My cheap pocket hole jig cost me a whole kitchen install

I bought a $40 pocket hole jig online last year thinking I'd save cash on a set of cabinets. The alignment was off, the screws stripped, and I had to redo every single joint. It added about 12 hours to the job and I lost a $500 deposit because the client was unhappy with the delay. I should have just used my good jig from the start. Has anyone else had a tool fail them that badly on a paid job?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_cooper5819h ago

Oh man, that's rough. I had a similar thing with a bargain bin orbital sander. The pad was never truly flat, left swirl marks on every piece of maple I touched. Had to sand an entire tabletop by hand to fix it, completely blew my weekend.

david_jones3813h ago

Sounds about right for a bargain bin find. My first one shot a bearing and vibrated across the shop like an angry hornet.

blair_taylor328h ago

Ever find a decent one after that?