PORTER-CABLE QUIKJIG Pocket Hole Jig & Joinery System (560)

After reading all (ok most) of the reviews of this and the Kreg, I went with this tool. Now that I have had it for a little while and used it to drill a few hundred pocket holes, I am pretty satisfied. My only issue (probably my fault) is the stop collar for the drill bit. For a few cents more, they could have supplied a decent collar. The one supplied has only one locking screw and it is tiny and the collar appears to be brass. When you tighten it, one side of your brain is saying " tighten it as much as you can", while the other side is saying "don't over tighten it or you will strip the threads in the brass collar". At first, the "don't tighten too much" side won. As a result the collar slipped without me seeing and I drilled a number of holes too deep. My solution was to tighten it as much as I thought safe and mark the location with an ultra fine sharpie. Then I checked the collar every few holes. That worked fine. I was using cheap 3/4" plywood from a big box store. So, I have not used it in decent hardwood.Regarding some of the other reviews:Some say "the bit is a bit long". Yes, SO?Some say "the holes it drills are a bit rough". The first ones I drilled were a bit rough. Then I switched to a corded drill with a bit more power/speed, and all was good.Some say "the mechanism for the left hole is a bit flimsy". This was never an issue for me. Although, I only used the left side for a couple dozen holes. Maybe, I was just lucky.In the instructions, they mention mounting the jig to a board. Mounting to something is almost a must. This gives you one less thing moving around. I had some 3/4" scrap laying around and used that for a mounting surface. This gives me a good solid surface to clamp the jig to my table saw.It seriously takes me longer to mark where I want the holes to be, than it does to position the board and drill the holes. Most boards I was drilling have 3 or 4 pocket holes in the left and right end. It is as simple as mark the position for the holes, line up the mark to the indicator on the jig, clamp the jig to the board, drill the hole, release the clamp, slide the board to the next mark, clamp again, repeat, repeat, flip the board and repeat....... No brainer!All in all I am happy with this tool.

Having used this jig for a relatively short period of time, I thought I would write some initial impressions about this product. Overall, I've very pleased with it and would recommend it without significant hesitation. I'm using this primarily with soft lumber, generally 1x dimensional, for simple window sashes and cabinet facing.Initial Impressions:In case it's not obvious from the product description: included with the jig is a drill bit with brass stop collar, an Allen wrench which is used to loosen and tighten the collar, two variable length square tipped driver bits, a large C-shaped vice grip type clamp, and an instruction sheet.The first thing that struck me after taking it out of the box was its heft. This thing is solid. Lots of metal. The next thing that stuck me was that it was a bit intimidating: just staring at it and turning it over in my hands didn't immediately give me a clue as to how it was supposed to be used. Lots of things on it twist, move and clamp, but there were a few too many moving parts to be obvious to me. It also didn't help that the instructions were printed in rather small font on a single, large, fold-out (think: street map type) piece of paper. There were acres of warnings, cautions, safety admonitions, and legalese to negotiate through before any of the real instruction on use began. And like most instruction manuals, the language is relatively technical. Correct, but not simple.So, after happily getting my new toy, I left it to sit under the workbench for quite some time. What finally got me to use this was (1) needing to make some framing for which pocket-hole jointery would be ideal, and (2) spending an evening looking at youtube videos. Why Porter Cable doesn't provide or at least promote simple how-to videos with its products still amazes me. For all that this thing looks imposing, the actual operation is fairly trivial. I would strongly urge anyone who is not already familiar with this jig or even this type of joint construction to skim over the included instruction, but then do a youtube.com search. There are a couple videos available and these are MUCH better at showing how simple this thing is to use.In practice, to use it requires little more than:1. clamping or securing the jig to a stable work surface2. adjusting the brass depth stop on the included drill bit (really only needed once)3. ensuring that the work piece is square on all sides4. using the knob to adjust the distance between the two screw holes5. clamping the piece in place6. drilling the holes with the included bitAs an aside - for anyone that is completely new to this type of jointery - the jig is used only to drill the hole(s) for the pocket screws. Once the holes are made, the piece is removed from the jig, the two pieces to be joined can be clamped together (using the included clamp) and pocket screws are then inserted. That's it.As mentioned before, I'm using this primarily with 1x dimensional soft pine lumber for relatively simple, non-demanding applications. The cabinets and window panes I've been working on are final trim work for a workshop, and man-cave level decor is more than adequate. I cannot speak to how this works with hard woods - other commentators have spoken to that - nor have I tried it under circumstances in which hole alignment is critical. Also, this is the only product of its type that I've used. I can't speak to how this stacks up against other jigs, such as Kreg.So... why would anyone buy this? It's expensive, right? Well, for myself, it helps me complete projects that require joints that I would find difficult or time consuming to create by hand. I'm simply not that good a carpenter. Also, I have limited time on evenings and weekends to get things done, so time savings is a big draw for me. Using a jig has implications for economy of scale. If I only had a single window to contend with, I'm probably just muddle through by hand. The problem is, I have six windows to complete and a full set of cabinets - both standing and hung - to contend with. Being able to quickly create sturdy pocket hole joints in a short period of time is a big win. Again, for a serious woodworker, this would likely not be the case. The learning curve seems very short - I've been able to knock out a dozen joints in a matter of under 30 minutes with minimal instruction, and suspect that most reasonably competent adults could do the same. Lastly, there is object permanence - this thing looks like it is solidly constructed. I'm anticipating that it will last for many long years.So these are my initial impressions. With more use, I'll try to get back and leave an addendum.Good luck!

There's not much I can say that hasn't been said. I should qualify my comments with the fact that I have never used a pocket hold jig before. I read reviews of a few jigs before I purchased and the reviews of the Porter Cable jig were much better than those of other brands of jig. This jig is so well thought out! Not only do you use the same drill bit, same stop collar at the same setting for every hole but the jig senses the thickness of the material and knows not only how far down to drill but there's a pointer that then tells you what length of screw to use for the joint! The build quality is excellent, the documentation is good, FAR too many disclaimers that remind you to wear safety glasses etc etc etc, yes, we get it! I found it a bit hard to weed out the operating instructions from the incessant warnings about every little thing that might go wrong in my life as a result of using my power drill or my air compressor etc.In short, I have nothing bad to say about this tool. I can't imagine how it could be improved upon.

How this isn't as popular as the kreg jigs I can only attribute to a lack of advertising on Porter Cable's part. A rare tool where the manufacturer thought of everything. Simple, well built, compact and and fast (quick release and re-clamp lever is great.Automatically adjusts screw depth potential based on board thickness, gauge to tell you what size pocket screw to use based on what wood is clamped into the jig, slots for two different length Robertson bits (included) as well as the drill bit and lock nut, height of fence base is exactly 1-1/2" so when drilling larger stock a 2x4 laid flat on either side extends your work surface for stability and alignment, shop vac dust collection, holes to secure to a work bench (although the flanged edges on the sides are just wide ebough to accommodate a clamp. I could go on.If you are on the fence between buying this and another jig I couldn't recommend the 560 Quickjig enough.

Just got and compare to some of the concerns I have with the Kreg system, this one meets my requirements and I still like Kreg complimentary jigs.

Hmm... How easy it is for the one not to be smart from the beginning.Firstly, have made my own pocket hole jig - It worked, but...Than few Kreg jigs... was not very pleased ( Junior model excepted)!Finally I got vise to check the net for something else... was not sure if there ware any solutions!I clicked on PORTER-CABLE 560 QUIKJIG in amazon store, and after just 1 day(!?) I got it.I have to admit that this JIG is way above any other. I just hope to last for long time.Have to say that amazon delivered it FREE after 1 day!(Oh, one more thing! It should be stored on display in living room after use, as a decorative piece)

Love this thing. You just have to be careful that the depth collar on the drill bit doesn't come loose. Mine did and I went a little deeper than I needed to until I noticed it. Other than that, it works really well. I mounted mine on a plywood tray. So I can store it when not needed and clamp it to my bench when I am using it.