I have always been a big fan of Kreg products. This is another good one. I have used it for one composite Trex deck so and far and it is excellent. I have used all types of concealed fastening systems and this is so far the best for composite decking. Not sure about hardwoods but will probably be fine. I do wish the quality of the jig was a little better. KREG KJDECKSYS Deck Jig
The jig works as advertised...mostly. There are a few things that I did differently than the instructions, once I used the jig for a few courses on my 1" cedar deck. Never start on the end! Setting the screws caused the board to pull over and out of alignment, and the system doesn't allow you to use the jig and a spacer on the same joist with 4" boards. I used the spacers and placed it behind the first 2 joist after the butt joint. pre-drilled first 6 holes on the board (2 end 45 holes, and the next 2 joist front & back), then making sure that the splice was still in the center of the joist and the deck board was spaced and aligned correctly, I would set the board, but at the next joist, and maybe the next. The go back and do the end. This way the board was locked and would not be "pulled" by the sinking of the screw. Also you should know that this will consume ALOT of time if you follow their process. Switching drill guns all the time is VERY laborious.
Set 1 end of the run and cut your entire row. Then run down both sides pre-drilling the holes then set the leading edge, but for the whole course then screw the entire back at once. Save loads of time and as long as you pay attention to the joints and your spacing you'll be fine.
Lessons:
1. Set boards as above
2. Keep the jig flat on the board with pressure when drilling.
3. Double check your screw count from their website estimator
Should note that my Dad liked the jig so much that he bought one too. It will save you loads of money compared to the other hidden fasteners (tiger claw or the others), but you pay in time with this. So if you're in a hurry to get the deck done....spend the crazy money and face the claw.
Kreg came out with a great idea that kept my cedar boards from splitting on the ends. Kreg had produced high quality items in the past but they need to go back and beef this item up. Not enough plastic to keep it from flexing and those bolt on guides should be molded into the handle. I'm afraid it won't stand up to winter work. The thin plastic will be brittle and I don't need down time. I also went to the square drive bit after 3 screws for better performance. I loved the finished product of hidden screws and can go back the cheaper plastic deck boards.
Stay away from this jig if you are using wood decking. The boards will bow since they are only being held on the sides and not much downward holding. The screws also don't have that much of a head for screwing down stairs or overhanging sections. It does give a better look but I am afraid I am going to have to go back and use regular screws to replace some bowing. Also I had issues with the drill bit breaking and Kreg would not replace even though it is a known problem. Not a big deal since I could still use in a drill, just not with a quick release. I ended up using two drills.
After a week of trying to make a decision on a fastening system for my newly purchased trex decking I stumbled onto the Kreg Deck Jig. What a great product. I installed 250 sq feet of decking for a 3rd of the price of other hidden fastener systems, and 1/2 the price of stainless steel unsightly top screws. The jig is simple to use, and does the job very quickly with the use of 2 cordless screw guns.I recommend this product to anyone installing 5/4 decking.
I am about half way through a re-decking job using the Kreg Deck Jig. Overall I like the system but have a few complaints and suggestions. First, the requirement that use use only the Kreg Deck Screws can cost you a lot of extra time and $$. When I bought my Kreg Deck Jig at Lowes they did not have any of the Kreg screws left in stock so I found them at a nearby Home Depot. But when I burned through the first box of 700 screws ($49.95) and returned to HD for more they had none ;^( seems that they have quit carrying Kreg and I bought the last remaining box of screws........So I returned to Lowes hoping that they would have received new stock. First I checked their website and it said they did have the screws in stock. But when I got to Lowes I could not find the Kreg screws and neither could four of the Lowes employees. Two said they had never heard of Kreg screws. So I pulled out my Android phone and went back to the Lowes website and had the manager look up the item number in their computer. Sure enough his PC said they had three boxes........now if someone could just find them. Turns out they were stocked not in the "screw isle" with all the other decking screws but rather in with the power tools hiding on the lowest shelf. Bought their last box, another $49.95.
In use I found that I tended to rest my left hand on the jig's handle and slide it along from joist to joist. This became painful after a couple of hours but I took some closed cell pipe insulation and wrapped the bare plastic handle with two layers of foam. This REALLY helped reduce the pains in my left hand! In use I also was a bit frustrated that you really need to make four passes down each board. One on each side to drill the pilot holes, then one down each side again to drive in the screws. Unless you want to change bits at every hole, or own two impact drivers, I don't see another way. I would also like to see the jig made of aluminum rather than plastic as I doubt the jig will hold up for more that a deck job or two.
I finished my decking but I will not use the Kreg jig on any future deck jobs. It is just too SLOW.
Just finished a 12 X 16 deck with Trex composite boards. This jig and screws worked well for the most part. Very hard to see the screw holes unless you look for them. Did a nice job. I found that doing one side of about 4-5 boards and then going back to do the other side worked well. It allowed me to focus on setting the spacing first, and after the boards were in and spaced, I could quickly do the other side without worry. This might not work as well if the boards were cold and stiff, but it worked fine for warm, flexible composite. At times I wished that I had 2 of the jigs so I could drill the holes and have someone follow behind with the fasteners. If you have a really big deck to do, you might want to consider two of the units.
My only complaint is the stop collars for the driver bit. The screw that Kreg used is small and the allen wrench cheap. About half way through I noticed the collar was starting to slip, making me drive the screws in too deep unless I noticed. I ended up having to check the collar every couple few boards, which was frustrating. I ended up going to the box store and getting a hardened screw so I could tighten it better versus the allen wrench. There are no clearance considerations so I don't know why Kreg didn't do that from the get go. Or perhaps a flat ground on the driver bit. Finally, although the durability was good for a homeowner, I could see where a contractor under heavy use might wear this out in a few decks, at least requiring new driver bits and collars.
Worked great for what I need though.
UPDATE: Just posted a picture of my solution to the slipping collar set screws. I bought a 2-pack of stainless #10-32 X 3/8" socket cap screws and replaced the smaller black set screws in the collars. As you can see in the picture, it allows a larger allen wrench to be used and creates a lot more force, holding the collar in place for the duration. - Guide - Kreg - Woodworking Joinery - Tools'
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