Fastener preferences for shop fixtures and jigs

[John T.]

What do you all find you use the most for shop fixtures, jigs, racks, etc.? I see a range of fastening options used including glue, glue plus 18Ga. brad nails, glue plus 23Ga. pins, screws, screws plus glue.

I need to build some clamp racks and I'm wondering if I should buy a new nailer to help glue them up, and whether I should reinforce with screws afterwards. For shop fixtures where nail holes aren't a concern do you go with 18 gauge for strength over pins, and not bother with screws?

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I don't have much experience with this type of project.

 

[Holzhacker]

Well, I think the first question to answer is what finish quality rack are you looking to do?
Beautiful wood, I am a carpenter, look what I can do with my tools, wow you are good. Super cool looking racks and fixtures?
There are guys who have posted stuff like that on here. I am impressed and think what they do is awesome. Not for me but a good way to hone your skills on builds that don't matter. There is legitimate experience in building your shop on a finish quality level. By the time you set up your shop, you'll be a pro with your tools.
OR, are you looking to make utility grade racks and fixtures as quick as possible that work so you can move on to building the actual stuff you want to build?
For pretty, probably some combination of 18 ga., biscuits, dominoes, glue, etc.
For utility, screws.
Any of the utility fixtures, racks, jigs I've made to make work easier I pretty much always screw so I can disassemble again at some point. Because I know I won't use it again, I want to alter for a new use or repurpose the material for another X.
Good luck.

 

[ChuckM]

Dry wall screws, wood screws and machine bolts/screws and nuts (as dictated by the screw sizes and lengths and availability) plus glue unless disassembly is needed down the road.

 

[Imemiter]

My clamp racks are designed around a French Cleat pattern made out of scrap (but nice,) plywood. The first set I set out gluing them up with clamps and then reinforcing the rack/cleat connection with two screws. By the third set I was gluing them up, clamping with a few 18ga brads, and skipping the screws entirely. With clamps (and patience,) I'm sure I could use no fasteners at all. 

 

[John T.]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm definitely not trying to make furniture grade racks or anything. I do notice some of that on Youtube but maybe that's just for the views. I'm just trying to get the shop functional and a little organized so I can work on some furniture projects.

I hadn't thought much about being able to disassemble and reuse or reconfigure, but that's pretty convincing to go with screws over glue + nails.

My clamp racks are designed around a French Cleat pattern made out of scrap (but nice,) plywood. The first set I set out gluing them up with clamps and then reinforcing the rack/cleat connection with two screws. By the third set I was gluing them up, clamping with a few 18ga brads, and skipping the screws entirely. With clamps (and patience,) I'm sure I could use no fasteners at all. 

Good to know. That's what I was planning on, modular french cleat racks to have the most flexibility.

 

[cpw]

For shop stuff I'll use McFeely's square drive screws.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Shop stuff is whatever hardwood I have around, Baltic Birch plywood and mostly narrow crown staples. I have a pin nailer, too, and have access to an 18 ga. T-nailer, but I like the hold of staples. I wish my Menards was closer, because I'm becoming a fan of their SPAX construction screws and like the grip of Torx bits in them.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Shop stuff is whatever hardwood I have around, Baltic Birch plywood and mostly narrow crown staples. I have a pin nailer, too, and have access to an 18 ga. T-nailer, but I like the hold of staples. I wish my Menards was closer, because I'm becoming a fan of their SPAX construction screws and like the grip of Torx bits in them.

Love Spax. Very disappointed when my local HD stopped carrying them. Lucky to be in the store soon after the decision and was able to buy a bunch of boxes of screws at less than half price.

 

[onocoffee]

I've been doing something similar to build out my shop space. So far, it's been exclusively harvested lumber in the form of discarded plywood, pallets and whatever bits I can scrounge around to save costs. It has allowed me to try different methods of assembly and finishes with the idea that it will help me build better skills so when it's all done, I'll have some modicum of chops.

I've been using a lot of Domino and glue, with minimal screws and (so far) absolutely no pocket screws). Each shop cart represents progression and outright failure. Today, I was assembling the mobile base for a torsion box MFT (a la Paulk) and had planned and measured 427mm spaces for SYS AZ drawers with Dominos to set the verticals. After glue up, I measured again only to learn that I was successful with 427mm in one space but 400mm in the other. Guess I set the line incorrectly when Domino-ing. Lesson learned.

 

[Packard]

I make so many fixtures that I make them using glue and a 18 gage nailer mostly.

The key is to make them accurate. I’ve learned to toss most of the jigs as they take up too much space, cost so little to remake and if I keep them, I could never find them when I need them next.

Plus while using a jig I’ll think of improvements for the next time.

I make them fast, cheap and accurate.  I depend on glue for almost all my jigs. Most are really small and screws are not a good option.  The worst thing that can happen, is the “stops” on your jig get loose and you lose accuracy. 

I’ve kept a few, and they are stored with the equipment needed to use them.  Label them.  A year from now you won’t remember what they are for.

One of my most successful jigs is a marking jig for dowel placement on mitered rails and stiles.  Before that jig, I would mark each corner with a hash mark to align with my Rockler dowel jig.  Because each corner was a little different, I’d make the hash mark and label the corners A/A, B/B, etc.  after the marking jig, I could make the hash mark accurately enough to make same sized rails and jigs would be interchangeable.  That made marking faster and assembly faster. I’ve kept that jig as it is so small and worked so well.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm definitely not trying to make furniture grade racks or anything. I do notice some of that on Youtube but maybe that's just for the views. I'm just trying to get the shop functional and a little organized so I can work on some furniture projects.

I hadn't thought much about being able to disassemble and reuse or reconfigure, but that's pretty convincing to go with screws over glue + nails.

My clamp racks are designed around a French Cleat pattern made out of scrap (but nice,) plywood. The first set I set out gluing them up with clamps and then reinforcing the rack/cleat connection with two screws. By the third set I was gluing them up, clamping with a few 18ga brads, and skipping the screws entirely. With clamps (and patience,) I'm sure I could use no fasteners at all. 

Good to know. That's what I was planning on, modular french cleat racks to have the most flexibility.

Just add shear panels or diagonal braces to stifle torque or twisting that would loosen screws, or rather, enlarge the holes the screws are in.

 

[Cheese]

I use Torx screws to assemble all jigs & fixtures. Specifically, GRK because they have a large selection of sizes or Spax. Easy to assemble and easy to change if you need to. Toggle clamps and drill bushings also come into play. The drill bushings can be the pressed-in style or can be the threaded style.

Patterns are usually made of Masonite while fixtures are usually made from BB plywood.

Most importantly, every jig/fixture that I plan to keep, I write on it what the fixture was used for and the year I built it. I also note on the jig if some special sized drill bits or if something unusual was used/needed. All incredibly helpful information when you need to use the jig again 5 years down the road.

Here's a jig for making small storage boxes using the Domino. The markings on the jig along with a couple of these photos makes it easy to produce these boxes again in the future.

[attachimg=1]

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[Packard]

In my mind any modular system means you are making compromises in the jig design to accommodate the limiof the modular system.

Plus, once you are in the habit of making jigs, they are exceedingly quick and easy to make using scrap.  The only cost being nails and glue.

 

[Michael Kellough]

What do you all find you use the most for shop fixtures, jigs, racks, etc.? I see a range of fastening options used including glue, glue plus 18Ga. brad nails, glue plus 23Ga. pins, screws, screws plus glue.

I need to build some clamp racks and I'm wondering if I should buy a new nailer to help glue them up, and whether I should reinforce with screws afterwards. For shop fixtures where nail holes aren't a concern do you go with 18 gauge for strength over pins, and not bother with screws?

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I don't have much experience with this type of project.

You should have some kind of nailer or pinner.

When I’m building a fixture to aid some operation and a stop block’s position is critical, and I can’t use a clamp and a screw might shift the block a little, I’ll shoot a brad or pin to lock the position so a screw can be safely added.

I prefer 23 gauge pins just because they and the tool are so small but if I try to remove them later I find there’s about 50/50 chance of getting the pin out without breaking it leaving a sharp little bit sticking out (so I have a small 12 volt cut-off tool like this standing by to knock down anything above the surface).

If you only want one such tool I’d get an 18 gauge brad nailer, first. You’ll eventually get the 23 gauge tool too.

 

[Packard]

I got a 23 gage nailer several years ago, when there was just one make and model available.

The nailer worked fine.

But any nail longer than 5/8” followed the grain in the wood.  So you knew where the nail entered the wood, but you never knew where it was going after that.  In pine, it was nearly OK.  In oak, it was a malicious joke.

I still have it.  Fine in MDF where you rarely need such tiny nails.

Every few months I take it out and use it.

It is like an untamed terrier, ready to take off in directions unknown.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I got a 23 gage nailer several years ago, when there was just one make and model available.

The nailer worked fine.

But any nail longer than 5/8” followed the grain in the wood.  So you knew where the nail entered the wood, but you never knew where it was going after that.  In pine, it was nearly OK.  In oak, it was a malicious joke.

I still have it.  Fine in MDF where you rarely need such tiny nails.

Every few months I take it out and use it.

It is like an untamed terrier, ready to take off in directions unknown.

You can mitigate that by paying attention to the angle of the pin’s chisel point. If the V is parallel the growth rings it’s more likely to run along the ring like a sled. If you turn the tool/nail 90 degrees there is a much better chance of punching through the ring.

In wood with extreme difference between the hardness of early growth and late growth like southern yellow pine the 23 gauge pins will loose the battle. SYP has been characterized as a lamination of ebony and basswood.

 

[jeffinsgf]

SYP has been characterized as a lamination of ebony and basswood.

Love that. So true.

 

[ChuckM]

As a furniture maker, I don't use my nailers a lot, but when I do, this tip never fails me:
https://www.woodmagazine.com/woodwo...e/avoiding-nail-blowout-straight-to-the-point

 

[Scott in San Diego]

Consider a 21 ga pinner.  I really like my Senco TN21L1, it occupies an in-between sweet spot.  My 18 ga and 23 ga pinners are feeling very lonely.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Consider a 21 ga pinner.  I really like my Senco TN21L1, it occupies an in-between sweet spot.  My 18 ga and 23 ga pinners are feeling very lonely.

Good tip for a first or only gun! I don’t have one of those, yet.