Make Your Kreg Joint Even Stronger

It is by no way necessary to add any form of joinery to the Kreg jointing system to make it ‘effective’, or ‘better’. Kreg joinery is fast, efficient and effective as a standalone jointing system, but because this type of joinery is non-intrusive, I would like to discuss using other jointing techniques with the Kreg system.

This month is the turn of the very basic Rabbet and Dado joinery that is enhanced by the Kreg jointing system. Face facts – second to gluing one plank to another, Rabbets and Dados are the first step in any form of wood joinery, so how can we make this joint a super joint? Screw it together with a pocket hole – that how!

The movement of South African pine is not the elegant stretch and warp we see in the international magazines, but rather the jive and twist we may find at a young people’s dance party. What I have found using this product is that it moves just at the wrong time, usually when I want to pocket hole it into a specific position. Taking this into consideration I needed to make a plan and get the wood to sit in the right place without too much fuss, hence the introduction of the shallow dado. The adjoining piece fits inside, pocket screws are inserted and the joint is secured. Problem solved.

The only real planning that is required for this form of joint is the length of the screw used to secure the pocket hole. Remembering that the screws specified by Kreg are for same size material joinery, special attention must be paid to the length of the screw exiting the pocket hole. I use a 1 1/4” screw (used for 19mm material), in 21mm material with a 2mm Rabbet/Dado. The 2mm depth has reduced the material size from 21mm to 19mm. Also remember to add the 2mm of material to the work pieces that will be embedded into the Rabbet/Dado.

Done! Advanced joinery + Basic Joinery = Super strong and ultra-effective wood joinery that doesn’t float around unnecessarily. One more advantage is that when the joint is screwed into place the piece can be moved because the Kreg ‘Screw Clamps’ are holding on tight to let the glue dry. Take your Rabbet and Dado joinery to the next level!