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A Review of the Kreg Deck Jig Concealed Fastening System
A couple of days ago I had an opportunity to spend aday couple of days with the Kreg Deck Jig System. This is a relatively new product that allows users to install ? ? thru 1? decking with the screws actually being inserted thru the side of the decking. This approach is similar to that of the fine Kreg pocket hole tools and jigs. Before I go further, I did not receive this product for evaluation, nor am I receiving compensation for this review.
The kit comes in a sturdy plastic case that is approximately 12? x 9? x 5?. It has the Kreg logo embossed on both the top and bottom. Care must be taken to make sure that the latches flip open upwards when you open the box, lest you have to pick up the contents from the ground. Inside the kit is the blue jig, 2 sets of 3 spacers each ? ?? and 5/16?, a drill bit, a driver bit, 2 stop collars, an allen head wrench, and a sample pack of screws.
Prior to using the jig for the first time a user will need to install the 3 drilling guides using 6 screws and nuts and the small rubber non skid pads. The only thing left to do is install and adjust the stop collars on both the driver and the drill bit. The jig has built in adjustment slots to make sure that this task is easily and accurately performed.
The jig itself is plastic and has three drill guides ? each with a steel insert. One of the guides is angled left, one right, and one at a 90 degree angle. Embossed into or onto the jig are dotted lines indicating the centerline of the path of the drill and screw. The center guide ? the 90 degree one ? is the one normally used. Each of the angled guides are used either if you run up against an obstruction to the left or right, or if you need to secure a joint over a joist. The jig is handheld using the significant handle. This is a deviation from all the other Kreg jigs which use a clamp of some kind.
The jig is different from other Kreg jigs in that it is also used to insert the screws. The screws are proprietary I believe and have been sized to fit down the same hole in the guides that the drill uses. This results in an extremely small head size ? slightly smaller than a typical collated strip feed decking screw with a small head, but larger than a trim head screw. Once you drill the hole for the screw, you insert the screw and switch to the driver, which then uses the hole to guide the screw at the correct angle. It is interesting that the entire system is designed so that if 2 years from now you need to replace a board in the middle of the deck, you can remove it and replace it without affecting the adjoining boards.
This system is time consuming to use. Unlike other concealed fastener systems, it requires two fasteners per board per joist. The jig flexes enough under the weight of a drill that it is possible to mark the adjoining board when drilling and driving the side of the board adjacent to previously installed boards. The jig moves slightly when drilling even with a gorilla grip on it if you are using the angled guides. The driver had a tendency to cam out of the screw heads. Although the screws are not readily visible once installed, the pocket holes are. Additionally, the waste spirals from the drilling didn?t separate cleanly from the board and required an additional step to clean them up. I would not recommend this product to a contractor. A homeowner using this to install their own deck might find it to be a useful product.
On a scale of 1 to 10, this is a 3 for contractors, and a 5 for d.y.i. use in my opinion.
Peter
A couple of days ago I had an opportunity to spend a
The kit comes in a sturdy plastic case that is approximately 12? x 9? x 5?. It has the Kreg logo embossed on both the top and bottom. Care must be taken to make sure that the latches flip open upwards when you open the box, lest you have to pick up the contents from the ground. Inside the kit is the blue jig, 2 sets of 3 spacers each ? ?? and 5/16?, a drill bit, a driver bit, 2 stop collars, an allen head wrench, and a sample pack of screws.
Prior to using the jig for the first time a user will need to install the 3 drilling guides using 6 screws and nuts and the small rubber non skid pads. The only thing left to do is install and adjust the stop collars on both the driver and the drill bit. The jig has built in adjustment slots to make sure that this task is easily and accurately performed.
The jig itself is plastic and has three drill guides ? each with a steel insert. One of the guides is angled left, one right, and one at a 90 degree angle. Embossed into or onto the jig are dotted lines indicating the centerline of the path of the drill and screw. The center guide ? the 90 degree one ? is the one normally used. Each of the angled guides are used either if you run up against an obstruction to the left or right, or if you need to secure a joint over a joist. The jig is handheld using the significant handle. This is a deviation from all the other Kreg jigs which use a clamp of some kind.
The jig is different from other Kreg jigs in that it is also used to insert the screws. The screws are proprietary I believe and have been sized to fit down the same hole in the guides that the drill uses. This results in an extremely small head size ? slightly smaller than a typical collated strip feed decking screw with a small head, but larger than a trim head screw. Once you drill the hole for the screw, you insert the screw and switch to the driver, which then uses the hole to guide the screw at the correct angle. It is interesting that the entire system is designed so that if 2 years from now you need to replace a board in the middle of the deck, you can remove it and replace it without affecting the adjoining boards.
This system is time consuming to use. Unlike other concealed fastener systems, it requires two fasteners per board per joist. The jig flexes enough under the weight of a drill that it is possible to mark the adjoining board when drilling and driving the side of the board adjacent to previously installed boards. The jig moves slightly when drilling even with a gorilla grip on it if you are using the angled guides. The driver had a tendency to cam out of the screw heads. Although the screws are not readily visible once installed, the pocket holes are. Additionally, the waste spirals from the drilling didn?t separate cleanly from the board and required an additional step to clean them up. I would not recommend this product to a contractor. A homeowner using this to install their own deck might find it to be a useful product.
On a scale of 1 to 10, this is a 3 for contractors, and a 5 for d.y.i. use in my opinion.
Peter
