Great product ideas sometimes emerge when two different disciplines such as woodworking and metalworking collide. In 1986 Craig Sommerfeld was in the process of building his house and needed to find a way to attach his doweled face frames to his kitchen cabinet carcase members. A tool and die maker by trade, but a woodworker out of necessity, Craig had a problem. Not wanting to nail them on and then fill with putty, he designed and built "Craig’s Jig" which was a single-hole pocket hole jig crafted from steel and aluminum that allowed him to attach the face frames from the inside of the cabinet where the joint could be hidden from view. Encouraged by friends and co-workers, Craig built a few more jigs and set out to show them to the public at a woodworking show. What Craig found at these woodworking shows was an audience who had no knowledge of the joining method he was promoting, however they were very interested in learning about a new way to build woodworking projects. So… week after week, month after month, year after year, Craig would build his product during the week and promote them at the weekend woodworking shows. Hundreds of trade shows and thousands of demonstrations later Kreg Tool Company has emerged as the leader in Pocket Hole Technology. From the manual K3 Kreg Jig to the fully-automatic Pro Series machines, Kreg offers a simple solution that has changed the way thousands of woodworkers join wood.
In 2003, Kreg diversified its product offerings by adding a category of products named Precision Measuring Systems. These products consist of a Precision Miter Gauge, Precision Band Saw Fence, and Precision Trak and Stop Kit that enable a tablesaw, band saw, and miter saw to cut more accurately and consistently than ever before.
Pocket Hole Joinery in its’ simplest terms is drilling a hole at an angle into one workpiece and then joining it to a second workpiece with a self-tapping screw. This technique was actually invented by the Egyptians as they clamped two workpieces together and then bored a hole at an angle from one workpiece into the second workpiece. They then inserted a dowel with some glue and cut it off flush with the surface. This technique continued to evolve over the years into two main joinery methods, doweling and more recently, pocket hole joinery. The modern pocket hole joint grew in popularity with the creation of the self-tapping screw in the 1980’s which eliminated the need to drill into the second workpiece altogether.
Why is pocket hole joinery so popular? Mainly because of its speed, strength and simplicity. Speed comes from the fact that the self-tapping screw eliminates the need to pre-drill the mating workpiece, which avoids many alignment problems caused by having to layout and drill for aligning fasteners as with dowel, biscuit, and mortise and tenon joints. Secondly, the self-tapping screw also serves as an internal clamp, which eliminates clamping the joint as the glue dries. This saves the investment in various clamping devices, the time and frustration of clamping, as well as the problems associated with pulling the assembly out of square with clamping pressure.
The strength of a pocket hole joint can be explained with two simple statements. First, a mechanical screw has physical properties that make it stronger than a biscuit, dowel, or tenon. Secondly, the amount of constant clamping force placed on the joint line by driving the screw combined with today’s glue technology makes for an incredibly strong wood-to-wood bond.
With products ranging from $13 up to $7,499 USD Kreg offers a full-line of pocket hole tools to fit every budget and production schedule. Three manual tools; the Mini Kreg Jig, RocketTM Jig, and K3 Kreg Jig offer inexpensive solutions for individuals looking to get started with pocket hole joinery, while the semi-automatic Foreman machine and the fully-automatic Pro Series machines offer larger shops the speed and durability needed to produce production pocket holes. Our newest line of Precision Measuring products are premium accessory upgrades to make the woodworking machines in your shop more accurate and easy to use.
Kreg asks that you give Kreg products a try, & Kreg is confident you will be impressed with their quality, durability, attention to detail, and service after the sale.
1986– Craig Sommerfeld invents first manual pocket hole jig for use in building his home cabinets. 1990 – Single-drill guide M1 Kreg Jig is first commercially available product. 1990 – Two-drill guide M2 Kreg Jig is introduced. 1990 – Sand cast, two part model, K2 Kreg Jig, is introduced due to increased demand. 1995 – Fully-automatic DK100 machine is designed and developed to target the custom cabinet and furniture shop 1996 – Two-drill guide, nylon bodied RocketTM Jig is patented and introduced to the market. Lower priced, portable tool is great for on the jobsite applications. 1998 – Single-drill guide Mini Kreg Jig is introduced. Great entry level tool and perfect for repairs and space constrained applications. 2000 – Kreg launches the second generation Kreg Jig, named the Kreg Jig K2000 ProPack. This tool adjusts for material thickness, features a patented three drill guide upright, and is packaged in a durable carrying case along with the Mini Kreg Jig and RocketTM Jigs. 2000 – Kreg adds upgraded fully-automatic production models to their product line. DK1100 single-spindle machines are the production workhorse of the Kreg line. 2003 – DK3100 three spindle machine enters the market place. The only machine that allows the placement of two pocket holes in one machine cycle at 1/2”, 1”, and 1-3/4” on-center spacings. 2003 – Kreg diversifies product offerings with Precision Measuring Systems acquisition. Products include Precision Miter Gauge, Precision Band Saw Fence, and Precision Trak and Stop Kit all designed to make cutting wood more accurate. 2004 – Kreg introduces 4 and 5 spindle DK4100 and DK5100 machines to the market. These machines are designed to drill pocket holes in cabinet sides, stairs, and drawer box components in one machine cycle. 2005 – Third generation K3 Kreg Jig is introduced as the premium offering in the industry. Tool contains the latest in Pocket Hole Technology including interchangeable drill guide design, front side clamping, dust collection, infinite upright adjustment, material support stop, and more.
