Pro tip:
Practice on scrap pieces of material to get an idea of how the jig works, and
how and where to set the stop collar before drilling your pocket holes.
How to join two work pieces
Congratulations! You have now drilled your first pocket holes using your jig! Now
it’s time to join two workpieces together...
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Position your two workpieces so that they align to form a joint. Clamp the
two workpieces together along the joint to prevent them moving when you
drive in your screws with the supplied square drive bit.
There is no need to drill a pilot hole in the second workpiece, as when you
drive the screws into your already drilled pocket holes (as long as you are
using self-tapping screws).
The screw thread will follow the drilled pocket hole and bite into the second
workpiece. The two pieces will then join flush as your tighten the screw
further.
Be careful not to over tighten your screws using a high torque drill setting, as
this can cause the screws to blast through your workpiece and cause your
workpiece to split, not really what you want.
Pro tip:
To avoid splitting, avoid using an impact driver, use self-tapping screws,
set your drill’s clutch ring to a low torque setting. We have more tips for reducing
wood splitting on page 26.
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