R3 Jr. Pocket-Hole Jig System - Portable Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig - Easy Clamping & Adjusting - Includes Positioning Sliders - For Materials 1/2" to 1 1/2" Thick

This set is great! its easy to use and works like a charm. I received it quickly and it was packaged well.

I bought this jig because I was not happy with the price and quality of today's pressed board furniture pieces that are sold at department stores. Having put together small book shelves and other small projects, I was familiar with how unstable simply putting a nail into the side of a board and ending into the end of another piece of wood can be. This jig and its matching screws creates a bond which is noticeably stronger and more precise than the workmanship I previously created without the jig. I found this Kreg tool on Pintrest along with a template which another user had posted. I adjusted the template to my needs and created a dinner table without any specialized knowledge and equipment, which included some clamps, wood glue, a router, power drill, paint and stain. If you watch the Kreg videos on their site, and understand the terminology, then you could probably imagine some projects which this tool will save lots of time. The quality of the tool is a bit on the consumer side, but considering the price, I think that it is acceptable. The ruler adjustments on the bottom slide confidently into place. The metal bushing (ring in the blue plastic) really helps keep things in place and I didn't find it to be wearing out or poorly constructed after several hundred holes drilled. The price of the screws that match the tool need to be bought deliberately as the type of wood and thickness really make a difference. I haven't tried to use regular screws to save a few dollars yet, but probably won't for projects that I will use or keep for a while like dresser or tables or benches. The screws never pierce the finished surface when all your measurements are done correctly, and never seem to have trouble locking into the wood, even for soft wood like the cheap pine sold at do it yourself stores. A great tool for beginner or average joe who is looking to make some projects and save some time. With more skill you could use a router to make dovetail joints for stronger and a more professional piece. For someone without any significant training and only a little bit of experience, this tool has saved me lots of time and allowed me to do family projects I wouldn't have attempted otherwise. I don't find the price of the screws to be out of line when you look at how much features are built into the screws, self tapping, washer head with a confident square drive head make for no stress assembly. I looked at the Kreg jigs that were more expensive but decided this was a good cost for benefit factor. I didn't find any other jigs that did more for this price, for people of this skill level. When my table was assembled, I stood on it and the project didn't even creak, squeak or wobble. Measure, Drill, Glue, clamp and screw to perfection. :)

I have been using Kreg jigs for many years now, and have this item's predecessor. While I could not live without it, a few things always bugged me - and they all got fixed in this version. It was enough that purchasing it was a no-brainer. The biggest improvement is the built-in offset lip with markings for all typical lumber sizes. In the old one I had to actually screw the lip that is used to align to the edge of the board on using two screws - and if I was using 2x material, add a spacer using different size screws - and if I was using anything else I had to measure and line it up manually. Good if I was doing a lot of boards, but a real pain for one or two and worse if I was switching back and forth! With this new model, just press in on the tab and slide the gray guide forward until it snaps into place at the mark for the size board I am using. Second, with the lip in place, the Kreg clamp I was using was trapped in the jig and if I wanted to use it for something else, or just put it away, I had to unscrew the lip. Done away with in the new model, there is a spot sized for the clamp that is proud of the jig. Very easy. Third, this comes in a nice little case that holds everything but the clamp. My other was part of a set of Kreg jigs so when I wanted to throw it into the toolbag to go to a work site, I had to put all the parts in, and some would eventually go missing. Now I can put the case into the toolbag, very handy. Fourth, the jig from the old set that showed where to set the drill stop required me to lift the drill out of it in order to get the stop on, and of course it would sometimes slip when I tightened it so I have to recheck and sometimes adjust. Honestly it was such a pain that I got an extra bit and stop just so I could leave one set for 3/4" material and one for 2x material. In the new model the jig is part of the case AND holds the bit at each end, leaving space for the stop so I can tighten it without moving the bit. Clearly Kreg is listening to their customers and making very handy and sensible improvements while maintaining their high quality. Like I said, buying this one even though the old one still works was a no-brainer. Now I'll just set up the old one for 2x material and leave it.

I purchased the R3 Jr for use on building a hardwood table so I knew I would be putting it to the test from day one. I will say this system clamps things together beautifully. My largest clamps are only 3 foot and having to buy 8 x 48 inch clamps at about 30$ a piece would come to about 240$ just to properly hold my table top together as the glue dried. This effectively saved me about 150$ just in that one instance. Not to mention I was able to immediately raise the table top and move it where I wanted it. The cherry table top is dense and its size 36x72 as listed in the Kreg directions (every 6 inches) requires 11 holes per board which comes to 44 holes. For ease of use I just went to punch them all out in one sitting rather than stopping to glue and screw. On the second board (11 consecutive holes) the bit started to feel snug in the metal sleeve as if heat from the constant friction was causing things to expand and seize up. Naturally to seat the bit properly I spun up the drill a bit and just kept powering through. It wasn't Until I was through that second board (22 holes) that I flipped the jig over and noticed a fracture in the blue plastic that held the metal sleeve in place... which was now about a centimeter or 2 recessed into the jig. I simply switched to the second hole for the rest of the 22 holes and although I experienced the same slight binding of the drill bit I was able to finish without incident. Keep in Mind I was not putting pressure on the drill I was letting it walk itself into the wood as this was my first experience with this Jig so I was being as delicate as possible. Needless to say I am having Amazon replace the jig and I will see how the second jig works for the skirt and legs of the table putting it through the same stress test. *UPDATE* The replacement jig worked perfectly for the next 40 or so holes. Again this jig is what everyone makes it out to be. An amazing tool that makes life much simpler if you never plan to look at the pocketholes.

great product, easy to use

Kreg products seem a little pricey but I really like this jig with case. It's easy, convenient and works great. With the case, it's compact and easy to carry and bring with in my tool bag

Amazing tool! Simple instructions that will have you making pocket holes within a minute, unlike the knock-offs sold on Amazon that come with horrible instructions. Spend the $10 extra n get this starter kit rather than knock-offs

I had never done a pocket hole before. Doing DIY carpentry. a lot of it. This has really made the difference in crappy quality and amazing looking work. I'm building a walk in closet in this reclamation project of a home I just bought. I've built floor to ceiling closet storage bays, 8 total at about 3ft wide, these corner joints are seamless and as long as your cuts are straight everything is solid and looks professionally done. Then, i built two window storage seats, again a huge help. Now, I'm building the storage island, which is basically two dressers back to back with a shared lid and side coverings. Project after project I'm doing pocket holes. it's so much easier than making biscuit cuts or any other form of corner attachment. What I am liking so far: Compact size, comes with a solid case, and I didn't see this in the listing, but came with a small sample back of screws. Other tools you'd need: I do recommend the Kreg Clamp this is designed to work with the tool and makes the effort of clamping and screwing much easier. Keep it really snug, if you have a light grip you can sometimes have the jig slide around on the board. https://www.amazon.com/Kreg-KHC-PREMIUM-Face-Clamp/dp/B001DC9UR8/ref=pd_bxgy_469_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=K8D41RETZYYY99JMZCC9 Final thoughts: It is a little time consuming to move this back and forth all over boards to do multiple holes, but at the same time that makes it versatile. There are other rigs mad by Kreg that would be a little faster. Speed aside, it works well and i've probably drilled about 300 holes with this in the past month.