Sawdust on the Floor

In my shop some tools never really get put away at the end of the day.  The reason is that they seem to be used in each and every project I do.  The tablesaw is one of those tools. I use it in all most every thing I build, plus because of it’s size, it takes center stage in the shop and simply can’t be put away. One of the others is my Kreg Pocket screw system.  I have to be honest,  I use this tool more and more lately.  

However, I have a basic Kreg System that is several years old. Unlike the newer units, that allow you to select the thickness of the stock you are using, mine is set for 3/4″ thickness.  Maybe someday I will upgrade it, if I start doing a lot of work in different thickness.  But for now, the old one is just fine. 

If you have used the Kreg Jig, then you know how simple it is to use.  Simply place your stock into the jig, drill a hole with the step bit, and then connect the pieces of your project together with the Kreg washer headed screws.  Really simple to use and an incredibly strong joint when you combine the washer headed screw with quality wood glue.  

The only issue I have ever had with the Kreg system, is that you have to securely clamp the two pieces of wood together and flat to each other as you insert and tighten the screws.  On small projects, this is not really a difficult problem.  The Kreg Face Clamp  that came with my system, which looks like a modified set of vise grips, is easy to use and hold the two pieces quite adequately.  The issue comes about when you are trying to connect the rails and stiles of larger projects, such as the face frame for the kitchen cabinets I recently completed.    

The stiles for my  upper cabinets were 42″ long, and typically 2 1/2″ wide.  To connect them to the rails, you would start by placing the stiles on edge of the saw or other flat surface.   Then you place the rails, with the predrilled pocket holes, in place on the stiles. Then you clamp the intersection of the rail and stile together with the face clamp. You will have to keep this clamped joint completely vertical until you have the screws in place, because you can not lay it down flat. The clamp that is holding the joint together is in the way.  Now making sure that the two pieces remain in the correct orientation, insert the Kreg screws and secure the joint.  But here is the rub, the rails were up to 30″ long.  You are trying to keep this relatively small joint between the rail and stile tight and properly aligned.  With longer rails, this becomes a real hassle.  You are fighting the weight and length of the rails.

Don’t get me wrong guys, despite this issues, I really love the Kreg Pocket system.  I am simply pointing out an issue that I have found.  I thought I had found the solution on an early morning Infomercial, from Kreg where they extolling the virtues  of the Kreg  K3 Master System and the Kreg Klamping table.  The K3 is an upgrade from the version of the tool that I have.  The biggest difference is that the drill guide has an adjustment for the thickness of the wood you are using.  The table is what caught my attention. 

As you can see in the picture here, the Kreg Klamp table has two horizontal channels which are mounted at a 90 angle to each other.  These tracks accept a slightly different face clamp then the one shown above.  The clamps have a bolt in the base that rides in the track.  By adjusting the klamps on the track, you are able to clamp your work flat, instead of vertically like I have done in the past.   What a great idea, just what I needed.  Or so I thought.

This past weekend, we made a trip to the local woodworking store, to make an up close and personal inspection of the Kreg Klamp Table. The painfully truth here is that while I was extremely impressed with the Klamp table top, the actual steel stand  that the table was mounted to was a disappointment. The structural integrity of the steel stand was  not up to the standards of other Kreg products I have seen or owned.  Even with the casters locked into place, the entire frame was too easily moved.  Plus the size of the top left me wanting more.   I found it interesting that Kreg offers the Kreg Klamp Table as a complete unit, as well as separate items.  This means that you can purchase the Kreg Klamp table top  or the  steel stand, individually if you want. This would allow you to use your own stand instead of the one offered by Kreg and mount the Kreg Klamp Table top on it. This would be a great option if the table top was offered in a larger size. But the size of the top is a real issue with me,  remember the size of face frames I often work with.

While the idea of purchasing an entire table system from Kreg did not work out, I think I may have come up with another approach that may work out even better than the Klamp table. Just in case you are wondering,  no I haven’t forgotten how to spell  nor have I turned my spell checker off.  Kreg  has decided that Klamp is the correct spelling of their product.  Who am I to argue with that. 

Getting back to my solution.  When I purchased my  Delta Unisaw  a couple of years ago, I also purchased their “table board”.  Fancy name for a particle board top that is covered with a piece of laminate.  The saw is working great, but the table board is starting to delaminate, particularly around the edges. Its time to  rebuild it and while I am rebuilding it, I will incorporate the best features of the Kreg Klamp Table into my “table board”. 

After doing some more research, I found out that Kreg sells the Kreg Klamp table track as a stand alone item. My plan is to mortise this into the top of my new Unisaw table top.  I plan to install it along the back edge of the top.  The Biesemeyer rip fence is mounted along the front, of the Unisaw so the rear is the only logical place for the long track. The track will be mounted just below the surface of the top, so that it will not interfere when wood passes over it. 

Instead of adding another piece of track along the right hand edge of the table top, I have elected instead to use what Kreg calls its Bench Klamp System.   Basically this is the same face klamp that goes into the table track.  But instead of the track, it has a single attachment point.  I have ordered a length of the track along with a couple of the Bench Klamp systems from the local woodworking store, unfortunately they did not stock these items. 

I will mortise these attachment points along the right hand end of the table top, at a 90 degree angle from the track.  By my way of thinking, this will give me the best of both worlds, a Kreg Klamp Table top that is extremely rigid (have you ever tried to move a Unisaw?) and a new table top that is not coming apart.    Hopefully UPS will bring the parts this week as I’m excited to get this done.  Stay tuned.  I’ll post a picture as soon as I get the project finished and let you know how it worked out.