Rockler shelf pin jig

[dodgeram99]

What a pos and a wast of 29.99 even on sail. The woodpeckers is so much better.

[rodger.]

I hear Kreg has a new shelf pin jig. I wonder if it's any good.

[WispWoods]

Hey, all. I've got a couple contacts at Rockler. They really are a great company. If you could be a bit more specific about what you didn't like, I will pass it along to them. They are just one state over in MN.

[Chris H]

I have the Rockler version, and I love it. I can't say how it compares to the Woodpecker version, since I haven't used theirs, but no complaints here.

[thewoodwhisperer]

I have the same jig and use it pretty much every time I do shelf pins. It seems to do what it is intended to do. Perhaps something has changed in recent models?

It would be great if you could elaborate on what you did/didn't like.

[justsomeguy]

Are you talking about this one? What was the problem?

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5876

[JerrySats]

I have the Kreg shelf pin jig and it works pretty good . I like the fact that everything stores right in the jig body .

[thewoodwhisperer]

I'm not trying to be a stickler here but I guess I am. Unless we receive some more details on what was wrong with the jig, I'm going to go ahead and delete this thread. I would like to reserve the reviews section for, well, reviews.

[dodgeram99]

Ok the the things I hate about the rockler pin jig are: It is non-ajustable. You are stuck at only 1 7/17 inch and 2 1/2 inch. If your project calles for the holes to be set at differant width on a board . It cant be done with out taking it apart. Then you have to tape it in place so it wont move. Ther is also a build in storage for the indexing pins/ Bit. Well this storage hase these pull tabes to help open the storage. If your stock is less the 3/4 of an inch, thes tabs get in the way and you have to flip the stock around and realign every thing. The pic below showes the pull tabes I'm talking about.

The second pic showes the woodpeckers shelf pin jig. That imo is so much better. Its ajustable in and out to any width of board. The rowes of are always alined. The wood is held in place by the hole jig. Yes it cost more but worth every penny.

[thewoodwhisperer]

Thanks for the additional details. Definitely some valid issues with the Rockler jig, but you get what you pay for. No doubt the Woodpecker unit is better but it also costs about 6 times as much as the Rockler jig. I don't do shelf pins all that often and when I do, the Rockler jig suffices. But if I were doing a lot of cabinets routinely, I'd be on the hunt for a better solution. The Woodpecker unit looks great.

[dodgeram99]

i will admit that the rockler jig works. To me its like the blade the comes with a table saw and a freuid. Yes it get the job done. But the upgrade, is so much better.

[Chris H]

Ok the the things I hate about the rockler pin jig are: It is non-ajustable. You are stuck at only 1 7/17 inch and 2 1/2 inch. If your project calles for the holes to be set at differant width on a board . It cant be done with out taking it apart. Then you have to tape it in place so it wont move. Ther is also a build in storage for the indexing pins/ Bit. Well this storage hase these pull tabes to help open the storage. If your stock is less the 3/4 of an inch, thes tabs get in the way and you have to flip the stock around and realign every thing. The pic below showes the pull tabes I'm talking about.

The second pic showes the woodpeckers shelf pin jig. That imo is so much better. Its ajustable in and out to any width of board. The rowes of are always alined. The wood is held in place by the hole jig. Yes it cost more but worth every penny.

I have faced some of these hurdles, and here are some solutions I found to make due and save some $$$:

1) If you want your holes at different widths you just flip the jig over (so the black part is up) and slide the holes to where you want them. I don't tape the jig in place, I just use a clamp or pin it in place (I like my Kreg face plate style clamps for this).

2) As for stock that is <3/4" thick, again, just flip the jig upside down so the default catch/storage case is up and manually align the jig to where you need it. I usually just flush it up against the edge of the work on either side so my holes are consistent distance from the edge of the work.

I agree, it isn't perfect, but I thought the Rockler jig was pricey, so the Woodpecker jig would be a definate no go unless its going to get almost daily use.