PORTER-CABLE 560 QUIKJIG Pocket-Hole Joinery System

Saves lots of time compared to over make of pocket hole jigs

Probably a great tool, but 648.71 £, seriously ?

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.

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.

I looked very hard at this, the Kreg system and the HF jig. Ultimately got this and I could not be happier. all of my holes were consistently true and have had no problems using it so far. I just finished some cedar patio furniture that had tons of pocket holes and every single hole was clean, the correct depth, straight and repeatable. All in all, it does what it is supposed to, and does it well. Do not try to use a cordless drill with this, none of mine had the speed or power to tackle pocket holes. Maybe some of the expensive ones will work, but only my corded drills had the needed power.That said, there are some things that are less than stellar:1. The dust collection cup is wonderful to have and my wet/dry vac with 1.25" hose fits perfectly, however, it does not catch all the shavings as there is a gap in front of the cup when it is fully inserted that allows some shavings to not get picked up.2. if you do not attach a vac to the dist collection hole, make sure you empty the cup regularly; if you do not, the shavings can pile up to the point that they will interfere with drilling all the way.3. While the adjustable stop is wonderful, it'd be nice to have some way to lock it in place at specific distances, such as placing the pocket hole at 1/4", 1/2", etc. away from the edge of the board. I can attain this just fine by making a couple boards with holes at the appropriate places and then adjusting the stop to match, but it'd be cool if you could have both ways of doing things.all in all, I love this thing and if it ever broke (not likely, but I do see a couple potential problem spots if a gorilla was being too rough) I would happily replace it. I'll take this over the Kreg any day of the week unless they came out with one as automatic as this too.

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.