mar 4, 2015)

After watching several videos I just ordered the Kreg.

Thanks for all of you input.


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## Steven Owen (Aug 14, 2017)

bryansong said:


> After watching several videos I just ordered the Kreg.
> 
> Thanks for all of you input.


 No problem. The Kreg is a good option for anyone doing shelf pins as a casual project. The more expensive solutions are aimed at people doing production work and building shelves on a regular basis.


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## KennK (Mar 7, 2012)

I got the Kreg Shelf Pin jig a while back, but struggled with which version to buy: 5 mm or 1/4 inch. I ended up getting the 5 mm version

Which did you order? I'm curious why you chose the one you ordered.

Ken K.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

bryansong said:


> After watching several videos I just ordered the Kreg.
> 
> Thanks for all of you input.


I have the Kreg and am happy with it so far . I found that I had to put my cordless drill on its fastest speed , or for some reason I got a bit of tear out on the holes .

I’m hoping to use my FesTool router next time . I have the FesTool track that has actual holes for this purpose . Just need the adapter to run the router down the track .


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

bryansong said:


> Charley, how are you clamping the peg board?


 @Bryan,

My pegboard jigs are several holes wide, with only one row of holes enlarged. I've sized these jigs so that I can place them against the rear of the cabinet and the enlarged holes are in the location that I want to drill or rout for the rear row of holes. I have a Kreg deep reach clamp that I use to hold it in place, or I sometimes put a couple of brad nails into it to temporarily hold it in position. The front edge of this same peg board jig is cut so it can be placed against the front edge of the cabinet side to drill the front row of holes in the position that I want them. I have drawn a marking pen arrow on the jigs to make certain that I've got them oriented correctly and labeled the front and back surfaces for "Left and Right" so I use the proper side for the side of the cabinet that I am adding the holes to. My pieces of peg board are 18" tall. I have used them in cabinets that were taller, but none shorter than this and almost all of these cabinets had 11 1/2" or slightly deeper sides. In taller cabinets, I just move the jig up or down and locate the end hole that was previously cut with the opposite end hole of the jig, using the router bit/bushing or VIX bit in the hole to position the jig correctly before re-applying the clamp, or I can position it to only add a few more holes using the same method. Keeping the jig against the front or rear edge of the cabinet side keeps the holes in the correct position and a fixed dimension from the front or rear of the cabinet. 

The jig that I use with the VIX bit has holes sized to closely fit the spring loaded collar of the VIX bit, so accuracy is maintained. The jig for the router has holes that are closely sized for the router bushing that I use, so location accuracy is also maintained with it. The router is a little faster to use, but the VIX bit and jig can be used in cabinets that are already assembled. The resulting holes are very close to identical when done either way, but the VIX bit sometimes leaves a light rub mark around each hole, since the spring loaded collar rubs on the cabinet side's surface as the hole is being drilled. The hole in the jig closely matches the outside diameter of the VIX bit's spring loaded collar. It does not seat in a countersink, like a VIX bit does when drilling screw holes for hinges. My VIX bit for drilling these is 1/4" diameter. I think that a metric version of the bit is available as well, but I don't have one. 

Charley


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## bryansong (Mar 4, 2015)

KennK said:


> I got the Kreg Shelf Pin jig a while back, but struggled with which version to buy: 5 mm or 1/4 inch. I ended up getting the 5 mm version
> 
> Which did you order? I'm curious why you chose the one you ordered.
> 
> Ken K.



Hey Ken,

I ordered and now have received the 1/4" version. I don't work with metric very often so I just figured that would be the way to go.

Bryan


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## schmitt32linedrill (Apr 23, 2013)

CharleyL said:


> I have always used a piece of peg board, just enlarged the holes to fit the bushing I use with my DeWalt 611 & plunge base with 1/4" spiral bit. Using the peg board gets holes with the same spacing, and it's cheap.
> 
> I actually have two versions, one is the above. The other I made for a shelf pin hole VIX type drill bit that has the spring collar to center it while the 1/4" bit drills the hole to the proper depth. This one goes with me if doing work away from the shop. Both were made from peg board.
> 
> Charley


That first one does sound like a really good cheap method if you are only drilling shelf pin holes, and your using a brad point bit in your plunge router to insure cleanly cut holes.

If you want to drill for hardware such as Euro style concealed hinges, drawer slides, door handles, etc, you'll want a 32mm drilling system. For production drilling, lots of holes in the cabinet sides for a complete kitchen, the schmitt32 line drill system is a great tool.

Art S


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I've been thinking about this and about using a plunge router with a bushing for very precise drilling. If you take a half inch thick strip of MDF, whatever length you want, by 5 inches wide. Mark the locations where you want the spacing with a line across the edge.

Set up a dado stack the thickness of the width of the bushing. Mark your miter gauge with a line at the center of your dado stack and use it to line up the mark on the edge of the MDF. Raise the stack an inch or so and cut the piece out. Do as many as you want, any spacing you want. The width of the MDF will support the router, and even a trim router will do if it has a plunge base. This would be for a very fussy woodworker.

You could to the same thing on a drill press using high density fiberboard (masonite) then drill the holes with a drill held as vertical as you can. I'm thinking on custom case work or furniture where you don't want so many holes. I have a couple of book cases where I measured exactly where I wanted the shelves. I always use a stop of some sort to limit the depth of the hole. I always do that now because I didn't use a stop one time


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

This PDF shows the construction of a bookcase and shows the template that I made to ensure accurate shelf holes.


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## schmitt32linedrill (Apr 23, 2013)

Steven Owen said:


> The Kreg Jig is a pretty practical option considering the some of the Alternatives.
> 
> People with nothing but money buy the Festool LR 32 $700 - OF 1400 $800 - LR 32 Track $250. $1750 in change to drill shelf pegs and Euro hinge cups. You better be pumping out 6 shelf’s a week at a profit to pay for that set-up.
> 
> ...


Check out the www.schmitt32.com line drill system for extreme precision.


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## schmitt32linedrill (Apr 23, 2013)

schmitt32linedrill said:


> Check out the www.schmitt32.com line drill system for extreme precision.


The S32 system is quick and easy to use and capable of higher production rates.


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