Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere but I did a search here and didn't come up with any examples.
SWMBO has decreed that a shelf unit I am making this weekend needs adjustable shelves. So I am looking at drilling a lot of shelf pin holes. I assume setting up the Shopsmith in drill press mode and using the rip fence will give me consistent spacing from the edge of the board for drilling the shelf pin holes but I am worried about getting consistent distance between each hole. Has anyone built a jig to help with the spacing of shelf pin holes?
Thanks,
Al
Shelf Pin Jig Ideas
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I have marked the edge of the workpiece and aligned each to a mark on the fence(even with the drill bit).algale wrote:Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere but I did a search here and didn't come up with any examples.
SWMBO has decreed that a shelf unit I am making this weekend needs adjustable shelves. So I am looking at drilling a lot of shelf pin holes. I assume setting up the Shopsmith in drill press mode and using the rip fence will give me consistent spacing from the edge of the board for drilling the shelf pin holes but I am worried about getting consistent distance between each hole. Has anyone built a jig to help with the spacing of shelf pin holes?
Thanks,
Al
Not a 'jig', but a method that works!
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Goldie(Bought New SN 377425)/4" jointer/6" beltsander/12" planer/stripsander/bandsaw/powerstation /Scroll saw/Jig saw /Craftsman 10" ras/Craftsman 6" thicknessplaner/ Dayton10"tablesaw(restoredfromneighborstrashpile)/ Mark VII restoration in 'progress'/ 10E[/size](SN E3779) restoration in progress, a 510 on the back burner and a growing pile of items to be eventually returned to useful life. - aka Red Grange
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Goldie(Bought New SN 377425)/4" jointer/6" beltsander/12" planer/stripsander/bandsaw/powerstation /Scroll saw/Jig saw /Craftsman 10" ras/Craftsman 6" thicknessplaner/ Dayton10"tablesaw(restoredfromneighborstrashpile)/ Mark VII restoration in 'progress'/ 10E[/size](SN E3779) restoration in progress, a 510 on the back burner and a growing pile of items to be eventually returned to useful life. - aka Red Grange
You can make a jig using Masonite peg board. Simply rip a strip of wood about 1" wide, center a dado the thickness of the hardboard along the length of that piece of wood, and then glue the hardboard into the mortise. Trim the width of the peg board so that it places the holes where you want them in the sides of your project.
After drilling a series of holes along one edge of the project, flip the jig over to drill the corresponding holes along the opposite edge of the same board. Don't rotate the jig because you likely won't get parallel holes unless you take extreme care in sizing the peg board. When drilling the opposite side of the project make sure you orient the jig the same way it was oriented on the opposite side of the case.
If you don't have any peg board, you could use some 1/4" plywood instead of the peg board and drill a series of holes spaced as you see fit and make a similar jig.
When drilling the holes, just make sure you align the jig consistently along the length of the project. Rather than measuring for proper alignment, simply cut a scrap piece of wood to use as a spacer to locate the jig. You'll only need one spacer if you start with a long one and then trim it as needed to obtain the proper spacing for each series of holes you drill.
After drilling a series of holes along one edge of the project, flip the jig over to drill the corresponding holes along the opposite edge of the same board. Don't rotate the jig because you likely won't get parallel holes unless you take extreme care in sizing the peg board. When drilling the opposite side of the project make sure you orient the jig the same way it was oriented on the opposite side of the case.
If you don't have any peg board, you could use some 1/4" plywood instead of the peg board and drill a series of holes spaced as you see fit and make a similar jig.
When drilling the holes, just make sure you align the jig consistently along the length of the project. Rather than measuring for proper alignment, simply cut a scrap piece of wood to use as a spacer to locate the jig. You'll only need one spacer if you start with a long one and then trim it as needed to obtain the proper spacing for each series of holes you drill.
Art in Western Pennsylvania
You can make a jig using Masonite peg board. Simply rip a strip of wood about 1" wide, center a dado the thickness of the hardboard along the length of that piece of wood, and then glue the hardboard into the mortise. Trim the width of the peg board so that it places the holes where you want them in the sides of your project.
After drilling a series of holes along one edge of the project, flip the jig over to drill the corresponding holes along the opposite edge of the same board. Don't rotate the jig because you likely won't get parallel holes unless you take extreme care in sizing the peg board. When drilling the opposite side of the project make sure you orient the jig the same way it was oriented on the opposite side of the case.
If you don't have any peg board, you could use some 1/4" plywood instead of the peg board and drill a series of holes spaced as you see fit and make a similar jig.
When drilling the holes, just make sure you align the jig consistently along the length of the project. Rather than measuring for proper alignment, simply cut a scrap piece of wood to use as a spacer to locate the jig. You'll only need one spacer if you start with a long one and then trim it as needed to obtain the proper spacing for each series of holes you drill.
After drilling a series of holes along one edge of the project, flip the jig over to drill the corresponding holes along the opposite edge of the same board. Don't rotate the jig because you likely won't get parallel holes unless you take extreme care in sizing the peg board. When drilling the opposite side of the project make sure you orient the jig the same way it was oriented on the opposite side of the case.
If you don't have any peg board, you could use some 1/4" plywood instead of the peg board and drill a series of holes spaced as you see fit and make a similar jig.
When drilling the holes, just make sure you align the jig consistently along the length of the project. Rather than measuring for proper alignment, simply cut a scrap piece of wood to use as a spacer to locate the jig. You'll only need one spacer if you start with a long one and then trim it as needed to obtain the proper spacing for each series of holes you drill.
Art in Western Pennsylvania
I've done this drilling proceedure several times, eventually evolving to the KISS method. First I pencil mark 1" spacing vertically down the board. Then using a combo square with a long blade, I mark horizontal lines on both sides of the board, each one inch apart.
Then I use my handy 6" combo square as a marking gauge to determine the drilling point. Two inches in from the edge is a good measurement for 12" wide shelves.
If you wish to make an additional step, you can center punch each hole location, but I find it accurate enough to just "eyeball" the drilling point. Set the depth gauge of course, and for long boards use roller stands on each side for additional support. be sure to use the proper drill size which may mean obtaining a 5mm drill bit of 5mm pins. Don't go oversize on the drill, as a loose pin tends to cause the sides to bow out on wide shelving units, causing the shelf to fall if under heavy load. In fact, on shelving units wider than 30 inches you might want to have the middle shelf fixed in position.
Then I use my handy 6" combo square as a marking gauge to determine the drilling point. Two inches in from the edge is a good measurement for 12" wide shelves.
If you wish to make an additional step, you can center punch each hole location, but I find it accurate enough to just "eyeball" the drilling point. Set the depth gauge of course, and for long boards use roller stands on each side for additional support. be sure to use the proper drill size which may mean obtaining a 5mm drill bit of 5mm pins. Don't go oversize on the drill, as a loose pin tends to cause the sides to bow out on wide shelving units, causing the shelf to fall if under heavy load. In fact, on shelving units wider than 30 inches you might want to have the middle shelf fixed in position.
Another excellent idea.pennview wrote:You can make a jig using Masonite peg board. Simply rip a strip of wood about 1" wide, center a dado the thickness of the hardboard along the length of that piece of wood, and then glue the hardboard into the mortise. Trim the width of the peg board so that it places the holes where you want them in the sides of your project.
After drilling a series of holes along one edge of the project, flip the jig over to drill the corresponding holes along the opposite edge of the same board. Don't rotate the jig because you likely won't get parallel holes unless you take extreme care in sizing the peg board. When drilling the opposite side of the project make sure you orient the jig the same way it was oriented on the opposite side of the case.
If you don't have any peg board, you could use some 1/4" plywood instead of the peg board and drill a series of holes spaced as you see fit and make a similar jig.
When drilling the holes, just make sure you align the jig consistently along the length of the project. Rather than measuring for proper alignment, simply cut a scrap piece of wood to use as a spacer to locate the jig. You'll only need one spacer if you start with a long one and then trim it as needed to obtain the proper spacing for each series of holes you drill.
Thanks for the idea.8iowa wrote:I've done this drilling proceedure several times, eventually evolving to the KISS method. First I pencil mark 1" spacing vertically down the board. Then using a combo square with a long blade, I mark horizontal lines on both sides of the board, each one inch apart.
Then I use my handy 6" combo square as a marking gauge to determine the drilling point. Two inches in from the edge is a good measurement for 12" wide shelves.
If you wish to make an additional step, you can center punch each hole location, but I find it accurate enough to just "eyeball" the drilling point. Set the depth gauge of course, and for long boards use roller stands on each side for additional support. be sure to use the proper drill size which may mean obtaining a 5mm drill bit of 5mm pins. Don't go oversize on the drill, as a loose pin tends to cause the sides to bow out on wide shelving units, causing the shelf to fall if under heavy load. In fact, on shelving units wider than 30 inches you might want to have the middle shelf fixed in position.
I'm sure you've seen the expensive shelf hole drilling jig that Rockler makes. Peachtreemakes one too.
Another method for drilling the shelf pin holes is to use a plunge router and 3/4" template guide (or another sized template guide). Simply drill a series of 3/4" holes in a piece of wood, plywood, or MDF, centering them as you like, clamp it to your project, then mount the template guide in the base of the router, install the appropriate sized bit, set the plunge depth, and "drill" the holes.
Lee Valley also has a nice guide for drilling the holes.
Lee Valley also has a nice guide for drilling the holes.
Art in Western Pennsylvania