New Bath Vanity, Part 2 »Face frames in about an hour...
I've finally had some time to do the fun part of woodworking, making cabinets! It's nice to put down the crowbar and blow torch and do something with a little more precision. Just finishing off the master bath remodel, the last steps are the new vanity cabinet and sink.
And to make a nice cabinet you need a nice face frame, here's where my new toy comes into play. It's a Kreg K3 Pocket Hole jig. If you're not into woodworking, go ahead and tune out here. Otherwise, here's the scoop...
This thing is the slickest invention since rubber mallets. Just clamp a piece of wood and within minuts you have a clean face frame joint. It works by holding and drilling a counter-set hole at a 15* angle. Then you just clamp the wood into place and set a few self tapping wood screws.
A shot of the jig. I've mounted it to a piece of 3/4 ply so that I can clamp it down to my workbench. The handle in front activates a clamp (not visible) holding the wood in place. The circular outlet on the left front is for the shop vacuum.
Here's a shot of the face frame joint being assembled. The vice-grips like clamp is included with the K3 kit. I found that putting another clamp on and compressing the joint before sinking the screws guarantees a tight fit with no slip, as long as you line the joint up right.
Here's the completed joint from the inside. It makes for a very tight mechanical fit, even without glue. I bought the plugs (in maple and cherry) to fill the holes, but this face frame will go directly onto the vanity cabinet so I'll save the plugs for something else.
More info from the manufacturer website here.
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