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(04-16-2019, 02:34 PM)ajkoontz Wrote: To be fair, $30 for the jig I linked is pretty steep for what it does. I'm usually pretty tight, but even still it was worth the $30 for me to make things easier. I had a bunch of them to do. The small drill bits that come with it are very brittle. The big bit with stop was nice. There's a ton of ways to do the same thing, I just wanted to throw out some options.
I should add, I learned the hard way about the notches at the back of the drawer. First 4 or 5 I made I didn't read the instructions, so I had to go back and cut the notches after (dado stack). Once I learned how they worked, I made the backs narrower, which is a better way to do drawers anyway. I used 1/2" ply for the bottoms and the hole for the slides is right at the edge of the plywood. Would be much easier to locate and drill into solid wood drawer back.
Blum makes one that costs a good bit more. Do you think the Kreg jig is as good?
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I just finished (4) 12" deep cabinets with these slides and they work wonderfully. I bought the jig from Blum and the drill kit with the thought that I will be going to undermounts from now on mostly. The jig is super handy and I recommend it unless you are only planning a few drawers and no future use.
I left the entire back short and had a rabbet for the drawer bottom. I used a couple small tack nails to secure the bottom to the back. This seemed easier than making the notch and the drawers work very well.
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(04-17-2019, 07:29 AM)Cooler Wrote: Blum makes one that costs a good bit more. Do you think the Kreg jig is as good?
I haven't seen the Blum jig, so can't say. The jig I linked to is made by Rockler I think (
Item #50713). Just to be sure we're talking about the same jig, I'm just talking about the jig that aligns the holes. So, the jig, 2 drill bits, and 2 stop collars. Like others have said, there are more than a few ways to accomplish this task so I personally wouldn't spend more than $30 on the jig. I can't imagine another jig being any better that would make it worth more.
If you're talking about the magnet jig that holds the drawer/ slides to aid in the install, well I bought that too. I have the Rockler jig for Blum undermounts and the Kreg jig for standard drawer slides. I don't think the magnet jig for Blum is worth the money for one cabinet. For a whole kitchen, maybe- maybe not. The side mount slide jig by Kreg is worth it IMO, if you're doing more than a few side mounts. Again, there are a ton of ways to do it without the jig, so YMMV. I'm doing a whole kitchen, plus I love gadgets/ jigs so it was worth it for me.
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I have used the blum jig, well worth the money. It locates the 2 holes in the back of the drawer and the holes for the under side front release thingy. The front holes are at an angle which the jig sets correctly. The blum jig set I bought came with 2 drill bits with 2 depth stops and the jig. Blum tandem T65.1000. I think I paid around $35
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(04-17-2019, 12:28 PM)lift mechanic Wrote: I have used the blum jig, well worth the money. It locates the 2 holes in the back of the drawer and the holes for the under side front release thingy. The front holes are at an angle which the jig sets correctly. The blum jig set I bought came with 2 drill bits with 2 depth stops and the jig. Blum tandem T65.1000. I think I paid around $35
AH Turf, who is usually very competitive lists the jig at $42.25. Drill bits are $33.05 and $23.61 =
Total $98.91 (100% Blum parts)
Cabinet Parts sells the jig for $50.82 + $33.93 for the drill bits and driver = Total
$84.75 (Drill bits are externally sourced, not Blum parts)
All the reviews say that they work perfectly but don't come with instructions or that the instructions are unreadable. And they all complain about the fact that you order the jig and you can't use it until you order the special (long reach) bits.
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04-17-2019, 03:07 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-17-2019, 03:07 PM by jamesglenn.)
I purchased the Blum jig back in February from cabinetreecollection.com for $37.32. Comes with everything but the drill bits.
http://cabinetreecollection.com/store/ca...rm5l048mv0
1 x Blum TANDEM template for 563/569 Series - T65.1600.01 (T65.1600.01) = $37.32
I also purchased the tool set so I had the correct drill bits and could leave them in the tools for $24.99
http://cabinetreecollection.com/store/ca...cts_id=365
There are different jigs depending on what slides you plan to use.
Came with instructions as well.
